The historic building was recently renovated as part of a community project to bolster the local economy, and redirect attention to the arts by featuring well-known performers in an intimate locale.
The opera house, which seats 803, brings performances to over 60,000 people in the area each year.
Due to the opera house's convenient location between Boston, New York and Montreal, it attracts a wide variety of entertainers touring the country.
"We're in a good spot to jump on some of those tours that feature big names," executive director Heather Clow said.
The venue's small size allows visitors to view well-known performers in an cozy setting, and performers often linger in the lobby after shows to sign autographs.
The opera house also focuses on community outreach, features local performance groups, and works closely with service organizations and nonprofits, including David's House and the Upper Valley Haven.
"We often talk about the opera house as a three-legged stool with art, education and community," Clow said.
The entertainment hub works to promote the arts among children through a youth education series that runs seven or eight times a year, allowing students to work with world renowned artists.
Hopkins Center publicity coordinator Rebecca Bailey said the opera house is an integral part of the Upper Valley arts community.
"As members of the same working group of regional arts presenters, the Hop and [Lebanon Opera House] share a lot of expertise and coordinate our efforts so we complement each other's programming," Bailey said.
Many Dartmouth students, including music major Evan Griffith '15, choose to make the trek.
"It's important to give yourself a break mentally," Griffith said. "It's easy to get caught up in all sorts of different things like school or tensions with different relationships."
Current shows include "South Pacific" and "Lucia di Lammermoor," whose month-long seasons end this weekend.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "South Pacific," set during World War II, follows an American nurse stationed at a U.S. naval base who falls in love with an expatriate French plantation owner and an American army lieutenant who becomes enamored with the Pacific and falls in love with a native woman.
"South Pacific" will be performed for the final time on Aug. 17.
Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" features Metropolitan Opera singer Kathleen Kim and focuses on Lucia's struggle to balance her familial obligations and the man she loves. When Lucia is forced to marry for money, she sinks into despair and eventually loses her mind. The final performance is today at 7:30 p.m.
Fall shows include "Queen Extravaganza," a Queen tribute show produced by original Queen drummer Roger Taylor, and "Menopause, the Musical," which follows four women who meet in a lingerie store to discuss the trials and tribulations of aging, with hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Other upcoming events include a Sept. 7 performance by the Killer Bs, featuring music by Barry Manilow, Billy Joel and the Beatles, and the Romantic ballet "Giselle," performed by Lebanon-based company City Center Ballet.
