Fun in Green Lake
THRASHER OPERA HOUSE
A Real Show Stopper highlighted the dramatic scenes on the screen. A movie was shown every night and sometimes changed as often as three times a week. By 1929, Thrasher was showing “talkies” after he installed the proper equipment for sound movies. Charlie retired from showing movies in 1939 and lived to 99 years, warmly regarded by the community. Films continued to be shown until World War II, but eventually the building languished as a warehouse. In 1994, an old, long-abandoned downtown Green Lake entertainment venue gained a second lease on life. Thrasher Opera House today emulates everything that it once stood for and remains a symbol of the history that has already passed through Green Lake, and serves as a ready participant in the history that has yet to come. The restoration of the Opera House was a huge project as the building was in great decline. Remaining historically accurate as well as meeting current building codes proved to be a challenge. In addition, only one photo of the original interior could be
found. That photo, along with some hidden existing details, helped piece things together. During the restoration, a pleasant surprise was discovered: a piece of wood installed near the stage door had been signed by every member of the cast who performed at the last play held there in 1945. The play was “You Can’t Take It With You.” The inside of the building, cream colored with accents of maroon and federal blue, features an embossed tin ceiling, a stenciled pattern along the walls, a hardwood floor, and a projection balcony. The stage has been re-floored and a missing proscenium has been replaced. The ticket window is back in its original location. Though a classically simple building on the outside, it is softly beautiful inside. Experts have rated its acoustics as excellent. As a tribute to Charlie, the building continues to be known as Thrasher Opera House. It has been designated a City of Green Lake Historic Structure, and is listed in the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
THRASHER OPERA HOUSE was built by Charlie Thrasher in 1910 on Mill Street in downtown Green Lake, Wisconsin. It first hosted vaudeville and traveling theatrical companies, but is best remembered for the movies that Charlie showed as soon as electricity became available, around 1912. The seating arrangement was simplicity itself…wooden kitchen chairs arranged in groups of five. These Spartan accommodations deterred no one, and people came from miles around to see the movies. At other times, meetings were held there and it was also used for school functions, including plays, proms and graduation ceremonies. As time evolved, so did the opera house. Shortly after electricity was introduced, Thrasher purchased a projection system and began showing silent films for the admission of one quarter. Audiences watched intently as a single piano player w w w. V i s i t G r e e n L a k e . c o m
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