October 25, 2022

Welcome Brooke Easley!

The Wright Opera House is thrilled to announce that Brooke Easley has been named as Executive Director for the Friends of the Wright Opera House!

Easley will continue the Wright’s mission to restore and preserve our incredible building while providing a quality venue for the arts, education, and social events. Her primary focus will be financial development and community relationships.

Easley comes from a deep background in teaching and volunteer work. For years, Easley contributed to the development of Parent Teacher Organizations at Krause Elementary in Brenham, TX, and Amarillo School in Amarillo, TX, among many others. Prior to that, she taught AP High School biology in Waller, TX. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Entomology from Texas A&M University.

“We feel that Brooke’s skillset as a community leader and achiever will translate perfectly into her work in the economic development of The Wright Opera House. There are no bounds to what she can accomplish!” Says Wright Opera House Board President Kate Jones.

Easley is a Ridgway, CO native. In 2004, she married her husband Kyle here in Ouray, his hometown. Together they moved to Texas for a number of years before returning to Ouray in 2021, now raising their daughter and son in the same beloved community where they were both raised. When the opportunity came for her to get involved in the Wright, she jumped.

Says Easley, “The Wright holds a special place for me. As a child growing up in the area we would come to numerous events and movies, such as C.W. McCall’s San Juan Odyssey. I even attended prom here in high school with my now husband! When living in Texas and visiting family in Ouray, we would always stop in for events and bring our kids to experience the magic of the Wright. I am honored to have the opportunity to carry on the legacy of the Wright Opera House as a thriving cultural center in our community for all to enjoy.”

Easley also coaches volleyball for Ouray Middle School.

Stop by and say hello to Brooke next time you attend an event or are passing by the Wright. We can’t wait for you to meet her!

The Friends of the Wright Opera House
Board of Directors

A Note from the Executive Director

A Note from the Executive Director It’s been two very busy months at the Wright Opera House with lots of great changes. Since joining the Wright I’ve gotten to meet a number of you at events, on the phone or people just stopping in to say “Hello.” I’m surprised and delighted by the number of tours we give. I enjoy adding to my knowledge of the Wright, as some of our donors and visitors have family that lived in the area when the Wright was first established and a major community hub. They are excited to see it restored and a gathering place once again. If you haven’t stopped in to see our ongoing art shows, please make time, they make the view from our office amazing. We have had many performances in the last couple of months. It’s been a pleasure to meet the different theater troupes and musicians and watch their incredible shows. Of course, we have been busy in the Tavern as well, Trivia Nights, Ikebana classes and my personal favorite, Music Bingo, have been some summer highlights. Keep an eye out for upcoming changes, as we introduce memberships and a variety of different ways that you can support our work here at the Wright Opera House.

Sincerely, Brooke Easley

Board of Directors

Meet our new Board Members!

Mia Wentworth has lived in the Ouray area with her husband (Brendan) and fur baby (Duncan) since 2020. Mia loves all that the San Juan Mountains have to offer; hiking, biking, skiing, climbing and paddling. While they originally moved here for the outdoor activities, they have been especially grateful for all of the cultural offerings, especially those that take place at the Wright.

Mia was born a Yooper, originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She moved to Colorado in 2010 and graduated with an MBA from the University of Colorado in 2012. Mia’s professional career has been primarily in the property management field as both an operations and marketing director for multifamily housing.

“I think it is so wonderful that our small mountain town has a place like the Wright to offer cultural events. I’m excited to be a part of it and give back to the community I love,” says Mia.

Russell McCrady, a lifelong Texan, first visited this area in 2014 and immediately knew it was where he wanted to retire. In 2019, he moved part-time with Carol and their two dogs Decker and Albie to Ouray County, making it their full-time home in 2021. A graduate of Tarleton State University, Russell just completed a 30 year career at Southwest Airlines, finishing in the role of Vice President of Labor Relations. He and Carol value their new community and look forward to becoming more involved through numerous volunteer opportunities. Says Russell, “I’m very pleased to join the Board and I look forward to contributing to the advancement of The Wright and all the wonderful things it brings to our community.”

Wright Happenings!

Building

We have been busy renegotiating our residential and commercial leases at the Wright and our annex, The Wright Next Door, at 480 Main Street. We are excited to welcome Sauvage Spectrum, a boutique wine tasting room, to the corner retail space at 480 Main. We hope you have paid them a visit and tried their incredible peach frosé! We are also excited to announce the opening of a new gallery by Mike Simpson, located at 450 Main street. The Friends of the Wright look forward to collaborating with both of these businesses, and feel they are perfect additions to the 400 block.

We are also thrilled to have expanded our back stage amenities by incorporating the upper apartment at 480 Main St. as our theater green room and dressing room. When not in use during productions, we are also utilizing this apartment as housing for visiting performers and guests of the Wright.

Earlier this spring, we refinished our theatre floors and extended the wood flooring into the theatre lobby. After years and years of heavy use, they really needed the TLC!

Thanks to a generous donation, we were also able to install electric blinds in the upstairs lobby. Not only do they look beautiful, but they are incredibly helpful in keeping our heating and cooling costs down.

But of course, this building is a never-ending labor of love. We continue to fundraise for our next construction project, a new 3-story steel stair/fire exit and tavern balcony! Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in donating to this exciting project that improves both the health and safety of our building, its cosmetic appearance from the rear, and of course its functionality.

Development

Our Development Committee has a new chair! Board member Mia Wentworth has graciously stepped up to lead this ever-important committee. Under Mia’s leadership, the Development Committee is working to offer memberships to our wonderful patrons and donors! Please keep a lookout for a separate letter from the Development Committee announcing our new membership opportunities in the coming weeks.

Marketing

We continue to advertise the wonderful Wright events monthly through social media, posted flyers in Ouray and Ridgway, flyers in the Plaindealer, weekly emails, and consistent updating of our events in all local calendars including radio stations. We hope you have seen our marketing! If you aren’t on our weekly email list and would like to be added, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. saying “opt me in”! One area our new marketing efforts have excelled in is Private Events. We have hosted wedding receptions, dances, environmental causes, retirement and birthday parties with great success and excitement. To inquire about reserving the Wright Opera House for your next private event, please contact Kate Jones at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ouray International Film Festival

In June 2022, the third annual Ouray International Film Festival drew a sold-out audience from all over the country. In addition to panel discussions, parties, and dozens of films, it was also a memorable year of firsts: the festival hosted its first free outdoor film in Fellin Park and we convened our inaugural Ouray student jury. Over Labor Day weekend, we also hosted our first regional festival showcase in Silverton at the Grand Imperial Hotel, screening three of our award-winning films from the summer festival with a recorded interview featuring some of the filmmakers. As we head into the fall, we are hard at work deepening our work with Ouray students, planning for an unprecedented lineup of films at our next summer festival, and gearing up for our free holiday party on December 18 (mark your calendars!). In addition to free treats and an auction, we will be honoring the work of the Ute Indian Museum with whom we are partnering on education initiatives this spring at the school in anticipation of our summer festival program. Come join us at the Wright on December 18th to learn more and hear exclusive updates on the summer 2023 festival!

Programming

We have had a jam-packed summer full of events and community partnerships here at the Wright! From our annual melodrama Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch (starring our own Board President, Kate Jones) to the Open House Theatrical’s hilarious Time Flies, to upstART’s musical (!!) The Last Five Years, theatre has been alive and thriving on our stage. We’ve also continued our partnerships with other wonderful local nonprofit organizations such as Ouray County Performing Arts Guild, Ouray Ice Park Inc., and Live in Ouray to fill the theatre with live music. In June, we hosted our third annual Ouray International Film Festival, which brought many diverse artists to our vibrant building. And of course, our Wednesday Night Movies and Fourth Friday Foreign Films are ever-ongoing. We’ve also had some truly talented visual artists grace our Tavern walls in partnership with Ouray School and Ouray County Arts Association.

Speaking of the Tavern, we’ve hosted book signings in partnership with Ouray Bookshop, poetry readings, trivia nights, music bingo, and ikebana classes! And let’s not forget the season kickoff of our first annual Kentucky Derby Party - with a special thank you to Diane Nelson for her tireless efforts in helping us pull off such an elegant event! On the educational front, we are continuing our WrightED series this fall and of course, would like to thank the Ouray County Historical Society for a brilliant summer season of evenings in history. Phew, what a season!

Be sure to join us in December for our annual live radio show! Our heartwarming production this year will be Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, with performances on December 9th & 10th. Plus, we will host our second Ouray International Film Festival Holiday Community Celebration on Sunday December 18th. There’s lots more in between, including an interactive screening of A CHRISTMAS STORY, so be sure to check our website for other upcoming events!

Thank you for supporting programming at the Wright!

A little piece of Wright history…

By Becky Black

“In May of 1997, The Silver Legacy Players (SLP) took to reinvigorating the Wright Opera House with our production of William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker.” Led and directed by Kathleen O’Reilly Nutt, the newly formed SLP, which was composed of high school theater kids, headed to Ouray from Memphis, TN and Salt Lake City, UT. But the SLP roster wasn’t complete until production started and two local youth (and their cat!) were welcomed to the cast family. Between rehearsals and jobs (most of us totally lucked out with jobs at Ouray Candy Company), we also worked hard to clean up the Wright and make it a destination for live theater once again. While there was never a shortage of candy or fun in the Wright while we were there, it was all short too lived. By August our show had run, and our renovation efforts, though not in vain, just weren’t enough at that time in the Wright’s history. However, we SLP remain close friends and the Wright remains a very fond memory for us all.”

-Becky Black, Ph.D. | Associate Professor & Head of Art History

A farewell from Alyssa Preston

To the wonderful Wright Opera House community,

My years of employment, volunteerism & board membership at The Wright have been some of the happiest times of my life. Therefore, I write this letter with both sadness and joy. Joy because I see a future for The Wright as Ouray’s “light on the hill.” I know there are people who will rise up after me to see this vision come to fruition. One of those people is certainly found in the new Executive Director, Brooke Easley. I am relieved to know our beloved Wright is left in such capable hands!

Unfortunately, I have arrived at this decision because my failing health does not allow me to perform the duties of Executive Director to a degree of excellence that is required at such a grand venue. My husband and I have decided that this is the best next step for us.

That said, I will always look back on my time at the Wright Opera House fondly. I cherish getting to know each of you, and helping to provide an elegant and community-minded environment for Ouray.

Thank you all for your kindness, enthusiasm, support and creativity.

May the Wright live on!

Sincerely, Alyssa Preston

Thank You to Our Volunteers

We truly couldn’t do it without you. From box office to concessions, tallying Trivia scores to serving our Tavern regulars, you are truly the heartbeat of the Wright. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

Ann Dettmer
Andrea Sokolowski
Brooke Puleo
Brooklyn Rice
Cynthia Lacey
Dan Preston
Dee Williams
Derek Jones
Diann Correll
Eliza Wister
Enda Junkins
Francie Tisdel
Isabella Geyer
John Hart
Kit Meckel
Kyle Easley
Laurie Hakola
Liz Owens
Lorraine Hutcheson
Maddi Spina
Mia Wentworth
Brendon Wentworth
Nancy Colaw
Nancy Kienapfel
Nancy Nixon
Philip Geyer
Russell McCrady
Sally Pleasant
Sara Rice
Terry Kiser
Willem Geyer

Commercial Rental Available!

1000 SF Commercial Storefront for Lease at the Historic Wright Opera House on Main Street in Ouray. Available December 2022. All Terms Negotiable. Potential for Small Restaurant or Retail.

Questions or Proposals, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Wright Opera House is a 501c3 nonprofit, operating a historic venue and premier performing arts organization located in the City of Ouray. It is supported by event fees and by generous donations. Click here to make a tax deductible donation to the Wright.