“The Rochester Opera House was already a member of APNNE (Arts Presenters of Northern New England), “but the previous administration never really took advantage of that,” Hensel explained over the phone as he was making preparations for his upcoming play, “The Crucible.”  Both eager to learn and seeing huge potential for the venue, Hensel made it a point to attend an APNNE meeting early on.

“It’s a networking system of people who get together, who work together, to book an artist in as many places as possible within our geographic location,” he said. “I also decided to use all the people with more experience as a resource. They’ve all been very friendly and informative, and it’s led me to being a better presenter.”

Being a better presenter gave Hensel the ability to book gigs like Loretta Laroche on Oct. 20, an international stress management and humor consultant whose wit and irreverent humor have, for more than 30 years, raised the humor potential in all of us. The Opera House will also welcome Mickey Rooney on Nov. 17 and Naomi Judd on Oct. 4.

Another thing Hensel brought to ROH was a grant that brought in a series of consultants to help access the organization. Their biggest accomplishment was to create a new mission statement.

“The Board wanted to be a community resource, above everything else. Meaning, what we want is, in addition to finding international acts, we want to find as many community groups, performers and artists to be part of the processes,” Hensel said, noting that productions of “Sentimental Journey” and “The Odd Couple” were cast with all local talent.

Hensel feels ROH is moving in the right direction by mixing local and national talent. “Our primary goal is to create a strong financial base for the organization. Obviously, it benefits everyone if we can focus on art and not fundraising money,” he said. 

Nevertheless, the Opera House will kick off its 2007-08 season with a fundraising art auction this Saturday, Oct. 6, at its 31 Wakefield St. location in downtown Rochester. A preview of auction items will take place from 1-5 p.m., and the auction begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are free for Opera House members, $5 for non-members. Hosted by Granite State Art & Frame, highlights of the auction will include the unveiling of a new etching by Robert Goudreau in celebration of the Rochester Opera House Centennial (ROH turns 100 in 2008). The event will also feature light h’ors douvres and a cash bar. 

Hensel’s research told him that successful national theaters always planned their seasons around a theme. “Last year, we curated a completely eclectic season to try to reach as many people as possible,” he said. “You want a nice bunch of family-friendly shows. But, it’s also very important to continually educate the audiences on things they might not have seen before, that they might never have seen or be able to see anywhere else. If your audience trusts you, they’ll decide to expose themselves to things like belly-dancing or Chinese dance ensemble. That’s what we want.”

Find out more about Rochester Opera House at www.rochesteroperahouse.com.