Past Events

We are honored and delighted to welcome acclaimed writer Karen Russell to the Red Cloud Opera House to discuss her new novel, The Antidote. Russell will sign copies of her book in the National Willa Cather Center bookstore immediately following her talk. You won't want to miss this free and in-person event! Patron Packages are also available for purchase. Click "Learn More" for details!

We have been eagerly awaiting construction completion, and that day has nearly arrived! Join us for a ribbon-cutting and celebration!

The beauty and diversity of the Great Plains is well known—at least above ground. Tom Powers, a Nebraska nematologist from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, believes most people only know half of the story. Unseen and Underfoot was conceived by Powers and others in UNL's Nematology Lab to "show the other half.”

Prepare for spring with author Jim Locklear! Jim will join us to talk about his book, In the Country of the Kaw, a personal account of the natural and cultural wonders of the watershed of the Kaw (Kansas) River, which arises on the High Plains of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska and joins the Missouri River in Kansas City.

“The end is nothing, the road is all.” – Willa Cather, Old Mrs. Harris

The Red Cloud Opera House is proud to welcome Kearney artist Daniel Garringer to our gallery in March! Garringer's acrylic paintings capture the fleeting details of a rural life on a large scale: towels snapping on the line, the sunken face of a jack-o-lantern in November, the active decay of old paint. This exhibit encourages the viewer to reflect on the beauty and ephemeral nature of the ordinary.

Join us for what is bound to be a great night of country hits like "Check Yes or No" and "Amarillo By Morning!" Rick Cook and Strait Country bring to life the familiar sounds of the undeniable "King of County Music" George Strait.

The 2025 Author Series kicks off with Joy Castro, who will give a reading and discussion about her most recent novel, One Brilliant Flame. A common thread across many of our literary events this year is the role important historical events play as catalysts for original stories. In Castro's case, the Great Fire of Key West and Cuban independence movements alter the fates of One Brilliant Flame's six main characters.

Omaha Street Percussion infuses drums and dance together to create an upbeat show that is guaranteed to get you clapping your hands and shaking your hips! Household items like pots, pans, buckets, and trash cans are used as instruments to help create an energizing and exhilarating experience that will be sure to get you on your feet.

The exhibition, organized by the Historic Costume and Textile Museum of Kansas State University, provides a nostalgic view into American ingenuity, sensibility, and optimism during a particularly challenging time of economic hardship and war—the period of the Great Depression and World War II. The reuse of feed, flour, and sugar sacks was a cost-saving and resource-saving approach employed by homemakers to make new items to meet their families’ needs.