Opera & ballet / Downtown
Detroit Opera House
A former movie palace turned opera house, bringing opera and dance into downtown Detroit.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The building now known as Detroit Opera House opened in 1922 as the Capitol Theatre. C. Howard Crane’s theater architecture later took on a new role through restoration and conversion for opera. Its decorated auditorium provides a setting for opera and dance productions. Nearby Grand Circus Park makes an easy starting point for a short downtown walk before a performance.
- The historic auditorium
- Opera performances
- Dance and special stage productions
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 6
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Levi Stubbs 1936–2008 · singer, voice actor
Performed here
Scene of his final performance, the Four Tops' 50th-anniversary concert on July 28, 2004.
- C. Howard Crane 1885–1952 · architect
Worked here
Built as the Capitol Theatre; restored and reopened as the Detroit Opera House in 1996.
- David DiChiera 1935–2018 · opera impresario, composer, musicologist
Founded
The 1922 Capitol Theatre that DiChiera's company bought in 1988 and reopened in 1996 as the Detroit Opera House; his opera Cyrano premiered here in 2007.
- Yuval Sharon born 1979 · opera director
Worked here
Home of Detroit Opera during Sharon's tenure; his first Detroit production used the opera house's multi-level parking center next door.
- J. L. Hudson 1846–1912 · merchant, founder of the J. L. Hudson department store
Founded
Hudson opened his first store inside the old opera house on Campus Martius in 1881 (not today's Detroit Opera House on Broadway).
- John H. Kunsky 1874–1952 · movie theater magnate, broadcaster
Founded
Opened by Kunsky in 1922 as the Capitol, designed by C. Howard Crane; restored and reopened in 1996 as the home of Detroit Opera.
Photos were taken at different times; images are resized and cropped on cards.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-24
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
Historical background: Wikipedia and its contributors; article licenses and revision histories are available on the source pages.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
Oct 8, 2026, 7:30 PMDetroit Story Fest
Detroit Story Fest — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Oct 17, 2026, 7:30 PMBallets Jazz Montréal
Ballets Jazz Montréal — ballet or dance performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Nov 1, 2026, 2:30 PMTosca
Tosca — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Nov 5, 2026, 7:30 PMTosca
Tosca — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Nov 7, 2026, 7:30 PMTosca
Tosca — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Jan 23, 2027, 7:30 PMRENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT American Street Theater
RENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT American Street Theater — stage performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Feb 20, 2027, 7:30 PMDance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem — ballet or dance performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Feb 21, 2027, 2:30 PMDance Theatre of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem — ballet or dance performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Mar 14, 2027, 2:30 PMFiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Mar 18, 2027, 7:30 PMFiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.
Mar 20, 2027, 7:30 PMFiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof — opera performance at Detroit Opera House, Detroit.