BY HANNAH HERRERA
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — The Arts Association of East Alabama is celebrating 60 years in the Auburn-Opelika community with a six-week, six-show spring performance series.
Anna Coxwell, the Arts Association’s new board president, said the association is hoping to foster a festival feel with this spring series. Each performance will have a local partner, such as a restaurant or bar, as a gathering spot for attendees.
The Arts Association was founded in 1965 as a painting club by the first art teacher in the Opelika School System, Roslyn Stern. It has since become one of the most influential nonprofits in the community, bringing high-caliber performances to the small Alabama town.
“Opelika has really kind of become an arts town,” Coxwell said. “There’s so many really fun, funky things about Opelika — and that history with the Arts Association is a really big part of the roots that made a lot of that possible.”
To celebrate this legacy, the Arts Association has booked six internationally renowned performance groups, including Prague Philharmonia, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, The American Electric Light Orchestra Experience, Choir of Man, The Vienna Boys Choir and Cirque Kalabanté to perform from January through March.
How is the small community of Opelika able to attract such large names?
Coxwell said the credit goes to the Arts Association Executive Director Phillip Preston, who birthed the idea of the Performance Series 38 years ago and has been running it ever since. She said his belief in the transcendent power of live performances and his connections built over the years have resulted in decades of up-and-coming artists as well as big-name groups performing in Opelika on their way to bigger cities.
The spring performance series boasts various types of shows, ranging from comedic ballet to a boys choir to a pub musical, which plays perfectly into the Arts Association’s tagline: “Support the arts and let them surprise you.”
Katie Jackson, Opelika resident and longtime patron of the Arts Association, said one of the best things about attending the shows is discovering something you never knew you would’ve liked.
“I think the thing that I really appreciate about being a member is that I am exposed all the time to new genres and to different kinds of artists and performances,” Jackson said. “And to me, that’s one of the real advantages of having a series like this is that you have an opportunity to see things that you might not go to.”
Jackson said when she moved to Opelika in 2006, the Arts Association “was the best thing in town at the time” and “something you couldn’t get anywhere else.” Through her years of involvement as an audience member, volunteer and board member, she said she’s seen first-hand how the Arts Association benefits the community economically, creatively and culturally.
Another notable feature of the Arts Association is the state-of-the-art Opelika Center for the Performing Arts, where all Performance Series events are hosted.
“I’ve been able to take some folks that are newer to our community to shows [at the Performing Center],” Coxwell said. “And they’re just amazed that we have this 1,150-seat, very professional theater in Opelika.”
In 2026, the Arts Association Board said it wants to focus on fostering connection with audience members outside the theater, starting with their unique community partner-style event for each performance. Coxwell said the Arts Association is trying something new to see what the community enjoys.
“For example… John Emerald is going to be a partner with us,” Coxwell explained. “They’re going to feature the Arts Association as their February nonprofit partner. And they’re also creating a custom cocktail in honor of the Arts Association. So for our Vienna Boys Choir Show, in particular, it’s going to be our designated hangout for either before or after the show. Go with your date, go with your friend, enjoy a cocktail, go downtown and then come to our show right around the corner.
Other community partner events include Sante & Show, Downtown Dinner at Irish Bred Pub, Whistle Stop Meet Up and Food Trucks at OPAC.
For those who are new to live arts events, Coxwell said she wants to encourage them to take the risk on something different and engage with Opelika’s vibrant arts culture.
“If you want to support things being unique and funky and artsy, this is a great way to support some of the things that have been going on in our town,” Coxwell said. “And I just think you’ll have a good time too.”
For more information on the shows or to purchase tickets, visit www.eastalabamaarts.org or call (334) 749-8105.
The lineup
- Jan. 24 | Prague Philharmonia — Sante and a Show
- Jan. 26 | Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo — Downtown Dinner at Irish Bred Pub
- Feb. 5 | The American Electric Light Orchestra Experience — TBD
- Feb. 10 | Choir of Man — Whistle Stop Meet Up
- Feb. 16 | The Vienna Boys — John Emerald Drink of the Week
- March 8 | Cirque Kalabante — Food Trucks at OPAC
