Editing Reedley, California (section)

===Jansen Opera House===
[[File:2009-0725-CA-ReedleyOperaHouse.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Reedley Opera House Complex]], built by Jesse Jansen to serve as Reedley's cultural center.]]
The building that houses the Opera House was built in 1903, after a fire destroyed two blocks of downtown Reedley. Danish [[grain trade|grain merchant]], Jesse Jansen, rallied the downtown shopkeepers to rebuild Reedley's downtown out of brick. The Opera House itself was built at Jansen's personal expense to serve as a cultural and community center. In 1913, the population of Reedley met at the Opera House to vote for incorporation. After the early 1920s, [[movie theater|movie houses]] replaced the popularity of theatre, and the building went into disuse until restoration in 1986. The City of Reedley acquired the building in 2002 by donation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reedleyrivercitytheatre.org/about|title=History of The 1903 Jansen Opera House|author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Reedley's River City Theatre}}</ref>

In 2003, the River City Theatre Company was founded by Mark Norwood, who served as artistic director until his retirement in 2016. The River City Theatre Company currently leases the Opera House and produces musicals and stage plays.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reedleyrivercitytheatre.org/about|title=History of The 1903 Jansen Opera House|author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Reedley's River City Theatre}}</ref>