Woodstock Opera House stage to be dedicated in honor of Orson Welles

By RAY KELLY Kudos to Woodstock, Illinois, officials, who voted to dedicate the stage at the Woodstock Opera House in honor of Orson Welles. The City Council agreed to the measure on Tuesday night. The Woodstock Opera House Advisory Commission recommended the dedication at its October 16 meeting. The vote comes as Woodstock Celebrates readies […]

Petition the U.S. Postal Service to issue an Orson Welles commemorative stamp

By RAY KELLY Earlier this year, Wellesnet and Woodstock Celebrates put out the call for a U.S. postage stamp to honor Orson Welles on May 6, 2015, the 100th anniversary of his birth. The stamp would be issued in Woodstock, Illinois, where Welles attended the Todd School for Boys. The stamp would be just part […]

Demolition of Grace Hall at former Todd School for Boys approved

By a 5-to-1 vote, the Woodstock, Illinois, City Council approved a special use permit that necessitated the demolition of Grace Hall at the former Todd School for Boys. The 7,300-square-foot Prairie style structure was once a dormitory at the Todd School. Among its notable residents were Orson Welles, who spent part of his childhood in […]

Walter Kerr on “Wonder Boy” Orson Welles

A few months ago I found several old issues of Theatre Arts magazine in the tenderloin district of San Francisco, a few short blocks from where Wellesnet “legend” Glenn Anders lives. The mags were priced at a big 100% mark-up over their original price. Well, since the original price was only .50 cents, they were […]

Time Magazine on Saving Grace Hall

Grace Hall, is the last remaining building of the Todd School, in Woodstock, Illinois, where Orson Welles studied, wrote, and essentially formulated his whole future life and career, under the direction of headmaster Roger Hill. The Woodstock City Council will meet on April 21 2009 to decide the fate of Grace Hall. Some options include […]

Micheal MacLiammmoir on Orson Welles and ‘Hamlet’ in Woodstock, Illinois

September 4 The Chicago Tribune reported about “The Historic dorm for boys at the Todd school attended by Orson Welles, in Woodstock that faces demolition.” Going back nearly 75 years to the summer of 1934, we find that the Chicago Tribune was also reporting on Welles and the Todd School. They were there – to […]

The legacy Orson Welles leaves to Woodstock, Illinois

Having heard from several concerned citizens in Woodstock, Illinois, who have expressed their concern about the proposed demolition of Grace Hall, I thought I’d try to bolster their case before the city council by highlighting some of the remarkable achievements Orson Welles made in Woodstock. To begin, here is an overview of Welles relationship with […]

Marc Welles: The Prodigal Grandson of ORSON WELLES

This weekend a new documentary Prodigal Sons, about Orson Welles grandson, Marc McKerrow Welles, was screened at the Telluride Film Festival. I haven’t seen the film yet, but based on the synopsis from the press kit, it can probably be best described in the same terms as Orson Welles’s first movie: “It’s Sensational.” In fact, […]