Member of the Week 6/27/2022 -- Ohio Light Opera
Celebrating the nation’s premier venue for the production of fully-staged and fully-orchestrated lyrical theatre performances, we are thrilled to showcase the Ohio Light Opera as this week’s Member of the Week!
Enjoying its 43rd festival season, the Ohio Light Opera’s 2022 season features a stunning line-up of performances that are sure to delight, including:
Hello, Dolly!, Jerry Herman
Cinderella, Rodgers & Hammerstein
The Mock Marriage, Franz Lehár
The Fantasticks, Harvey Schmidt
The Student Prince, Sigmund Romberg
The Pirates of Penzance, Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert
This season is being headed up by Steven Daigle, who has been OLO’s Artistic Director since 1999, and Laura Neill, who has served as the Executive Director since 1998. With performances spanning from mid-June to the end of July, the OLO offers a unique performance schedule, which enables visitors to see a variety of shows within the same week.
The Ohio Light Opera’s Rich Wooster History
A principal tenor with Dorothy Raedler’s American Savoyards and the Martyn Green Gilbert and Sullivan Company, James Stuart founded the Ohio Light Opera in 1979, after years of staging performances of Gilbert and Sullivan productions at Blossom Music Center. When Kent State University, Stuart’s then-employer, declined the invitation to house a resident summer operetta company, Stuart approached the College of Wooster’s director of alumni relations, Frank Knorr, with the idea of housing Ohio Light Opera at their newly constructed Freelander Theatre. Knorr agreed, and the rest is history. Ohio Light Opera has been bringing world-class, lyrical productions to Wooster ever since.
With 141 show titles currently to its credit, including works drawn from all over the globe, the Ohio Light Opera has achieved an enviable reputation for not only its ambitious repertoire and excellent production values, but also for the efficiency and integrity of its operation.
A Tireless Cast and Production Crew
Kelley Shephard, Shop Supervisor
Drawing performers from all over the world, the OLO showcases some of the world’s most talented lyrical performers, including Wooster’s own Spiro Matsos, who will be reprising his role as Toni in The Student Prince for the sixth time this season. The season’s festival is supported by a tireless crew who designs and builds the sets, sews the costumes, and seamlessly orchestrates the productions from start to finish.
Visit https://ohiolightopera.org/box-office/ to secure your tickets for the Ohio Light Opera’s upcoming shows.