Ohio Light Opera 2026 Program

THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA 2026 PERFORMANCE CALENDAR SUNDAY

MON.

2PM

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

2PM

2PM

7:30PM

THURSDAY 2PM

7:30PM

FRIDAY 2PM

7:30PM

SATURDAY 2PM

7:30PM

June 13 ★ My Fair Lady June 14

June 15

June 16

June 17 My Fair Lady

June 21

June 22

June 23

June 28

June 29

June 30

July 1 ★ Merry Widow

Boys from Syracuse July 5

July 6

July 7

July 12

July 13

My Fair Lady

July 19

July 20

Yeomen of the Guard

Red Mill

Damn Yankees

July 27

Merry Widow

July 21

July 22 Boys from Syracuse

July 28 Red Mill

Damn Yankees

July 3

July 23 My Fair Lady

July 30

Merry Boys from My Fair Widow* Syracuse* Lady*

July 18

My Fair Boys from Damn Lady* Syracuse Yankees*

July 24 Merry Widow*

July 31 Damn Yankees*

July 11 My Fair Boys from Lady Syracuse*

July 17

Yeomen of the Guard

July 4 POPS CONCERT

July 10

Merry Widow

June 27 Boys from My Fair Syracuse Lady*

My Fair Lady*

July 16

★ Red Mill

July 29 Yeomen of the Guard*

July 9

★ Yeomen of the Guard

June 26

Boys from Syracuse*

Merry Widow

July 15

My Fair Lady

Damn Yankees

July 26

July 14

July 2

June 20 Damn Yankees*

Damn Yankees*

Damn Yankees

July 8

Damn Yankees

June 25 ★ Boys from Syracuse

Damn Yankees

June 19 My Fair Lady*

Damn Yankees

June 24

My Fair Lady

June 18 ★

Red Mill*

July 25 Damn Yankees

My Fair Lady*

August 1 Merry Widow

Yeomen of the Guard*

August 2 My Fair Lady

★ Indicates an Opening Performance * Indicates a Pre-Performance Lecture one hour prior to the start of the performance. Informative & Free!

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Resident Professional Company of The College of Wooster Freedlander Theatre

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2026 Calendar................................................................2 Welcome...........................................................................5 Annual Fund Donors....................................................6 Endowment Gifts...........................................................9 The James F. Stuart Legacy.....................................11 Thank You, Steve......................................................... 12 Welcome Jacob ... And Congratulations!......... 13 Festival Season Events............................................. 15 Our Mission....................................................................16

at EJ Thomas Hall

2026-27 SEASON Sphinx Virtuosi with mezzo-soprano

J’Nai Bridges October 20 7:30 p.m.

2026 Festival Company............................................ 17 My Fair Lady.................................................................. 18 Cast, Musical Numbers, Argument, & Background Damn Yankees............................................................. 22 Cast, Musical Numbers, Argument, & Background The Boys from Syracuse.......................................... 26 Cast, Musical Numbers, Argument, & Background The Merry Widow.......................................................30 Cast, Musical Numbers, Argument, & Background

James (Zijian) Wei, piano November 17 7:30 p.m.

A Chanticleer Christmas November 28 3 p.m.

The Yeomen of the Guard....................................... 34 Cast, Musical Numbers, Argument, & Background The Red Mill.................................................................. 38 Cast, Musical Numbers, Argument, & Background

American Brass Quintet February 9 7:30 p.m.

Administrative, Artistic, and Leadership Team................................................... 42 Festival Cast................................................................. 47 Festival Orchestra...................................................... 54 Technical and Front of House Team................... 58 The College of Wooster.......................................... 63 DVDs Available............................................................64 CDs Available............................................................... 65 Complete Repertoire................................................66 Dining, Accommodations & Shopping................. 68 Acknowledgments..................................................... 69 Ticket Information & Prices....................................70 “God Save the Queen”...........................Back Cover

S

Out of respect to the performers, the use of cell phones, cameras, or any other electronic device is prohibited in the theater. We ask that you please turn all these devices off completely for the duration of the performance, so that you and those around you can enjoy the show.

Audra McDonald April 17 7:30 p.m.

Itzhak Perlman and friends Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Juilliard String Quartet

May 4, 7:30 p.m.

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Steven A. Daigle Artistic Director

Laura Neill Executive Director

Michael Borowitz

As the Ohio Light Opera moves closer to its Golden Jubilee, there is much to celebrate. The attendance and support of the tens of thousands of loyal patrons who have watched our company grow into America’s premier lyric theater festival have been critical to OLO’s steadfast commitment to producing its works with historical integrity. Even the more recognizable titles in the 2026 season are rarely produced in theaters today, and when they are, it is often in heavily revised and re-orchestrated versions that lose the spirit of the originals. Don’t miss the chance to experience these timeless masterpieces as they were meant to be seen and heard. As the Resident Professional Company of The College of Wooster, OLO preserves and celebrates the tradition of operetta and musical theater through engaging, historically informed, and accessible productions that uplift and entertain diverse audiences. The company is attracting new patrons and a younger generation who are becoming faithful followers of OLO’s mission.

In addition to 50 performances of six show titles in the 2026 festival season, the company is offering several special events for its patrons. These concerts, lectures, and presentations are included in the season to entertain and inform our audience about the creators, the historical context of the titles being produced, and the lyric theater tradition. Beyond the many performances you might attend this season, we hope to see you at these events.

This year marks a transition—an expected and smooth transition. It was announced in May of 2025 that, as of the end of this 2026 season, Jacob Allen, OLO’s Associate Artistic Director, will assume the role of Artistic Director. Jacob has been with the company for 20 years. He brings a wealth of performance and directing experience, leadership, knowledge, and genuine enthusiasm for this company and the lyric theater tradition. Over the years, OLO has grown and evolved, taking artistic risks while remaining rooted in its historical mission. We look forward to having Jacob guide this unique lyric theater company well beyond our approaching 50-year celebration.

Music Director

Artistic Director e-mail: sdaigle@wooster.edu

Executive Director e-mail: lneill@wooster.edu

Jacob Allen

Associate Artistic Director

THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Wilson Southerland

Associate Music Director

Michael Miller, Chair Steven A. Daigle, Artistic Director & Vice Chair Nan Miller, Secretary Glen Grumbling Ron Holtman Amelia Laing Sara L. Patton David Rice John Schambach

Jacob Allen, EMERITUS DIRECTORS Associate Artistic Director Jean W. Knorr Michelle Frazier, Business Boyd & Eloise Mackus & Data Manager Ambassador John Ong Laura M. Neill, Executive Richard Seaman Director Angila Tracey, ex officio, President's Office

Show illustrations in this program by Daniel Hobbs ohiolightopera.org

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THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA 2026 ANNUAL FUND We are grateful for the generosity of the following donors to the 2026 Ohio Light Opera Annual Fund.

Lord Chancellors ($10,000 and above)

Scott Blanchard, in memory of Bill & Marilyn Blanchard Tom & Patsy Doak Clark R. Green Charitable Foundation Norman K. Keller Dr. Joseph Loewenstein

Michael & Nan Miller Burton D. Morgan Foundation Ambassador John Ong Seaman Family Foundation Marlene & Joe Toot

Mikados ($5,000 to $9,999)

Adam & Vikki Briggs Carol Briggs Richard Dean, in memory of James and Sheila Cooper Glen & Lisa Grumbling The Heuer Foundation

Ron & Prue Holtman Ralph R. & Grace B. Jones Foundation Jack Knapp Mimi Lewellen Mimi McCain

Pamela Mellor Julie Ann Mennes Richard C. Norton Sara L. Patton John Schambach Tim & Jenny Smucker

Sorcerers ($2,500 to $4,999) Virginia Cassady Michael & Susan Clark Clarence Drennon, in memory of Connie Drennon

Cyril Ofori & Amelia Laing James & Linda Rybak

Pirate Kings ($1,250 to $2,499) Anonymous Jacob Allen Lisa Armstrong Evan & Terry Buck Eugene L. Cox Lee-Ann & John Eyre Mr. Marvin E. Fletcher Sara Jane Fondiller Stan & Diane Hales LeRoy W. Haynes Jim & Mary Ann Jicha Tom Jorgensen & Jocelyn Ruf

Bruce Kinsel Joan Long Betty McNutt Steve Miles, in memory of Karl Warner Bill & Jane Miller Gordon Musch Gail Jones-Nemeth & Gary Nemeth Robert & Christine Rosenow Richard Springman & Pamela Elsass

Carol Stewart Andrea Traubner, in memory of Richard Traubner Lynn & Cyndy Willett Wilkinson-Gudikunst Designated Family Fund of Akron Community Foundation Jean Wingate Tom Woodward Richard & Nancy Zimmerman Harry & Kathy Zink

Englishmen ($750 to $1,249) Anonymous Michael Acree Michele Anderson, in memory of Elsa Anderson Robert C. Anderson George Cervantes, in memory of Judge Arthur Elliott Marshall, Jr. Carlton Conrad Bedouin & Randall Dennison Kurt Erichsen

Owen Faut Steve & Nancy Gfell Robert Goss, in memory of Margaret (Peg) L. Goss Martha Hancock Carrie & Michael Johnson Cynthia Knight Jeffrey Lindberg Daniel Lowenstein Eric Lozier & Dwite Barger

Mark & Beth Ann Mitchell Roy & Cindy Moore Ted & Laura Motter Joyce H. Neill, Light Opera Lover Robert & Sally Norton Alan Petrov Mike & Lue Schwing Timothy Strope Sheldon & Rebecca Taft Steve Woodward

Peers or Peris ($400 to $749) Anonymous Mary L. Abbott William Ballam Mike Berliner 6

Box Office: 330.263.2345

Janet & Ronald Borton Robert & Constance Bouchard Scott & Mona Buehler Captain & Mrs. Roy Burgess

Lois Clemmer Donna & Ted Connolly Ruth & Paul Crowley Judith Driskell

Joe & Mary Dulle Lisa Egan Tom & Anne Engel Howard & Terry Epstein Robert Everett William Fenner Suzanne Fligiel Tom & Renee Flowers Richard & Patricia Gordon Gretchen Green & Stan Kronenberger Ray & Marge Gunther Louise E. Hamel Mary Beth Henthorne Roger & Sheila Hollenbaugh

Willard Johnson Dr. Dianne Kauffman Mr. David Knapp Gale Kramer & Jeffrey Chase, in honor of Julie Wright Costa Bob & Marilyn Kuhn Richard LeSueur Dwight & Christina McCawley The Mersol Family Karen & Ed Moore Robert & Jane Moore Marion Mulligan Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey M. Nicholls Robert Palmer Mr. Stanley Ransom

J. Rufener & J. Young Dr. Martin Saltzman Dr. Kenneth Shafer Jack Shepherd Monika Smolka Talia Starr Jan Steinbrenner Mary Stockton & Jeffrey Perkins Mary Alice Streeter Fred & Betsy Stueber Bonnie Thurston Mr. Robert Weppler Michelle & Andrew Young

John Gross Alan Hamburger Iris & Tom Harvie Fujio Hayashi & Kim Slaybaugh Ronald & Barbara Hellenthal Richard & Heidi Hillson Connie Hodgdon Norma & Holly Horn Robin C. Hovis Don & Jean Julian Steve & Carolyn Kuerbitz Stanley & Joan Levy Val & Mike Libman Luke & Nita Lovell W. Berry Lyons & Anne E. Carey Judy Penn Mallonn Sherrill McLoda Jan & Lynda Menuez

Marc Miller Robert Mindek Ms. Tammy Mitchell, in memory of Joan Strope Danny Moates, Mark Henry, & Bill Novak Amy & Frank O’Linn Dr. Richard & Nadine Osborn Louis Papes Ilona Pinzke, in memory of Dan Rothermel Elin Quigley & Charles Andrews William & Debra Reinhart David & Karolyn Rice Jerome Wagner John & Linda Zimmermann

Yeomen ($250 to $399) Anonymous Tom & Michelle Ardillo Bob Baer & Judy Cohen-Baer Gary Ballou Greg & Linda Barbu Ramona & George Bause Brian W. Bishop Maureen A. Brennan Robert Burger Dave & Susan Chadwell Ted Christopher Family Dee Durbin Howard & Pam Eagle Mary Eberhart Val Fulton Connie Garg Stuart Grigg, in memory of Joseph Katulic

Flowers of Progress ($150 to $249) Kenneth Acuff Alison Brown, in memory of Hofrat Mag. Siegmund Haider Kathleen B. Burke & William S. Gaskill Richard & Susanne Campbell Nancy Carpenter Wendell & Ruth Cole Alan Crittenden Mr. & Mrs. Peter Danford John & Adriana Dryer Sarah & Trevor Dunlap Anne Efremoff Sarah Efremoff Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Elliott John & Bethany Gwynn Nancy K. Hachtel

Sid & Susan Hastings Dennis & Kathy Helmuth Dr. Ira Hinden & Ms. Stefani Koorhan Brent & Jenny Hofstetter Dr. Susan Hubbell Katherine M. Hull Connie Imhoff Kathryn Jakes Kathleen Kapp Dr. Fausto Lazo Mr. Richard LeComte Ray & Allyson Leisy Charles & Connie Lepold Anne Lewellen Catherine McGraw Toni E. Miller

Lynn Moomaw Neill Family Charitable Fund In loving memory of Dick & Julia Newton, Louise & Leo Eggert Don & Pam Peterman David Porter Barbara Ransopher, in memory of William Blanchard Rose Ella Sears Mark Shalonis John & Sondra Siegenthaler Phil & Karen Steiger John & Dorothy Tomsic Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Weller Randall Wilkins & Dianne Sattinger Elizabeth A. Young Nedra Zachary

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Corporate Matching Gifts Battelle Memorial Institute

Robert Half Management

The Ohio Light Opera Annual Fund provides essential financing for each OLO season, and we are grateful for the loyal support of so many donors through the years. If you want to help ensure that the unique mission of the Ohio Light Opera continues, we ask that you make a gift to the 2026 Ohio Light Opera Annual Fund. Please contact: Laura Neill at 330-263-2090, lneill@wooster.edu for more information.

The donor list includes gifts received prior to June 2, 2026. Please let us know if your name has been inadvertently omitted or incorrectly listed.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Ohio Arts Council is committed to the economic, educational, and cultural development of the state. The Council believes the arts should be shared by the people of Ohio. The arts arise from public, individual, and organizational efforts. The OAC supports and encourages these efforts.

Production Sponsors

The Ohio Light Opera appreciates the generous support from the following corporations, foundations, and individuals who have helped underwrite production costs for the 2026 season: Carol Briggs Vikki and Adam Briggs Steve and Nancy Gfell in honor of William and Barbara McGraw Ron and Prue Holtman The Heuer Foundation Ralph R. & Grace Jones Foundation

Norman K. Keller Jack Knapp Mimi Lewellen and Family Dr. Joseph Loewenstein Mimi McCain Michael & Nan Miller Burton D. Morgan Foundation Richard C. Norton

Ambassador John Ong Sara L. Patton Seaman Family Foundation Marlene & Joe Toot

Sincere thanks goes to the Wayne County Community Foundation for its ongoing support of our donors and their planned estate giving.

Planned Estate Giving Ohio Light Opera, Resident Professional Company of the College of Wooster, is grateful for the hundreds of generous annual gifts from our patrons that help produce each season and ensure that the artistic magic of OLO continues well into the future. Thank you!

There is also a longer-term option for securing the financial future of Ohio Light Opera. Planned estate giving helps to create both a lasting legacy for you and opportunities for OLO to build on and expand its mission to preserve, promote, and produce the very best in operetta and classic musical theater. There are multiple ways to achieve these goals, reflecting your passion for the company’s work and your vision for its future.

Please contact Laura Neill, Executive Director, at 330.263.2090 or lneill@wooster.edu. She will be happy to work with you and the College of Wooster Office of Advancement to prepare an estate giving plan.

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THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA ENDOWMENT The Ohio Light Opera Endowment was established in 1993 by a generous gift from founding Artistic Director James F. Stuart. Additional gifts have helped ensure the current and future financial stability of the Company. A restricted fund in The College of Wooster’s endowment, the Ohio Light Opera Endowment is managed professionally and provides support for a portion of annual OLO expenses. We encourage you to consider making a gift or estate commitment to the Ohio Light Opera Endowment.

Please contact Laura Neill at 330-263-2090, lneill@wooster.edu to receive information on how to make an endowment gift.

The Brian Woods Award Twenty years ago, the company lost one of its most talented and supportive young company members.

Tenor Brian Woods exemplified in so many ways the best that the Ohio Light Opera has to offer. He was a devoted and enthusiastic supporter of this company’s unique mission. Brian’s love for operetta extended far beyond this company. As a performer and educator, he gave selfless hours to bringing his love for operetta into the hearts of thousands of patrons and to many students. As part of his legacy, the company (along with his widow, Jessie Wright Martin) established an endowment in his honor. As part of this endowment, each year a company member is presented the Brian Woods Award. This is given to a returning company member who exemplifies some of the qualities that made Brian a champion for this company and the lyric theater art form. A few years ago, it was decided that in the future the award would be vetted by past award winners who are presently in residency (six performers), along with key artistic and administrative personnel. Although the majority of awards have been given to singers in the past, any company member may receive the award.

The 2026 Recipient of The Brian Woods Award: Brittany Shemuga lighting designer Past Recipients of The Brian Woods Award: ’07 Peter Nathan Foltz—singer ’08 Todd Strange—singer ’09 Stephen Carr—stage director ’10 Boyd Mackus—singer ’11 Ted Christopher—singer and stage director ’12 Nathan Brian—singer ’13 Benjamin Krumreig—singer ’14 Stephen Faulk—singer ’15 Eric Andries—coach/accompanist ’16 Jacob Allen—performer/director ’17 John Schuesselin—trumpet and orchestra personnel manager

’18 Katie Humphrey—stage manager ’19 Mark Snyder-Schulte—wardrobe master/tenor ’22 2020 Virtual Festival Company 2021 OLO Light! Company 2022 OLO Company ’23 Spencer Reese—choreographer, stage director, and cast member ’24 Spiro Matsos—cast member ’25 K iah Kayser—production manager/ scenic designer Daniel Hobbs—assistant production manager/ scenic designer

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TAKING LIGHT OPERA SERIOUSLY! THE LEGACY OF OLO FOUNDER

S JAMES F. STUART S “I had long realized that operetta requires no less a commitment to quality than does grand opera, both in front of and behind the curtain. My objective from the beginning with OLO was to return artistic integrity to operetta.

Through coaching on the importance of taking light opera seriously, the company has nurtured an audience that has itself gained a new appreciation for a once seemingly moribund art form.”

James F. Stuart When James Stuart, in 1979, began the Ohio Light Opera at The College of Wooster, he had already built a successful career as a musical and theatrical educator, producer, director, and performing artist. Born in Baton Rouge in 1928, he studied at LSU and earned a doctor of musical arts degree at the James F. Stuart Founding Eastman School of Music. For seven seasons, he performed the principal Artistic Director tenor roles with Dorothy Raedler’s American Savoyards and the Martyn 1928-2005 Green Gilbert and Sullivan Company. Over several decades, he appeared with opera companies in New York, Boston, Cleveland, Chautauqua, Atlanta, and New Orleans.

He sang the Husband in the world premiere of Raffaelo de Banfield’s Lord Byron’s Love Letter, opposite Patricia Neway, and performed the title role in the American premiere of Rameau’s Platée.

Among the distinguished musical artists with whom Stuart performed are singers Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland, Richard Tucker, and Robert Merrill; and conductors Franz Allers, Richard Bonynge, Boris Goldovsky, Louis Lane, Julius Rudel, and Robert Shaw.

Under Stuart’s vision and guidance, the Ohio Light Opera evolved into the nation’s premier venue for the presentation of both the masterworks and forgotten gems of the lyric theater repertoire. His translations for the Company include those for Auber’s Fra Diavolo, Lecocq’s La fille de Madame Angot, Hahn’s Ciboulette, Kálmán’s Die Bajadere and Der Zigeunerprimás, Strauss’ Der lustige Krieg, and Offenbach’s Monsieur Choufleuri. In recognition of his contributions to lyric theater, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by The College of Wooster, and was invested in the A DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT KIND OF STAY College of Fellows of the American Theatre in a ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Stuart was further honored by his inclusion in several standard biographical works: Dictionary of International Biography, International Who’s Who in Music, Who’s Who in America, and International Who’s Who of Intellectuals.

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Thank You, Steve …

At the end of this 2026 Ohio Light Opera summer season, Steven Daigle will be stepping down as artistic director, after 37 seasons with OLO and 28 in his current leadership position. Through his unwavering efforts in preserving, promoting, and performing the very best of our national and international operetta and musical theater repertoire, he leaves the company in its unparalleled position as not only America’s premier lyric theater festival, but also as the only extant performing arts organization that continues to offer—in fully-staged, fully-orchestrated, and fully respectful productions—the rare and neglected show gems that enchanted past generations.

When, in 1999, Steve assumed the reins from OLO founding artistic director James Stuart, he had already served as stage director for ten OLO shows, ranging from Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas to Viennese, French, and American operettas. These included titles—for example The Gypsy Princess, Countess Maritza, and Patience—that are, to this day, remembered as pivotal in both defining a “Steve Daigle style” and raising the bar on the presentation and interpretation of classic operettas.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, at the start of the 1999 season, recognized that “Daigle is not a director who goes in for wild, unmusical conceptions that often are imposed on masterpieces.” It is his steadfast commitment to letting the composer and librettist be “the stars of the show” that has distinguished the Ohio Light Opera among its contemporary rivals.

As Steve put it 27 years ago: “One thing I learned from Stuart is trusting the integrity of the piece in its historical setting.” And, we suspect, that is precisely the reason that thousands of patrons flock each summer to Freedlander Theatre to experience these shows as they were meant to be, and not as reimagined by modern stage and musical precepts.

12 Box Office: 330.263.2345

Maintaining a sincere and forthright approach to lyric theater production is one thing. Getting the vocalists, orchestra, and technical production staff to enforce it on stage, in the pit, and backstage can be quite another. Year after year, Steve has subtly, but firmly, instilled in his company members a robust commitment to the OLO mission—but always affording them the freedom and opportunity to voice their own opinions and exercise their creativity. As so many OLO company members go on to long careers in the performing arts—whether on stage, teaching, or designing—Steve’s lasting influence extends far beyond Wooster and the Ohio Light Opera.

Steve Daigle’s contribution to Ohio Light Opera, to the company’s position in the operetta and musical theater firmament, and to keeping alive and/or bringing back to life so many neglected and all-butforgotten operetta and vintage musical theater titles is indeed formidable and, if truth be told, unique in the annals of American lyric theater. His attraction to stage works that, through their integrated musical and dramatic elements, tug mightily at the heartstrings has led him to the near-complete canon of operettas

by Hungarian-born Emmerich Kálmán. No company, national or international, past or present, comes even close to the 14 Kálmán titles that OLO has produced during Steve’s tenure. He reintroduced modern audiences to Franz Lehár’s rare titles Friederike, Clo-Clo, and The Mock Marriage. The Gershwin Brothers have been represented by six titles, including the American stage premiere of Primrose and the first modern fully-staged and orchestrated Tip-Toes.

Steve’s presentation and staging of Victor Herbert’s Dream City and The Magic Knight gave this zany masterpiece its first showing in over a century. He filled the abbreviated, Covid-driven 2021 season with the unimaginably obscure, but delightful, The Daring of Diane by Heinrich Reinhardt. Welsh-born composer Ivor Novello ruled London’s West End stages during the late 1930s and 1940s, but had been woefully neglected in America—until Steve brought both The Dancing Years and Perchance to Dream to life at OLO. And … the list goes on and on.

All told, Steve has introduced 85 new titles to the OLO repertoire, including 43 mid-century musicals that have brought new audiences to the company. His ten English translations of Viennese operettas have attracted international attention. Over the past third of a century, the credit “Directed by Steven Daigle” has appeared for 114 Ohio Light Opera productions, a guarantee of engaging synergistic fusion of music and drama. Whether it is through in-depth research on historical plots, immersion in the storyline to gain a better sense of time, place, and action, or simply his innate artistic sensitivity, Steve creates a seamless and impactful theatrical experience that never fails to bring out the very best in a show.

On behalf of Ohio Light Opera and the hundreds of company members who have worked under Steve’s guidance, and of OLO’s patron base, who have had an unmatched opportunity at Freedlander Theatre to partake in exciting rides back through the golden years of operetta and musical theater, we thank Steven Daigle and wish him well in his future ventures.

Welcome Jacob … And Congratulations!

Following the close of this 2026 Ohio Light Opera summer festival, longtime OLO performer and director Jacob Allen assumes the company’s artistic director role from retiring Steven Daigle. Jacob brings to this position a keen knowledge of OLO history, operations, and mission. He shares with us here some insights into his plans going forward.

Q: What will your new role as artistic director entail?

JA: Ultimate responsibility for all of the artistic operations of the company, from selecting shows to filling out the artistic staff for each season to supervising those that are doing casting and hiring the technical positions. The artistic director works closely with executive director Laura Neill to keep the company healthy, on track fiscally, and presenting artistic excellence.

Q: Do you anticipate any significant changes when you assume your new position?

JA: I think the most important thing right now is stability, continuity, and thoughtful evolution rather than dramatic upheaval. OLO has an extraordinary artistic legacy and a deeply loyal audience, and I take stewardship of that legacy very seriously. At the same time, live theater must continue evolving to remain vibrant and relevant. I am very interested in continuing to broaden the repertoire thoughtfully, deepening community engagement, and ensuring that OLO remains a place where emerging artists can develop, at the highest level, alongside seasoned professionals.

Q: Without revealing too many secrets, are you able to mention a few favorite show titles, heretofore absent from OLO, that you would like to see on the Freedlander stage?

JA: I’ve long thought that She Loves Me would fit beautifully within the OLO aesthetic. It has a sophisticated score, tremendous warmth and humor, and requires exactly the kind of detailed musical and vocal storytelling that our artists excel at. Likewise, Paint Your Wagon is a gorgeous, underappreciated piece with a rich score and lyrical writing that I think would thrive in our space. On the operetta side, I would love to someday see us tackle something like Victor Herbert’s The Only Girl or perhaps revisit the French tradition through a piece like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which occupies a fascinating place between opera, operetta, musical theater, and film— Steve Daigle’s been chasing this one for a while. And, of course, there are some larger-scale classics like Fiddler on the Roof (which we have done previously) or even Les Misérables that are artistically exciting to think about.

Q: Over the years, the Ohio Light Opera has dipped into the operatic canon a few times, specifically Fra Diavolo, The Merry Wives of Windsor, L’Étoile, and

Street Scene. Do you see this as a continuing option— perhaps works of Rossini or Donizetti?

JA: In general, probably not as a major expansion of the company’s focus. There are very specific reasons why the titles you mention fit within OLO’s artistic mission and repertoire history. Many of them sit right on the line between opera and operetta in the same way that certain works blur the line between operetta and musical theater. That said, I never want to speak in absolutes. There are certainly additional pieces that might fit within that stylistic overlap and make artistic sense for OLO. One of my responsibilities as artistic director is to make sure that OLO remains clear about what it uniquely does well and avoids mission creep. Our identity has always been rooted in operetta and classic musical theater, and I believe maintaining that clarity is important to our long-term success.

Q: The Ohio Light Opera has only once—with Sondheim’s Into the Woods—programmed a Broadway musical from the post-1970 era. Do you see the company, over the next decade or two, introducing more musicals from this period?

JA: Yes, I do think it is likely that audiences will see more titles from later decades. But for me, the most important question is not simply when a piece was written—it’s whether it is something OLO can do exceptionally well. What has always distinguished this company is the caliber of singing, orchestral playing, and musical richness we bring to our productions. I’m especially interested in works that require highly-trained voices and benefit from lush, sophisticated orchestrations. There are absolutely many contemporary musicals that fit beautifully within that aesthetic. I don’t want to reveal too much too soon, but a title like The Secret Garden is a good example of the kind of later musical that I think aligns naturally with OLO’s strengths and artistic identity.

Q: There is a quite evident trend currently, among lyric theater companies, to rewrite libretti, take shows out of their periods, and reorchestrate them to a more modern musical paradigm. OLO has thus far resisted these temptations. Are you confident, going forward, that the company can hold onto its audience without succumbing to these modifications?

JA: Yes, I am. One of the defining characteristics of OLO has always been the care with which we treat ohiolightopera.org 13

the original scores and orchestrations. Preserving the musical integrity of these works is deeply important to the company, and that commitment is not going to change anytime soon. At the same time, we also have to acknowledge that some works contain references, language, or social assumptions that can create barriers for contemporary audiences. If our mission is truly to preserve and champion these pieces, then occasionally very small adjustments may be necessary to help audiences engage with them successfully today. But those changes are made carefully, thoughtfully, and minimally. I have no interest in fundamentally rewriting works or imposing modern concepts onto pieces simply for novelty’s sake. I believe audiences continue coming to OLO precisely because they trust us to present these works with respect, authenticity, and artistic integrity.

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Q: You come to the artistic director position with 20 years OLO experience—somewhat equally split between performance and stage direction. Do you plan to continue appearing on stage periodically?

How advantageous do you think this dual history will be in providing you insight into the OLO mission?

JA: I wouldn’t say I have plans to continue appearing regularly onstage, but I also wouldn’t rule it out entirely. If the right opportunity arose and it truly made sense artistically, I’d certainly consider it.

That said, I’m also very mindful that OLO exists in large part to provide opportunities for emerging artists, and I would never want my presence in a production to take meaningful opportunities away from younger performers. As for my dual history, I think it is enormously valuable. Having spent so much time both onstage and in the rehearsal hall gives me perspective from both sides of the artistic process. I understand firsthand the demands placed on performers in repertory, but I also understand the broader institutional and artistic considerations involved in producing work at this scale. That combination of experiences gives me a particularly deep appreciation for what makes OLO unique and how delicate the balance is between artistic ambition, educational opportunity, and institutional sustainability.

Q: Do you see Ohio Light Opera embracing any of the “newer” technologies, for example projections, to enhance the stage experience?

JA: Absolutely—though probably in thoughtful and selective ways rather than simply adopting technology for its own sake. In fact, audiences will already begin seeing some new lighting technology incorporated into productions this season. As lighting systems become increasingly digital and sophisticated, they open up exciting new possibilities for storytelling, atmosphere, and visual dynamism.

Projection specifically is not necessarily something I foresee becoming central to the OLO aesthetic in the immediate future, but I do think evolving technologies can help us continue enhancing production value while still preserving the handcrafted theatricality that audiences love about OLO.

Special OLO 2026 rate: $110/night, plus taxes

Proud supporters of The Ohio Light Opera www.ccj.com

14 Box Office: 330.263.2345

FESTIVAL SEASON EVENTS OPENING DAY SEASON PREVIEW AND CELEBRATION! We hope that you’ll join us Saturday, June 13, at 5:00 p.m., immediately following the season-opening performance of My Fair Lady* —$100 per person. Freedlander Theatre, 329 E. University St. This special-event ticket includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, festive beverages, and an exclusive opportunity for a meet and greet with the cast and OLO festival company. Following the post-performance reception, your ticket will also permit you to enter Freedlander Theatre for a delightful lecture and preview performances. Michael Miller will offer some background on OLO’s 2026 shows and introduce select cast members, who will perform an appetite-whetting selection from each of the five remaining shows: Damn Yankees, The Boys from Syracuse, The Merry Widow, The Yeomen of the Guard, and The Red Mill. *You may purchase both the ticket to the 2:00 p.m. performance of My Fair Lady and the special event ticket from the box office (via the website, phone, or in person).

KIDS DAY My Fair Lady, June 19, 1:00 p.m. … Host: Spencer Reese JULY 4 POPS CONCERT 7:00–8:00 p.m., Downtown Wooster OPERETTA MANIA July 28, 7:00 p.m. … Host: Michael Miller OLO SALON CONCERT July 29, 10:00 a.m., Scheide Music Center, 525 E. University St. SUNNY SIDE UP! SONG HITS FROM HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE—$25 General Admission A musical revue—showcasing OLO vocalists and a ten-piece orchestra—featuring your favorite songs, and a few lesser-known gems, from the golden age of Hollywood musicals. Thrill to the tunes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and others, many of whose stage works are part of the OLO repertoire.

Please contact the box office for ticket details.

SILVER ON THE WAY TO GOLD Video clips from OLO’s first 25 seasons July 30, 10:30 a.m., Lyric Theater of Wooster, 116 E. South Street SPECIAL SIX-SHOW 2026 LECTURE SERIES Wednesday, July 29 The Yeomen of the Guard … Steven Daigle The Merry Widow … Steven Daigle Thursday, July 30 The Boys from Syracuse … Michael Miller My Fair Lady … Jacob Allen Friday, July 31 Damn Yankees … Steven Daigle The Red Mill … Spencer Reese 47th SEASON PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURE SERIES Friday, June 19 – My Fair Lady … Jacob Allen Saturday, June 20 – Damn Yankees … Steven Daigle Friday, June 26 – Damn Yankees … Helen Knudsen Saturday, June 27 – My Fair Lady … Jacob Allen Friday, July 3 – The Boys from Syracuse … Michael Miller Friday, July 10 – My Fair Lady … Jacob Allen Saturday, July 11 – The Boys from Syracuse … Helen Knudsen Friday, July 17 – My Fair Lady … Jacob Allen Saturday, July 18 – Damn Yankees … Steven Daigle Friday, July 24 – The Merry Widow … Steven Daigle Saturday, July 25 – My Fair Lady … Jacob Allen Saturday, August 1 – The Yeomen of the Guard … Steven Daigle All lectures begin ONE HOUR prior to the start of the performance.

Scheduled lecturers are subject to change.

Please direct any questions about these events to Executive Director Laura Neill at 330-263-2090 or lneill@wooster.edu. ohiolightopera.org 15

America’s Premier Lyric Theater Festival OUR MISSION

Carousel, 2025

Vision As a resident professional company of The College of Wooster, the Ohio Light Opera seeks to preserve the tradition of operetta and musical theater with engaging and accessible productions that uplift, educate, and entertain a diverse present-day audience.

Mission For 47 seasons, The Ohio Light Opera (OLO) has dedicated itself to exploring and producing the best of traditional operetta and musical theater.

Although the repertoire has evolved over the past decades, “Light Opera” in our title reflects the rich tradition of OLO’s origin. The company was founded by James Stuart as a Gilbert and Sullivan repertory summer festival and has grown to encompass all forms in the light opera canon.

This includes the complete Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire and both the recognized treasures of Viennese, French, German, British, and American operetta and the rare gems of artistic value that were popular in their day but have long since been forsaken. In recent years, the company has expanded its offerings to include traditional musical theater—its forgotten musical gems and popular Broadway titles that are nevertheless being produced less often today.

The historical performance practices of each work are delicately balanced with the resources of a state-of-the-art theater, audience accessibility, and engaging performance values. A revolving repertoire season with at least six titles and 50 performances allows patrons, throughout the summer, to attend performances of a specialized grouping of titles: three operettas or three musicals in two days, or all the titles of a summer season in four days. No other company offering a similar repertoire can provide this unique performance opportunity.

Between 15 and 20 thousand patrons each season see productions in The College of 16 Box Office: 330.263.2345

Wooster’s intimate Freedlander Theatre. Over 100 company members from throughout the United States are selected each year to participate in our residency program. The 35 performing artists who make up the vocal ensemble are chosen for their abilities to perform and work at the highest level in all disciplines demanded by the company’s specialized repertoire: singing, acting, and dancing. The 30 members of OLO’s orchestra perform full and original orchestrations of each season’s historical titles.

The Ohio Light Opera has built and earned a reputation for producing these historical titles in the spirit of fidelity and faithfulness to the original material. This commitment over 40plus years has brought over 800,000 patrons to our festival seasons. OLO balances past artistic practices with the sensitivities expected from today’s society. Whereas the music and orchestrations remain sacred, modifications to lyrics and dialogue and elimination of blatant stereotypes are at times undertaken to mitigate prejudices prevalent at the time of a work’s creation. To completely ignore these prejudices would be the same as not acknowledging or recognizing that they existed.

With 158 titles produced, and over 2900 performances, the Ohio Light Opera has become the forerunner in promoting the lyric theater genre. The company’s contribution to the preservation and promotion of traditional lyric theater has received recognition in prominent national and international publications, and its work is frequently cited by leading scholars of operetta, light opera, and musical theater. In residency on The College of Wooster campus, the summer festival offers a country setting with an inviting community that is proud of the unique service that this company has given to its many patrons and the art form.

—Steven A. Daigle, Artistic Director

OHIO LIGHT OPERA 2026 FESTIVAL COMPANY ADMINISTRATIVE, ARTISTIC, AND LEADERSHIP TEAM LAURA NEILL, Executive Director/Company Manager STEVEN DAIGLE, Artistic Director MICHELLE FRAZIER, Business & Data Manager MICHAEL BOROWITZ, Music Director JACOB ALLEN, Associate Artistic Director WILSON SOUTHERLAND, Associate Music Director SPENCER REESE, Choreographer/Director/ Tenor KIAH KAYSER, Production Manager/Scenic Designer DANIEL HOBBS, Scenic Designer LAURA KELLOGG, Orchestra Personnel Manager/Flute ERIC ANDRIES, Pianist MICHELLE HUNT SOUZA, Costume Designer JAYSEN ENGEL, Costume Designer CHARLENE GROSS, Costume Designer CARLY HOLZWARTH, Costume Designer LAINEY BODENBURG, Costume Designer/Assistant Costume Designer RENÉE SURPRENANT FITZGERALD, Scenic Designer REIKO HUFFMAN, Scenic Designer BRITTANY SHEMUGA, Lighting Designer RACHEL LAUREN, Lighting Designer CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, Sound Designer TESSA VERNER, Production Stage Manager/Associate Production Manager RYLEE CREED, Technical Director EMMA CHARLTON, Box Office Manager SADIE DESANTIS, Stage Manager JILLIAN BENTLEY, Props Supervisor SARAH LINGENFELTER LOSCH, Costume Shop Manager ZEE COWAN, Wardrobe Supervisor ANDREW COUTURE, Scenic Charge E. BLAHA, Wig Supervisor SAMUEL WRIGHT, Assistant Technical Director CAST JEREMIAH ANGEL MELANIE ATHANS RIS BLAND SOPHIA BRAUSER SAM BROWN

CONNOR BURNS ALEX CAMARGO MADELEINE CHRISTOPHER TED CHRISTOPHER CAMERON DUGGINS LYDIA DUNLAP SHANNON DUNNING CAMRYN FINN LEAH FINN LANDON GRAHAM ADAM GRIFFITHS NIGEL GRIMES TREVOR GRIMES JORDAN HAAS MARK HOSSEINI ELEANOR HOWELL LILY GRACE JENKINS JUAN ANGEL JOHNSTONCHAVEZ SAFIN KARIM VIVIENNE KIST JORDAN KNAPICK HELEN KNUDSEN AMIA KORMAN MAGGIE LANGHORNE JOSEPHINE McILVAINE JACK F. MURPHY NORA MYERS KELLY O’SHEA ASHER RAMALY NATHANIEL RICHARD KYRA RODENBORN NIKO THERIAULT JONATHAN TRIMBLE NATALIA TURCHIN THOMAS VALENTI STELLA VODILKO JULIANNA WASON ACADIA WEBB RACHEL WEINFELD SPENCER WILDE

LIZA VIERS, harp ABREAL WHITMAN, violin/ assistant concertmaster SPENCER WILSON, bassoon JULIA WINEGER, horn

TECHNICAL AND FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM GABE ABT, stitcher JAMNIA AI, sound technician LADY PARIS ASANTE, box office assistant JOHN BATORY, sound assistant CHARLIE BRADSHAW, carpenter ANNA CARRAWAY, front of house assistant HALLIE CHARLEFOUR, assistant stage manager CLAIRE CHOINKA, first hand EMILY CONSTAN, wardrobe PAN CREED, props artisan OLLI DiBENEDETTO, wigs/ wardrobe crew JAMIE DOWNING, properties artisan CHRISTINA DRAGEN-DIMA, head electrician LYDIA DUNLAP, front of house staff ALEX EFFES, electrician RILEY FOX, stitcher MADELEINE RAE FRAZIER, p art-time box office assistant and house manager JULIANNA GRIMES, scene shop foreman DREW HAMBY, sound technician DANI HAWKINS, stitcher BAYLOR HAWKS, assistant costume shop manager RIAN HOALCRAFT, scenic ORCHESTRA painter IAN AEGERTER, violin SEAN HOLLOWAY, carpenter CHRISTOPHER AGNEW, ANNA KEYS, carpenter baritone sax JULIA KRIEG, run crew JEFFREY ANDERSON, clarinet MU LAY KU, wardrobe assistant JACOB BODNAR, horn SARA LEWELLEN, run crew STEPHANIE BUECHE, clarinet HANNAH LoGIUDICE, assistant MOISES CHIRINOS, bass props supervisor NEIL FAULKNER, percussion AMELIA MINDLIN-LEITNER, ANN GILBERT, bass assistant stage manager EMILY GRISSING, cello SARAH MINISTERI, office TY HANSEN, trumpet assistant LAUREN HINKLE, trumpet KEPPLEY MULLIGAN, assistant DREW HOSLER, baritone sax/ stage manager clarinet JULIA NAIL, lead stitcher PATRICIA JOHNSTON, bass ANNE PLUMMER, carpenter MICHELLE KENYON, violin ROSSIE ROSSEN, carpenter CHRISTOPHER LUDWIG, flute KATH SCOTT, assistant box ISAAC MORTON, trumpet office manager ARI PARIS, violin AUBREY SMITH, run crew JOHAN PEPPER, violin EVAN STEHLIK, draper CAMERON RANDALL, trombone GAVIN TRUMP, run crew JONAH RICHARDSON, oboe MAZE WETZEL, scenic artist TOM ROBLEE, percussion MATTHEW J WILKS, front of LEV ROSHAL, violin/ house manager concertmaster REBEKAH WINKLER, front of NASR ALI SHEIKH, viola house manager LAUREN SWARTZ, viola BRADY ZALAC, electrician ELLA THORNTON, cello GER VANG, oboe ohiolightopera.org 17

MY FAIR LADY (1956) Music....................................................................... Frederick Loewe Book And Lyrics....................................................Alan Jay Lerner Conductor............................................................ Michael Borowitz Stage Director............................................................... Jacob Allen Choreographer........................................................ Spencer Reese Scenic Designer......................................................... Daniel Hobbs Costume Designer...............................................Carly Holzwarth Lighting Designer............................................Brittany Shemuga Sound Designer.........................................Christopher Plummer Stage Manager.............................................................Tessa Verner Assistant Director..................................................Helen Knudsen Assistant Sound Designer.........................................John Batory Eliza Doolittle.......... Maggie Langhorne* Rachel Weinfeld** Henry Higgins......................................................... Thomas Valenti Mrs. Pearce...............................................................Helen Knudsen Alfred P. Doolittle.....................................................Niko Theriault Freddy Eynsford-Hill........Jordan Haas* Jonathan Trimble** Colonel Pickering................................................... Spencer Reese Mrs. Higgins...................................................................Kelly O’Shea Mrs. Eynsford-Hill..................................................Jordan Knapick Lady Boxington.................................................................Leah Finn Lord Boxington............................................................Jack Murphy Butler........................................................................ Landon Graham Mrs. Hopkins............................................................ Melanie Athans Jamie............................................................................Spencer Wilde Harry......................................................................... Jeremiah Angel Cockneys....................Connor Burns, Juan Johnston-Chavez, .......................................... Asher Ramaly, Nathaniel Richard Six Servants........................ Asher Ramaly, Nathaniel Richard, ...... Jack Murphy, Ris Bland, Camryn Finn, Natalia Turchin Two Maids....................................Melanie Athans, Camryn Finn Jockey...................................................................... Jeremiah Angel

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Carol Briggs Vikki and Adam Briggs Ron and Prue Holtman

Ensemble: Melanie Athans, Ris Bland, Sam Brown, Connor Burns, Cameron Duggins, Shannon Dunning, Camryn Finn, Leah Finn, Landon Graham, Adam Griffiths, Mark Hosseini, Lily Grace Jenkins, Juan Johnston-Chavez, Jordan Knapick, Amia Korman, Jack Murphy, Asher Ramaly, Nathaniel Richard, Natalia Turchin

LERNER AND LOEWE'S MY FAIR LADY Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

All authorized performance materials are also supplied

by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Youth Cast: Alex Camargo, Eleanor Howell, Acadia Webb Understudy for Colonel Pickering: Cameron Duggins * 6/13, 6/19, 6/27, 7/10, 7/11, 7/23, 7/30 ** 6/17, 6/23, 7/8, 7/14, 7/17, 7/25, 8/2

18 Box Office: 330.263.2345

SETTING ACT I Scene 1 Outside the Opera House, Covent Garden (a cold March night) Scene 2 A tenement section—Tottenham Court Road (immediately following) Scene 3 Higgins’ study (the following morning) Scene 4 A tenement section—Tottenham Court Road (three days later) Scene 5 Higgins’ study (later that day) Scene 6 Near the race meeting, Ascot (a July afternoon) Scene 7 Inside a club tent, Ascot (immediately following) Scene 8 Outside Higgins’ house, Wimpole Street (later that afternoon) Scene 9 Higgins’ study (six weeks later)

ACT II Scene 1 Higgins’ study (3:00 the following morning) Scene 2 Outside Higgins’ house, Wimpole Street (immediately following) Scene 3 Flower market of Covent Garden (5:00 that morning) Scene 4 Upstairs hall of Higgins’ house (11:00 that morning) Scene 5 The conservatory of Mrs. Higgins’ house (later that day) Scene 6 Outside Higgins’ house, Wimpole Street (immediately following) Scene 7 Higgins’ study (immediately following)

MUSICAL NUMBERS Overture ACT I Why Can’t the English?..................................................................................... Higgins, Cockney, Eliza Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?................................................................................................... Cockneys, Eliza With a Little Bit of Luck.....................................................................................Doolittle, Jamie, Harry I’m an Ordinary Man.......................................................................................................................... Higgins With a Little Bit of Luck (reprise).............................................................................................. Doolittle Just You Wait............................................................................................................................................. Eliza Poor Professor Higgins.................................................................................................................. Servants The Rain in Spain................................................................................................Eliza, Higgins, Pickering I Could Have Danced All Night........................................................................................................... Eliza Ascot Gavotte...................................................................................................................................... Chorus On the Street Where You Live.............................................................................. Freddy, Mrs. Pearce 15-Minute Intermission ACT II Entr’acte You Did It.......................................................................................................Pickering, Higgins, Servants Just You Wait (reprise).......................................................................................................................... Eliza On the Street Where You Live (reprise)..................................................................................... Freddy Show Me......................................................................................................................................Freddy, Eliza The Flower Market............................................................................................................. Cockneys, Eliza Get Me to the Church on Time........................................................ Jamie, Harry, Chorus, Doolittle A Hymn to Him................................................................................................................................... Higgins Without You..............................................................................................................................Eliza, Higgins I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.......................................................................................... Higgins

ohiolightopera.org 19

ARGUMENT ACT I: Henry Higgins is a well-to-do, self-centered bachelor and professor of languages. When he and his friend Colonel Pickering encounter in Covent Garden a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, Henry is inspired to make a wager with Pickering. In a mere six months, he bets, through voice and diction adjustment, he can transform this street person into a proper lady. Frightened, but intrigued with the prospect of a better life, Eliza accompanies Henry to his home on upscale Wimpole Street. Her father, the down-and-out drunkard Alfred P. Doolittle, tries to profit from his daughter’s newly advantageous situation.

After weeks of lessons, Henry submits her to a preliminary test—impressing his mother’s snobbish friends at the Ascot horse races, where, despite a few hilarious mishaps, she thoroughly charms everyone, especially wealthy young bachelor Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Higgins is now confident that he will win his wager.

ACT II: Back home after the ball, however, Henry has no praise for her. Instead, he and Pickering gloat and preen over their own success, seeing Eliza as nothing but Henry’s “creation.” Hurt and angry at this insensitivity, Eliza storms out of the house, vents her rage on Freddy, who is still quite smitten with her, and returns to her life at Covent Garden.

Her father, recently come into wealth, is now “suitable material” for marrying Eliza’s mother.

Unsure that she belongs in “proper” society, Eliza is, nevertheless, certain that she no longer can live in the rundown flats of Tottenham Court. She encounters Henry at the home of his mother, whose advice Eliza has sought. She and Henry argue and she angrily departs. Back home, Henry, admitting it to himself for the first time, confesses that he really misses Eliza. Contrite in his resignation to a lonely future, he quickly returns to his smug self … when a shadowy figure emerges from a corner of the room.

BACKGROUND A musical about a phonetics expert, a confirmed bachelor who denies any romantic interest in his prize pupil and never sings a duet with her? Not bloody likely, Broadway veterans concurred.

When Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe expressed interest in adapting George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Pygmalion, Oscar Hammerstein told Lerner: “It can’t be done. Dick [Rodgers] and I worked on it over a year and gave up.” Gabriel Pascal, who owned the musical rights (derived from his 1938 non-musical film version of the 20 Box Office: 330.263.2345

play), was reported to have been rejected by Noël Coward, Cole Porter, and the team of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. Many years earlier, Shaw had denied Franz Lehár’s request to make an operetta based on Pygmalion. In 1952 Lerner and Loewe, after meeting with Pascal, began working on the project, only to be baffled by the problems Shaw’s text posed. Two years later, they tried again, this time deciding (in Lerner’s words) that they “could do Pygmalion—simply by doing Pygmalion.” The major structural changes involved substituting the Ascot scene for the tea party at which Eliza makes her debut as a lady and creating a final scene (as in the 1938 film) that cancels Shaw’s unromantic ending.

Their optimism was dented when Mary Martin, invited to hear them play their first five songs, told her husband: “How could it have happened?

Richard, those dear boys have lost their talent.”

But they persisted, although two months before rehearsals were set to begin, three crucial songs were yet to be written, and the book was not finished. Stage director Moss Hart took Lerner to an Atlantic City hotel in mid-November 1955 for a four-day session that resulted in the book’s completion. In early rehearsals, a young Julie Andrews (who had recently starred in The Boy Friend) floundered, so Hart dismissed the company for two days and worked exclusively with her, seven hours daily. He “bullied, pleaded, coaxed, and cajoled,” Andrews recalled. “He made me Eliza.” Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, nervous about his first venture in a singing role, exploded often and, at the first New Haven tryout, panicked when he thought his voice would not carry over the orchestra, threatened not to go on, and relented only under pressure from his agent.

My Fair Lady—the title chosen because it was the least disliked of suggestions that included Liza, Lady Liza, Come to the Ball, Fanfaroon, and The Talk of London—after tryouts in New Haven and Philadelphia, opened at Broadway’s Mark Hellinger Theater on March 15, 1956 and ran for 2717 performances. The original cast recording has earned tens of millions of dollars, a handsome return on CBS’ $400,000 investment in the show. Kenneth Tynan, in his review of the London opening of My Fair Lady, captured why it merits its status as a classic by pointing to “the rare, serene pleasure it communicates, a pleasure arising from the fact that it treats both the audience and Pygmalion with civilized respect.”

Adapted from the original of Raymond McCall

Over 36 seats of Stressless seating on display!

World Class Comfort!

Downtown Wooster roomscapesonline.com 330-262-1088

ohiolightopera.org 21

PREMIERE

DAMN YANKEES (1955) Music and Lyrics................................ Richard Adler and Jerry Ross Book.......................................George Abbott and Douglass Wallop Conductor................................................................Wilson Southerland Stage Director....................................................................Steven Daigle Choreographer.................................................................Spencer Reese Scenic Designer..................................................................... Kiah Kayser Costume Designer......................................................... Michelle Souza Lighting Designer............................................................Rachel Lauren Sound Designer................................................. Christopher Plummer Stage Manager................................................................Sadie DeSantis Assistant Director.......................................................... Helen Knudsen Assistant Choreographer.............................................Spencer Wilde Assistant Sound Designer................................................. John Batory Joe Boyd..............................................................................Mark Hosseini Meg, his wife................................................................. Rachel Weinfeld Mr. Applegate.........................................................................Jacob Allen Sister........................................................................................ Kelly O’Shea Doris.................................................................................... Natalia Turchin Joe Hardy............................................................................. Connor Burns Henry.....................................................................................Asher Ramaly Sohovik/Postman/Strane...........................................Jeremiah Angel Smokey...............................................................................Spencer Wilde Vernon........................................................................... Jonathan Trimble Linville............................................................... Juan Johnston-Chavez Van Buren............................................................................... Jack Murphy Rocky/Lynch..........................................................................Jordan Haas Gloria Thorpe.............................................................. Maggie Lanhorne Mr. Welch............................................................................. Niko Theriault Bryan/Eddie......................................................................Spencer Reese Lola......................................................................................... Amia Korman Bouley.........................................................................................Safin Karim Lowe/Guard.............................................................................Sam Brown Mickey............................................................................... Landon Graham Miss Weston................................................................................ Ris Bland Commissioner.....................................................................Asher Ramaly Postmaster.......................................................................Jeremiah Angel Guard..........................................................................................Sam Brown Betty.............................................................................Lily Grace Jenkins Charlie.....................................................................................Nigel Grimes Natalie.................................................................................... Vivienne Kist Jane............................................................................................. Nora Myers Jill............................................................................................Stella Vodilko Jenny................................................................................Kyra Rodenborn Josh....................................................................................... Trevor Grimes Nina.......................................................................... Josephine McIvaine Debbie............................................................................... Sophia Brauser Mindy................................................................................ Julianna Wason Tina................................................................................................. Leah Finn Tonya........................................................................................ Camryn Finn

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Burton D. Morgan Foundation Seaman Family Foundation Steve and Nancy Gfell in honor of William and Barbara McGraw

DAMN YANKEES Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

All authorized performance materials are also supplied

by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Ensemble: Jeremiah Angel, Melanie Athans, Ris Bland, Sam Brown, Madeleine Christopher, Shannon Dunning, Landon Graham, Jordan Haas, Lily Grace Jenkins, Juan Johnston-Chavez, Safin Karim, Maggie Langhorne, Jack Murphy, Kelly O’Shea, Asher Ramaly, Spencer Reese, Niko Theriault, Jonathan Trimble, Natalia Turchin, Spencer Wilde Youth Cast: Sophia Brauser, Nigel Grimes, Trevor Grimes, Josephine McIlvaine, Nora Myers, Vivienne Kist, Kyra Rodenborn, Stella Vodilko, Julianna Wason 22 Box Office: 330.263.2345

Understudy for Meg: Madeleine Christopher Understudy for Mr. Applegate: Nathaniel Richard Understudy for Joe Hardy: Niko Theriault Understudy for Lola: Melanie Athans Understudy for Eddie: Landon Graham

SETTING Washington, D.C., 1950s ACT I Scene 1 Meg’s House Scene 2 Within the Griffith Stadium —Home of the Washington Senators Scene 3 The Dugout—Griffith Stadium Baseball Field Scene 4 Outside the gates of Griffith Stadium Scene 5 Welch’s Office, inside Griffith Stadium Scene 6 A dark alley in the city Scene 7 The front porch of Meg’s House Scene 8 Within the Griffith Stadium Scene 9 The Locker room in Griffith Stadium

Scene 10 Before and during the Fan Club celebration for Joe Hardy on Griffith Field ACT II Scene 1 The Locker room Scene 2 A park Scene 3 Applegate’s apartment Scene 4 Welch’s Office Scene 5 A dark alley in the city Scene 6 The nightclub Scene 7 Outside the gates of Griffith Stadium Scene 8 Outside the gates of Griffith Stadium Scene 9 The Dugout Scene 10 Meg’s House

MUSICAL NUMBERS Overture ACT I Six Months Out of Every Year................................................................Meg, Joe, Wives, Husbands Devil Music Goodbye, Old Girl...................................................................................................................................... Joe Heart................................................... Van Buren, Rocky, Smokey, Vernon, Washington Senators Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo........................................................ Gloria, Washington Senators A Man Doesn’t Know................................................................................................................................ Joe A Little Brains, A Little Talent............................................................................................................... Lola Goodbye, Old Girl (reprise).................................................................................................................... Joe A Man Doesn’t Know (reprise)................................................................................................... Joe, Meg Whatever Lola Wants.............................................................................................................................. Lola Heart (reprise)................................................................................................Sister, Joe Hardy Fan Club Who’s Got the Pain?.................................................................................................................. Lola, Eddie Finale..................................................................................................................................................Ensemble 15-Minute Intermission ACT II Entr’acte The Game.........................Rocky, Smokey, Mickey, Lowe, Henry, Rocky, Washington Senators Near to You........................................................................................................................................ Joe, Meg Those Were the Good Old Days............................................................................................. Applegate Two Lost Souls..................................................................................................................................Lola, Joe Devil Music (reprise) Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo. (reprise) Finale Ultimo: A Man Doesn’t Know........................................................................................ Meg, Joe

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ARGUMENT ACT I: Middle-aged Joe Boyd—all but oblivious to his wife Meg sitting beside him—is watching on TV his beloved Washington Senators getting thrashed again by the indomitable New York Yankees. He would sell his soul for one long-ball hitter. Out of nowhere appears a dapper stranger, Mr. Applegate, who offers to turn Joe into a power slugger who will deliver the pennant to the Senators ... all this in exchange for Joe’s soul.

Joe accepts the offer, but only after convincing Applegate to provide an escape clause: until midnight on September 24, Joe can walk away from the deal. After penning a loving note to Meg, Joe is transformed by Applegate’s magic into a two-decade-younger Joe Hardy. At the ballpark, Senators manager Van Buren is trying to cheer up his downcast team and has little initial interest when Applegate suggests that he give the young Joe a chance to showcase his talent. The manager alters his tune after Joe knocks a ball out of the park. Reporter Gloria Thorpe, covering the hapless Senators, senses a story and tries to get the scoop on Joe Hardy’s origins and past life.

Fearing that Joe’s ballfield prowess might actually secure the pennant for the Senators before the September 24 deadline, Applegate summons his “assistant,” Lola, and tasks her to—so to speak— take Joe’s mind off baseball. Missing his home life, Joe shows up—unrecognized—at his house and asks to rent a room: Meg agrees, as her two girlfriends let her know that she has the town’s latest celebrity in her midst. With the Senators rising in the standings and Joe back at home, Applegate is getting worried. He hints to Gloria that Joe is really Shifty McCoy, a banned player from the Mexican league.

ACT II: It is September 24. Joe has been suspended and brought before the baseball commissioner on charges that he really is Shifty McCoy. Without Joe, the Senators lose the day’s game and—with their backs to the wall and without their star player—must win the final game against the Yankees the next day to secure the pennant. Joe decides that, after clearing his name, he will exercise the escape clause and return to his life as Joe Boyd. Although with several aces still up his sleeve, Applegate muses on how wielding his diabolical powers was so much easier in the “good old days.” When, at the late-night hearing, Meg launches into a long defense of Joe, midnight passes and the escape clause is voided. At a local night club, Joe and Lola, who has slipped Applegate a Mickey Finn, bemoan their “two lost souls.” The next day … it is the top of the ninth 24 Box Office: 330.263.2345

inning … Washington leads 4 to 3 … and Mickey Mantle is at bat. But … Applegate and Lola have arrived at the stadium.…

BACKGROUND As baseball has been dubbed the “national pastime” since the mid-1850s, one might reasonably expect that—at some point during the careers of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, or Joe DiMaggio—Broadway would have mounted a baseball-themed musical. Librettist Guy Bolton teamed in 1917 with lyricist P. G. Wodehouse and composer Jerome Kern on the football musical Leave It to Jane. The songwriting trio of De Sylva, Bown, and Henderson contributed scores for Good News (football, 1927), Hold Everything (boxing, 1928), and Follow Thru (golf, 1929), all running more than 400 performances. But no baseball show! Was not the immense popularity of the 1908 Tin Pan Alley tune “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (music by Albert von Tilzer and lyrics

by Jack Norworth) sufficient to tickle the fancy of some Broadway producer to tackle the sport on the musical stage? Baseball-related songs have, in fact, appeared sporadically in Broadway musicals: a tune titled “Babe Ruth” in The Broadway Whirl from 1921 and “With a Man on First,” a Vernon Duke tune cut from Two’s Company in 1952, among a few others. In 1953, composer William Schuman penned a one-act opera titled The Mighty Casey, based on the ever-popular 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat.” And then there is the 1905 Chicago-based musical The Umpire and its hit song “The Umpire Is a Most Unhappy Man,” with music by Joe Howard. And finally … in 1888, John Philip Sousa composed three songs (including “The Umpire and the Dude”) for the comic opera Angela, or The Umpire’s Revenge.

One can thus only imagine the joy among baseball lovers, theatergoers, record collectors, and just about everybody—all with so much pent-up frustration over baseball’s all-but-total absence from the Broadway musical stage—when Damn Yankees opened at the 46th Street Theater on May 5, 1955. The lyrics and music were by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, who had begun collaborating in 1950, writing songs and scripts for radio programs and eventually coming to the attention of Broadway composer Frank Loesser, who took an active hand in promoting the pair.

Their first song hit, “Rags to Riches,” based on a Russian tune and recorded by Tony Bennett in March of 1953, hit Number 1 on the Billboard chart and remained there for eight weeks. They then contributed songs to a successful musical

revue—John Murray Anderson’s Almanac—and followed with The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, both with Broadway runs over 1000 performances and both earning the Tony Award for Best Musical. Damn Yankees garnered an additional six Tonys, including for Ray Walston (Leading Actor) as the devilish Mr. Applegate, Gwen Verdon (Leading Actress) as seductress Lola, and Russ Brown (Featured Actor) as the Washington Senators manager.

With Rodgers and Hammerstein in a bit of a slump (Me and Juliet and Pipe Dream) and Lerner

and Loewe between shows, Adler and Ross readily assumed a top position in the Broadway pantheon.

The New York Times, in July 1955, announced that the team would be composing music and lyrics for a stage version of Dan Cushman’s 1953 novel Stay Away, Joe. Nothing ever came of it, as Ross’ death at age 29 in November 1955 dashed any hopes of the composing pair’s rise to even greater heights.

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THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (1938) Music....................................................................... Richard Rodgers Lyrics..................................................................................Lorenz Hart Book...........................................................................George Abbott, adapted from Shakespeare’s play The Comedy of Errors Conductor............................................................ Michael Borowitz Stage Director............................................................... Jacob Allen Choreographer........................................................ Spencer Reese Scenic Designer......................................................... Daniel Hobbs Costume Designer.....................................................Jaysen Engel Lighting Designer....................................................Rachel Lauren Sound Designer................................................................ Jamnia Ai Stage Manager.................................................... Hallie Charlefour Assistant Director..................................................Helen Knudsen Antipholus of Ephesus......................................... Spencer Reese Dromio of Ephesus...................................................Connor Burns Sergeant.............................................................. Nathaniel Richard Corporal......................................................................Spencer Wilde Policemen..................................Cameron Duggins, Safin Karim Tailor.......................................................................... Landon Graham Tailor’s Apprentice.........................................................Sam Brown Antipholus of Syracuse.............................................Jack Murphy Dromio of Syracuse............................................. Jeremiah Angel Merchant of Syracuse............................................Adam Griffiths Duke of Ephesus..................................... Juan Johnston-Chavez Aegeon...................................................................... Thomas Valenti Luce.......................................................................... Rachel Weinfeld Adriana............................................................................Camryn Finn Luciana..................................................................................Leah Finn Sorcerer.......................................................................Niko Theriault Courtesan.......................................................... Maggie Langhorne 2nd Courtesan (Fatima)..................................... Melanie Athans 3rd Courtesan......................................................................Ris Bland Angelo.......................................................................... Asher Ramaly First Maid................................................... Madeleine Christopher Second Maid.................................................................Kelly O’Shea Third Maid................................................................Jordan Knapick Merchant of Ephesus................................................. Jordan Haas Seeress..........................................................................Amia Korman

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Richard C. Norton Michael & Nan Miller

THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

Ensemble: Melanie Athans, Ris Bland, Sam Brown, Madeleine Christopher, Cameron Duggins, Lydia Dunlap, Camryn Finn, Leah Finn, Landon Graham, Adam Griffiths, Jordan Haas, Lily Grace Jenkins, Juan Johnston-Chavez, Safin Karim, Jordan Knapick, Amia Korman, Maggie Langhorne, Kelly O’Shea, Asher Ramaly, Nathaniel Richard, Niko Theriault, Thomas Valenti, Rachel Weinfeld, Spencer Wilde Understudy for Antipholus of Ephesus: Safin Karim Understudy for Antipholus of Syracuse: Safin Karim

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SETTING The action takes place in ancient Greece.

ACT I Scene 1: Before the Temple of Justice in Ephesus Scene 2: Inside the house of Antipholus of Ephesus Scene 3: A square in Ephesus Scene 4: Inside the house of Antipholus of Ephesus Scene 5: Street outside the house of Antipholus of Ephesus

ACT II Scene 1: Street outside the house of Antipholus of Ephesus Scene 2: A square in Ephesus Scene 3: Inside the house of Antipholus of Ephesus Scene 4: A square in Ephesus

MUSICAL NUMBERS Overture ACT I I Had Twins........................................................................ Sergeant, Angelo, Duke, Aegeon, Chorus Duke’s Fanfare and Entrance Dear Old Syracuse..................................................................................................................Antipholus S. What Can You Do with a Man?.....................................................................................Luce, Dromio E. Falling in Love with Love................................................................................................................Adriana Falling in Love with Love—Dance.................................................................................. Luciana, Maids Entrance of the Courtesans The Shortest Day of the Year...........................................................................Antipholus E., Adriana This Can’t Be Love................................................................................................Antipholus S., Luciana This Can’t Be Love—Reprise..........................................................................................................Luciana 15-Minute Intermission ACT II Entr’acte Ladies of the Evening........................................... Courtesans, Maids, Sergeant, Corporal, Police He and She...........................................................................................................................Luce, Dromio S. You Have Cast Your Shadow on the Sea......................................................Antipholus S., Luciana Come with Me..........................................................................Sergeant, Angelo, Antipholus E., Men Big Brother.......................................................................................................................................Dromio E. Ballet (Twins’ Dance)..............................................................................................Dromio E., Dromio S. Sing for Your Supper..........................................................................................Adriana, Luciana, Luce Oh, Diogenes!................................................................................................................ Courtesan, Chorus Duke’s Return Finale Ultimo: This Can’t Be Love............................................................................................Ensemble

S “This can’t be love because I feel so well, but still I love to look in your eyes.”

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ARGUMENT

BACKGROUND

ACT I: No sooner has Aegeon arrived in Ephesus in search of his twin sons than he is brought before the Duke and accused of a serious crime: he is from “uncivilized” Syracuse and, unless he can come up with 1000 marks in bribe money, faces certain execution. Aegeon explains that his sons— both named Antipholus and with twin servants both named Dromio—had been separated from themselves and their family in a shipwreck. Newly arrived in Ephesus from Syracuse, Antipholus S and Dromio S are convinced to alter their dress and blend in better with the locals. Confusion ensues when the local tailor mistakes them for their Ephesus counterparts, who owe the tailor money. The turmoil continues when Dromio E mistakes Antipholus S for his master, and Dromio E’s wife Luce has had enough of her husband’s hijinks with his master. Adriana, wife of Antipholus E, laments her husband’s inattention, as her sister Luciana advises patience. Arriving at the town square in search of her mate, Adriana is nonplussed when she mistakes Antipholus S for her husband, who doesn’t recognize her. Likewise for Luce, whose misidentified “husband” Dromio S doesn’t know who she is. When Adriana and Luce take Antipholus S and Dromio S home with them, the plot, and comedy, only thicken … no more so than when Antipholus S falls head over heels for Luciana, who can’t understand her own strange feelings for her sister’s “husband.” The act ends as Antipholus E and Dromio E, locked out of their own home, take refuge in a courtesan’s establishment.

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart first teamed up in 1919 when they contributed a catchy tune, “Any Old Place with You” (with Hart’s pithy line: “I’d go to Hell for ya … or Philadelphia”), to the Broadway musical A Lonely Romeo. The following year, their score for Poor Little Ritz Girl, although pared in half by the time it reached Broadway, did provide them their first major show billing. They basically “disappeared” over the next five years, although collaborating on a number of collegiate and amateur musicals. In 1925, for the revue Garrick Gaieties, they pulled from their trunk a tune that they had written four years earlier for an unproduced musical titled Winkle Town. The song “Manhattan” not only put them back on the Broadway map, but launched a succession of a dozen musicals (e.g., Dearest Enemy, The Girl Friend, A Connecticut Yankee) over the next six years that left them, by the end of the decade, as chief rivals to Jerome Kern and the Gershwin Brothers. As with most of their fellow Broadway songsmiths—including Kern, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and the Gershwins—Rodgers and Hart succumbed to the lure of Hollywood in the years following the advent of sound films in 1927.

In their four years (1931–1935) in Tinseltown, they contributed songs to seven films, most notably Love Me Tonight (“Mimi,” “Lover,” and “Isn’t It Romantic?”). Frustrated by their lack of artistic control over films to which they contributed music, they managed to escape—as one theater historian called it—the “celluloid quicksand” and return to Broadway. But what a return! Between 1935 and 1938, they cranked out six consecutive show gems for The Great White Way: Jumbo, On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, I’d Rather Be Right, I Married an Angel, and … The Boys from Syracuse.

Based on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, but containing only one quotation—“The venom clamors of a jealous woman poisons more deadly than a mad dog’s tooth”—from the play, the musical owes its origins to the recognition that Hart’s younger brother Teddy bore an uncanny resemblance to comedian Jimmy Savo. With the composer and librettist already interested in writing what Rodgers (albeit incorrectly) claimed would become the first Shakespeare musical on Broadway, what better choice than The Boys from Syracuse, which features a pair of comedic twin servants, both named Dromio. The musical, also featuring Eddie Albert (of later Green Acres TV fame) and Wynn Murray (Baby Rose in the

ACT II: At Adriana’s home, Luce catches Dromio S (whom she still believes to be her husband, Dromio E) flirting with a maid; she can’t understand why his desires can’t be aimed in her direction. Meanwhile, Antipholus S, still smitten with Luciana, at first refuses Dromio S’s suggestion that they leave the house. He finally agrees to head back to Syracuse, as he bids a fond farewell to Luciana. Antipholus E, after a run-in with a goldsmith concerning payment for a gold chain, is hauled off to jail. Dromio E, missing his brother, is attending the execution of Aegeon, but has an encounter with a sorcerer, who conjures up an image of his brother Dromio S. Antipholus S speaks to a merchant about all the bizarre and inexplicable goings-on. He is assured that everything will eventually straighten itself out.

Yet, the identity mayhem continues unabated … until the whole gang of characters, by chance, find themselves in the same location outside a temple.

But what now …?

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previous year’s Babes in Arms), opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 23, 1938 to almost unanimous rave reviews. The book was by Broadway playwright, producer, and director par excellence, George Abbott, who took on all three roles for the show. With more than four dozen Broadway shows already to his credit, and with another six dozen (including Damn Yankees) to come, he carved out an incomparable presence in the theater world, dying in 1995 at age 107!

In 1940, Universal Pictures released a film version of The Boys from Syracuse, featuring Allan Jones and Martha Raye. It featured six Rodgers and Hart songs, four from the original stage version and two new tunes penned by the pair.

Michael D. Miller

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THE MERRY WIDOW (1905) Music................................................................................. Franz Lehár German Libretto.............................. Viktor Léon and Leo Stein English Translation and Performance Edition................................. Steven Daigle Additional Lyrics and dialogue.........................James Stuart & ............................................................................... Adrian Ross Conductor............................................................ Michael Borowitz Stage Director........................................................... Steven Daigle Choreographer........................................................ Spencer Reese Scenic Designer......................................................... Daniel Hobbs Costume Designer................................................. Michelle Souza Lighting Designer....................................................Rachel Lauren Sound Designer............................................................John Batory Stage Manager........................................................Sadie DeSantis Assistant Director..................................................Helen Knudsen Baron Mirko Zeta, Pontevedrian Ambassador in Paris.............. Niko Theriault Valencienne, his wife......................................... Jordan Knapick Count Danilo Danilowitsch, his first secretary........................................Nathaniel Richard Hanna Glawari........................................................ Melanie Athans Camille de Rosillon.................................................Adam Griffiths Vicomte Cascada..............................................Jonathan Trimble Raoul de St. Brioche............................................... Asher Ramaly Bogdanowitsch, Pontevedrian military attaché............................ Safin Karim Sylviane, his wife....................................................... Camryn Finn Kromow, Pontevedrian councilor.......................Mark Hosseini Olga, his wife....................................................................Ris Bland Pritschitsch, Pontevedrian counsul...........Cameron Duggins Praskowia, his wife....................................... Maggie Langhorne Njegus, an embassy secretary.......................... Spencer Wilde Major Domo, Pontevedrian Embassy.............Thomas Valenti Lolo........................................................... Madeleine Christopher Dodo............................................................................ Lydia Dunlap Cloclo................................................................. Shannon Dunning Jou-Jou........................................................................ Camryn Finn Frou-Frou.................................................................. Amia Korman Margot..................................................................... Natalia Turchin

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: The Heuer Foundation Dr. Joseph Loewenstein

Ensemble: Ris Bland, Madeleine Christopher, Cameron Duggins, Lydia Dunlap, Shannon Dunning, Camryn Finn, Jordan Haas, Mark Hosseini, Juan Johnston-Chavez, Safin Karim, Amia Korman, Maggie Langhorne, Asher Ramaly, Spencer Reese, Jonathan Trimble, Natalia Turchin, Thomas Valenti, Spencer Wilde Understudy for Count Danilo: Jack Murphy Understudy for Camille de Rosillon: Jordan Haas

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This performance edition of The Merry Widow draws upon a rich synthesis of sources: the structure and dramatic intentions of the original 1905 Vienna premiere, select lyrics and theatrical traditions from the 1907 London adaptation by Adrian Ross, and materials associated with a production by James Stuart, to which I have added my own translation, script, and a substantial amount of newly-created dialogue and lyrics. Central to this adaptation is the restoration of Act III to Hanna’s villa, emphasizing her deliberate re-creation of Maxim’s as a strategy to draw Danilo into a world of her own making, while also deepening the emotional history between the lovers and expanding the social dimensions

of characters such as Valencienne. The edition retains, with only modest cuts, all principal musical numbers from the original German score, streamlines the operetta into a single intermission for greater dramatic momentum, and preserves the London tradition of “I am très Parisien” for Njegus and the grisettes. Conceived both as a theatrical reexamination and as a tribute, this adaptation reflects my enduring artistic debt to James Stuart, whose belief in treating operetta with seriousness, rigor, and joy profoundly shaped my work, and whose legacy continues to inspire this final season of my tenure with the Ohio Light Opera.

Steven Daigle, Artistic Director

SETTING Time: Early 1900s Place: Paris ACT 1: Salon of the Pontevedrian embassy palace ACTS II, III: In the garden behind Hanna Glawari’s villa outside of Paris, a few days later.

MUSICAL NUMBERS Overture ACT I Dear Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome......Diplomats, Noblemen, Wives, Guests When in France, Do as the French Do.............................Diplomats, Noblemen, Wives, Guests I Am a Respectable Wife........................................................................................Valencienne, Camille Though Paris May Be New to Me..........................Hanna, Cascada, St. Brioche, Zeta, Kramow, ................................................................................................ Bogdanowitsch, Pritschitsch, Gentlemen Ballroom Music You’ll Find Me at Maxim’s............................................................................................... Danilo, Grisettes This Is the Magic of True Domestic Life...........................................................Valencienne, Camille Finale.................................................................................................................................................. Ensemble 15-Minute Intermission ACT II Dance and Shout / Vilja................................................................................................ Hanna, Ensemble Silly, Silly Cavalier................................................................................................................... Hanna, Danilo Oh, the Study of Feminine Ways............................................ Danilo, Cascada, St. Brioche, Zeta, ...................................................................................................... Kramow, Pritschitsch, Bogdanowitsch Oh, the Study of Masculine Ways.........................................Hanna, Valencienne, Olga, Sylviane, ........................................................................................................................ Praskowia, Cloclo, Frou-Frou A Lady’s Fan............................................................................................................................ Hanna, Danilo Red as the Rose in Maytime..................................................................................Valencienne, Camille Finale.................................................................................................................................................. Ensemble Acts II and III will be presented without intermission ACT III Entr’acte I Am Très Parisien!...........................................................................................................Njegus, Grisettes Reminiscence The Grisettes of Paris Greet You............................................... Valencienne, Grisettes, Ensemble Merry Widow Waltz.......................................................................................... Danilo, Hanna, Grisettes Finale Ultimo.................................................................................................................................... Ensemble

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ARGUMENT

BACKGROUND

ACT I: The state of Pontevedro, close to bankruptcy, will be ruined if the wealthy widow Hanna Glawari marries a foreigner and yields her fortune to him. Baron Zeta, Pontevedro’s ambassador to Paris, schemes to get Pontevedrian Count Danilo to marry the widow, not knowing that he had previously wished to marry her, only to have the match declared unsuitable by his snobbish family. On the rebound, Danilo has been enjoying the high life in Paris, especially at Maxim’s. At an embassy party, the dashing Camille de Rosillon is infatuated with the Baron’s wife, Valencienne. Hanna, meanwhile, is courted by all the men, even by Camille, whom Valencienne wants to see married, for she fears that she herself is falling for him. Danilo and Hanna fence verbally, and Danilo promises the Baron that he will try to keep Hanna free from foreign entanglements. He claims the right to dance with her and sweeps her off her feet.

Few operettas have had less auspicious beginnings than The Merry Widow. Franz Lehár (1870–1948) was not the first choice as composer, and the operetta’s premiere was occasioned by a theater manager’s desperate need for a new show. Librettists Leo Stein and Viktor Léon, who had adapted Henri Meilhac’s 1861 play L’attaché d’ambassade (The Embassy Attaché), first offered their libretto to composer Richard Heuberger, but after his first act proved to be feeble, they turned to Lehár. When Leo Fall’s operetta Der Rebell flopped at the Theater an der Wien, manager Wilhelm Karczag rushed The Merry Widow into production, with recycled sets and costumes and only one orchestra rehearsal.

Intended as a stopgap until Der Rebell could be revised, The Merry Widow pleased the audience at its premiere on December 30, 1905, but garnered mixed reviews. With rapidly increasing acclaim over the next months, the show transferred, after its initial run of 119 performances, to the Volksoper.

Lehár himself conducted the 400th performance on April 24, 1907, now back at the Theater an der Wien. Long runs became the norm across the globe—from Hamburg to Budapest to Shanghai to Johannesburg to London to New York. By 1910, there had been some 18,000 performances around the globe—in ten languages.

The Broadway premiere on October 21, 1907 (based on the London version commissioned by George Edwardes for Daly’s Theatre) was preceded by a publicity barrage that guaranteed audiences a restoration of the “golden days” of operetta.

It won instant approval, the New York Times reviewer observing: “The applause was almost terrifying in its intensity at times, and there were as many shouts of ‘Bravo!’ as at a performance of Pagliacci where Caruso sings.” The Broadway run generated a mania for Merry Widow corsets, hats, cigars, and restaurants. Revived frequently in this country, it has been filmed by Hollywood three

ACT II: The wily Hanna, hosting a party at her villa, takes advantage of the Camille/Valencienne affair in her campaign to snare Danilo. Just as the Baron is about to discover Camille and Valencienne in a summer pavilion rendezvous, Hanna changes places with Valencienne. She is pleased by Danilo’s jealously when she announces her engagement to Camille.

ACT III: A party is in progress at Hanna’s villa, with entertainment provided by the grisettes. Left alone with Danilo, Hanna assures him that he could not be accused of being a fortune hunter if he were to marry her—by the terms of her late husband’s will, she loses all her money upon remarriage. After the relieved Danilo proposes, she reminds him of one more stipulation in the will.

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times—as a silent in 1925 with Mae Murray and John Gilbert, in 1934 with Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier, and in 1952 with Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas.

For well over a century, Danilo’s song about Maxim’s has evoked a vision of carefree nights.

The Merry Widow Waltz has beguiled generations (and is wistfully recalled by Winnie in Beckett’s Happy Days). Celebrated singers such as Maria Jeritza, Kirsten Flagstad, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Joan Sutherland, Roberta Peters, Beverly Sills, and Frederica von Stade have perpetuated the ear-caressing strains of “Vilja.” The Metropolitan Opera revival in 2003 featured Susan Graham as Hannah and three former OLO members: Paul Groves (Camille), Ian Greenlaw (Cascada), and Sandra Piques Eddy (Olga).

Lehár’s later contributions to the musical theater—especially those shows that he wrote for tenor Richard Tauber—added to his substantial fame and fortune. In his last years, he ceased composing and concentrated on his music publishing business, a very profitable enterprise, although he was never able to recover the rights to his greatest hit, The Merry Widow.

Adapted from the original of Raymond McCall

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THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD or The Merryman and His Maid (1888) Music........................................................................... Arthur Sullivan Libretto.................................................................William S. Gilbert Conductor....................................................... Wilson Southerland Stage Director........................................................... Steven Daigle Choreographer........................................................ Spencer Reese Scenic Designer......................... Renée Surprenant Fitzgerald Costume Designer.................................................Charlene Gross Lighting Designer............................................Brittany Shemuga Sound Designer................................................................ Jamnia Ai Stage Manager........................................Amelia Mindlin-Leitner Assistant Director.......................................... Maggie Langhorne Sir Richard Cholmondeley, Lieutenant of the Tower............................ Nathaniel Richard Colonel Fairfax, under sentence of death............................... Thomas Valenti Sergeant Meryll, of the Yeomen of the Guard............................ Mark Hosseini Leonard Meryll, his son........................................ Spencer Reese Jack Point, a strolling jester.............................Ted Christopher Wilfred Shadbolt, head jailor and assistant tormentor....................................Niko Theriault The Headsman..................................................Cameron Duggins First Yeoman.............................................................. Asher Ramaly Second Yeoman.................................................... Jeremiah Angel First Citizen......................................................................Sam Brown Second Citizen............................................................... Safin Karim Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer......................Jordan Knapick Phoebe Meryll, Sergeant Meryll’s daughter............ Madeleine Christopher Dame Carruthers, housekeeper to the Tower.........................................Ris Bland Kate, her niece.................................................. Lily Grace Jenkins

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Jack Knapp Mimi Lewellen and Family Mimi McCain Sara L. Patton

Ensemble: Jeremiah Angel, Sam Brown, Connor Burns, Cameron Duggins, Lydia Dunlap, Shannon Dunning, Camryn Finn, Leah Finn, Landon Graham, Adam Griffiths, Jordan Haas, Lily Grace Jenkins, Safin Karim, Kelly O’Shea, Asher Ramaly, Jonathan Trimble, Natalia Turchin, Stella Vodilko, Rachel Weinfeld, Stella Vodilko, Spencer Wilde Understudy for Colonel Fairfax: Adam Griffiths Understudy for Elsie Maynard: Natalia Turchin

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SETTING Time: 16th century Place: Tower Green, London MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT I When Maiden Loves, She Sits and Sighs.................................................................................. Phoebe Tower Warders, under Orders.................................................................................... Citizens, Yeomen When Our Gallant Norman Foes.............................................................Dame Carruthers, Yeomen Alas! I Waver To and Fro!..............................................................................Phoebe, Leonard, Meryll Is Life a Boon?.......................................................................................................................................Fairfax Here’s a Man of Jollity...............................................................................................Citizens, Jack, Elsie I Have a Song to Sing, O!...........................................................................................................Jack, Elsie How Say You, Maiden, Will You Wed?....................................................Cholmondeley, Elsie, Jack I’ve Jibe and Joke.................................................................................................................................... Jack ’Tis Done! I Am a Bride!........................................................................................................................ Elsie Were I Thy Bride................................................................................................................................. Phoebe Finale: Oh, Sergeant Meryll, Is It True?..................................................... Citizens, Meryll, Fairfax, ..................................................................................................Yeomen, Phoebe, Wilfred To Thy Fraternal Care........................................................................ Wilfred, Fairfax, Phoebe The Prisoner Comes to Meet His Doom..................................................................Ensemble 15-Minute Intermission ACT II Night Has Spread Her Pall...................................................... Dame Carruthers, Citizens, Yeomen Oh! A Private Buffoon Is a Light-Hearted Loon.......................................................................... Jack Hereupon We’re Both Agreed............................................................................................ Jack, Wilfred Free from His Fetters Grim...............................................................................................................Fairfax Strange Adventure!.............................................................. Fairfax, Meryll, Dame Carruthers, Kate Now What Can That Have Been................................................................ Meryll, Fairfax, Ensemble Like a Ghost His Vigil Keeping...................................... Cholmondeley, Wilfred, Jack, Ensemble A Man Who Would Woo a Fair Maid...............................................................Fairfax, Elsie, Phoebe When a Wooer Goes A-Wooing............................................................ Elise, Fairfax, Jack, Phoebe Rapture, Rapture When Love’s Votary.....................................................Dame Carruthers, Meryll Finale Ultimo: Comes the Pretty Young Bride........................................................................Women

’Tis Said that Joy...................................................Phoebe, Elsie, Dame Carruthers

Hold, Pretty One!...............................................................................................Ensemble

S “I have a song to sing, O.”

S ohiolightopera.org 35

ARGUMENT ACT I: Phoebe, the daughter of Sergeant Meryll of the Yeomen of The Guard, irritates the brutish jailer Wilfred when she expresses pity for the jailed Captain Fairfax, who, through an inheritance scam by a scheming relative, has been condemned to death and is to be executed at the Tower of London. Meryll has concocted a plan whereby his son, Leonard, arriving to join the Yeomen, will go into hiding and be impersonated by a newly-shaven, beardless, unrecognizable Fairfax, thus providing time to seek a pardon. In order to thwart his unscrupulous kinsman, Fairfax begs Tower Lieutenant Cholmondeley to find him a wife. Jester Jack Point and his intended bride, the strolling singer Elsie Maynard, arrive in town.

The Lieutenant confronts Elsie and, with the promise of 100 crowns and an assurance to Jack that her new husband will shortly be dead, Elsie is blindfolded, whisked away, and married. Phoebe sweet-talks Wilfred, secures from him the key to Fairfax’s cell, and gives it to Meryll, who slips into the Tower. The bell tolls signaling the time for the execution—confusion erupts when it is discovered that Fairfax is missing from his cell. Elsie and Point are distressed, as she sinks senseless into the arms of the unrecognized Fairfax.

ACT II: It is two days later and the prisoner is still at large, as the search continues. Point, desperate to get Elsie back, offers Wilfred a job as “Archbishop of Jesters” if he will swear that he shot Fairfax as he was trying to escape across the river, and that the prisoner sank and drowned. Dame Carruthers, with her heart set on snagging Meryll for her own, has taken up residence in the Sergeant’s home, ostensibly to care for the distraught Elsie, who was entrusted to Meryll’s care. From information she gleaned from Elsie’s tormented mumbling while asleep, Dame Carruthers informs Fairfax of the identity of his spouse, as he looks forward to the opportunity of wooing his own wife. Wilfred launches into his story of Fairfax’s death, as Point provides corroborating detail. Saddened by her husband’s reported death, Elsie is courted again by Point, who has asked Fairfax for instructions on the art of wooing. Under the guise of helping Point, Fairfax presses his own suit with Elsie, although she still does not know his real identity. Feeling betrayed by the man whom she helped escape from jail, Phoebe pours out her heart to Wilfred, who can’t understand the type of affection she holds for a man who is supposed to be her brother. When the real Leonard arrives with a pardon for Fairfax, and Dame Carruthers overhears a conversation that implicates Sergeant Meryll in the prison 36 Box Office: 330.263.2345

escape plot, the sergeant has no choice but to give his heart and hand to her. Elsie finally discovers that her “Leonard” is really Fairfax and that she is already married to the man she loves. But what about Jack Point …?

BACKGROUND The comparatively short initial run of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore in 1887 forced impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte to fill the Savoy Theatre with revivals of H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado, and for a time it seemed that no new G&S operetta would be forthcoming. Tensions between the two men had reached an ominous level. Sullivan, irked by Gilbert’s submission of yet another “lozenge” plot, vowed to write no more comic operas.

Nettled by the success of Alfred Cellier’s longrunning comedy opera Dorothy, Carte talked with Sullivan about the possibility of forming a new company and making a fresh start. Gilbert, however, refused to regard Dorothy as a threat and, on Christmas Day 1887, handed a plot to Sullivan that to the composer’s relief offered no lozenges, fairies, or topsy-turvydom, but was (as he recorded in his diary) “very human and funny also.” Gilbert claimed that his inspiration came from a chance sighting of a poster advertising the Tower Furnishing Company that depicted the Tower of London in the background. Setting the story in Elizabethan times, he titled it variously The Tower of London, The Tower Warders, and The Beefeaters (which Sullivan disliked), before settling on The Yeomen of the Guard.

The label “A New and Original Opera” signaled Yeomen’s departure from previous Gilbert and Sullivan works—an impression enhanced by Gilbert’s beginning the action not with a chorus, but with a wistful solo for a soprano. Sullivan responded to his partner’s story with an ambitious score, commencing with an overture in symphonic form. Reviewers of the Savoy premiere on October 3, 1888 praised it as “a genuine English opera,” but accused Gilbert of aping the plot of William Vincent Wallace’s 1845 opera Maritana. None, however, were alert to his self-borrowings. Jack Point’s ancestor could well be Jumbles the Jester (from a sketch written by Gilbert years earlier for the magazine Fun), and “Annie Protheroe,” one of the Bab Ballads, foreshadows Phoebe Meryll and Wilfred Shadbolt in its tale of a girl who jilts her executioner/fiancé for the man he is about to behead.

The collaboration began harmoniously. When Sullivan had difficulty setting the words of the

Jack Point/Elsie Maynard duet “I have a song to sing, O,” Gilbert explained that he had an old sea shanty in mind, and after he hummed it, Sullivan was able to create his own musical form. (The duet, one of the high points of the score, drew three encores on opening night.) But, as the time for rehearsals drew near, Sullivan angered Gilbert by demanding changes in the second act. There was a flareup between the two at the first full musical rehearsal, and they reached agreement on a couple of items only hours before the curtain rose for the first time. After the premiere, a song for Sergeant Meryll in the first act was dropped at Gilbert’s insistence, and numerous alterations were made in the lyrics. With nine encores, the premiere of Yeomen ended at 11:30 p.m. The initial run of 423 performances compensated for the relative failure of Ruddigore. Years later, Gilbert chose Fairfax’s “Is life a boon?” as the words inscribed on the monument memorializing Sullivan that stands on the embankment near the Savoy Theatre.

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ohiolightopera.org 37

THE RED MILL (1906) Music............................................................................ Victor Herbert Libretto......................................................................Henry Blossom Conductor....................................................... Wilson Southerland Stage Director......................................................... Spencer Reese Choreographer........................................................ Spencer Reese Scenic Designer...................................................... Reiko Huffman Costume Designer..........................................Lainey Bodenburg Lighting Designer............................................Brittany Shemuga Sound Designer.......................................................... Drew Hamby Stage Manager................................................... Keppley Mulligan Assistant Director..................................................Helen Knudsen Americans “doing” Europe “Con” Kidder............................................................Jack Murphy “Kid” Conner..................................................... Jeremiah Angel Jan van Borkem, burgomaster of Katwyk-aan-Zee.................. Mark Hosseini Franz, sheriff of Katwyk-aan-Zee............................ Safin Karim Willem, innkeeper at the “Red Mill”...........Cameron Duggins Captain Christian van Damm, in love with Gretchen........................................Adam Griffiths Governor of Zeeland, in love with Gretchen..........................................Connor Burns Joshua Pennyfeather, an English solicitor...... Thomas Valenti Heather............................................................... Lily Grace Jenkins Rose.............................................................................Natalia Turchin Gretchen, the burgomaster’s daughter........Jordan Knapick Bertha, the burgomaster’s sister.........................Amia Korman Tina, barmaid and Willem’s daughter.......... Rachel Weinfeld Countess de la Fère, automobiling with her sons through Holland.................... Melanie Athans Pierre...................................................................................Sam Brown Alphonse..............................................................Jonathan Trimble Flora............................................................ Madeleine Christopher Dora....................................................................... Shannon Dunning Lena..................................................................................Kelly O’Shea Dirk/Gaston............................................................ Landon Graham Piet............................................................... Juan Johnston-Chavez

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Ralph R. & Grace Jones Foundation Ambassador John Ong Norman K. Keller Marlene & Joe Toot

Ensemble: Melanie Athans, Sam Brown, Madeleine Christopher, Shannon Dunning, Leah Finn, Landon Graham, Lily Grace Jenkins, Juan Johnston-Chavez, Maggie Langhorne, Kelly O’Shea, Jonathan Trimble, Natalia Turchin

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SETTING Time: Early 1900s Place: Katwyk-aan-Zee, Holland ACT I: Evening at the historic Red Mill ACT II: The following morning at the historic Red Mill MUSICAL NUMBERS Overture ACT I By the Side of the Mill....................................................................................................................... Chorus Mignonette.......................................................................................................................................Tina, Girls You Never Can Tell about a Woman.................................................................Burgomaster, Willem Whistle It...................................................................................................................................Kid, Con, Tina A Widow Has Ways............................................................................................................................. Bertha The Isle of Our Dreams............................................................................................. Christian, Gretchen Go While the Goin’ Is Good................................................................................ Con, Kid, Tina, Bertha When You’re Pretty and the World Is Fair............................................................................Ensemble Finale: Moonbeams..................................................Gretchen, Christian, Burgomaster, Ensemble 15-Minute Intermission ACT II Why This Silence? Was There Violence?.................................................................... Bertha, Chorus The Legend of the Mill...................................................................................................... Bertha, Chorus Good-a-Bye, John!............................................................................................................................Con, Kid I Want You to Marry Me!.........................................................................................................Tina, Chorus Every Day Is Ladies’ Day with Me..................................................................Governor, Male Chorus Because You’re You!....................................................................................................... Bertha, Governor The Streets of New York............................................................................................... Con, Kid, Chorus We Come Every Guest in His Best!..........................................................................Governor, Chorus Finale Ultimo....................................................................................................................................Ensemble

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ohiolightopera.org 39

ARGUMENT ACT I: In the Dutch seaport of Katwyk-aan-Zee, Willem and his daughter Tina run the Red Mill Inn. She has dreams of becoming an actress and finding a better mate than the town sheriff Franz.

The Burgomaster, toward his own social gain, has arranged for his daughter Gretchen to be married the next day to the Governor of Zeeland. She has no interest, for her sights are set on the gallant Captain Van Damm, who is due any moment from sea. Unable to pay for their stay at the Inn, two Americans, Kid Conner and Con Kidder, try to leave unnoticed. They are caught by the Burgomaster and forced to pay off their debt at the Inn by working for Willem as a waiter and interpreter for the tourists.

Willem’s sister Bertha helps Gretchen escape her arranged marriage by hiding her in the legendary haunted Red Mill. Kid and Con learn of the planned elopement of Gretchen and Van Damm to America and see this as a possibility for escape. No sooner has Van Damm arrived in town and rendezvoused with Gretchen than their relationship is betrayed by Willem. The Burgomaster arrests Van Damm and locks Gretchen in the mill to await the next day’s wedding. The ever-resourceful Kid and Con devise a plan to help her escape.

ACT II: It is the day of the wedding, and Gretchen is seemingly nowhere to be found. Tina, however, has secretly brought her to the Inn to await Van Damm’s release from prison. The Burgomaster, worried about the Governor’s reaction to the missing “bride-to-be,” offers a reward for her and sends for the very best detective. Kid and Con come to the Burgomaster’s aid, disguised as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Governor, meanwhile, has taken a shine to Bertha. The planned wedding, however, must take place … but with a few surprises.

BACKGROUND Producer Charles Dillingham constructed a moving red mill sign with electric lights outside the Knickerbocker Theatre to signal the premiere of The Red Mill on September 24, 1906. The next day, the New York Herald proclaimed: “The Red Mill will grind its grist of mirth, music, and melody for a long time to come,” a prophecy borne out by 274 performances and an extensive tour. A 1945 revival opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre and enjoyed a run of 531 performances.

Henry Blossom, who first collaborated with Victor Herbert in 1905 on Mlle. Modiste, fashioned a text to highlight the antics of David Montgomery

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and Fred Stone, who had recently triumphed as the Tin Man and the Scarecrow in a stage version of The Wizard of Oz. As box office draws, their names appeared in newspaper ads in bold letters that dwarfed the title; Herbert and Blossom merited almost microscopic letters. Playing Kid Conner and Con Kidder, the duo cavorted as impecunious American tourists stranded in a Dutch village, indulged in various disguises, and rescued the heroine, Gretchen, by swinging on the sails of a windmill. Firmly resisting her father’s marriage plans for her, Gretchen is happily united with her beloved sea captain.

The New York Times declared The Red Mill to be a show “to cheer the heart, delight the eye, charm the ear, tickle the fancy, and wreath the face in smiles.” The reviewer also noted that first-nighters “were humming and singing as they came out.”

Small wonder, since the score includes such melodies as “The Streets of New York,” “Moonbeams,” and “Every Day Is Ladies’ Day with Me.” Victor Herbert (1859–1924) was not only a prolific composer, but also a multitalented and prodigiously energetic musician. After serving as cellist in the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, he soloed in his own compositions under renowned conductors Walter Damrosch, Theodore Thomas, and Anton Seidl. He also formed a string quartet and a 40-piece orchestra for light music, taught at the National Conservatory of Music, led the 22nd Regiment Band of the National Guard, and conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Outside the concert halls, he testified eloquently in 1909 at hearings on revision of the copyright law, and in 1914 was one of the founders of ASCAP—the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

The first of his shows for Broadway, Prince Ananias (1894), was acknowledged to have musical merit, but was damned for its libretto—a type of criticism that was to recur frequently. Like Offenbach, he seemed to compose with ease and (also like Offenbach) was not deterred by failures. Among the shows that won him fame in his lifetime were Babes in Toyland (1903), Mlle. Modiste (1905), Naughty Marietta (1910), Sweethearts (1913), and Eileen (1917). Like Arthur Sullivan, he also created “serious” music, but although the second of his two cello concertos is occasionally performed, his operas Natoma (1911) and Madeleine (1914), with rare exceptions, gather dust on the shelf.

Adapted from the original of Raymond McCall

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ADMINISTRATIVE, ARTISTIC, AND LEADERSHIP TEAM Listed alphabetically … respectful of the ensemble spirit that has characterized OLO since its founding.

From STEVEN DAIGLE: Perhaps our loyal patrons will pardon one final breach of tradition: my biography has been temporarily replaced with this personal reflection, and—for the first and only time in my years with the company—my name has escaped the safety and democracy of alphabetical order. I hope I may be forgiven one small moment of theatrical indulgence before quietly returning to the ensemble, where I have always belonged.

After nearly four decades with The Ohio Light Opera—beginning in 1990 as Stage Manager, later serving as General Director, and since 1999 as Artistic Director—I find myself filled less with thoughts of retirement than with gratitude.

What began as a summer opportunity became one of the defining privileges of my life. Together, we built not simply seasons of theater, but a living artistic tradition dedicated to preserving and reimagining operetta and musical theater with scholarship, humor, passion, and humanity. In an era when much of this repertoire has been abbreviated, heavily revised, or forgotten altogether, this company remained steadfast in honoring these works as vibrant, living theater.

I am deeply proud of what we accomplished together.

We expanded repertoire, preserved rare works, introduced audiences to forgotten masterpieces, and trained generations of young artists and theater professionals who now carry this tradition into the wider world. We proved that operetta and classic musical theater are not museum pieces, but living art forms capable of delighting and moving modern audiences. Michael and Nan Miller (Operetta Foundation), you have been instrumental in making this happen.

No artistic director creates such a legacy alone.

Whatever contributions I may have made were only possible because of the extraordinary people who stood beside me season after season. I have had the privilege of working alongside astonishing artists, musicians, music directors, designers, technicians, administrators, professors, students, board members, volunteers, and audiences. If I attempted to thank these amazing people individually, it would require several more decades of program space. So, in keeping with what has always made this company extraordinary, let my gratitude remain directed to the strength of the ensemble itself.

There are, however, two exceptions I cannot leave unnamed: Executive Director and Company Manager Laura Neill and retired Associate Artistic Director Julie Wright Costa. Laura’s dedication, leadership, wisdom, friendship, and tireless devotion to this company have been indispensable to its success and to my own journey within it. Julie’s many years of leadership in shaping and hiring our casts, along with the artistry she shared as both a performer and a director, helped define the spirit and quality of this company across generations of productions. I remain profoundly grateful to both for their partnership, artistry, and friendship through the years.

I am especially grateful to the audiences who returned year after year with loyalty, curiosity, and enthusiasm.

Your faith in this mission sustained the company and 42 Box Office: 330.263.2345

gave meaning to every performance. To the College of Wooster, whose partnership made this remarkable enterprise possible, I offer my sincere appreciation for fostering a place where artistry, education, and tradition could flourish together.

Most importantly, I leave with profound confidence in the future of The Ohio Light Opera. Its mission remains unique and vital in today’s theatrical world.

The repertoire still has stories to tell. The music still has power to move hearts. I am especially grateful that the company’s future will be placed in the hands of Jacob Allen, whose more than twenty years with the organization—as artist, colleague, and leader—have prepared him beautifully to guide this remarkable institution into its next chapter. And new generations of artists and audiences will continue discovering the joy, sophistication, and humanity of these works.

As I conclude this chapter, I do so with immense pride, deep affection, and heartfelt thanks.

The curtain may fall on my tenure this summer, but the music—and the mission—will continue.

JACOB ALLEN, associate artistic director, returns for his 21st season with OLO (19th in residency). Last summer, he directed Brigadoon and Tip-Toes, and this season he directs My Fair Lady and The Boys from Syracuse, as well as appearing as Applegate in Damn Yankees. A member of the administrative team since 2022, Jacob has played a key role in season casting and artistic planning and will succeed Steven Daigle as artistic director at the conclusion of the 2026 season. His past OLO directing credits include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Arizona Lady, Hello, Dolly! The Student Prince, South Pacific, The Pajama Game, My Fair Lady, The King and I, and the 2011 “Triple Bill.” Onstage, he has appeared as Frosch in Die Fledermaus, Hale Underwood in Oh, Lady! Lady!! Mordred in Camelot, The Prince in Jubilee, Horace Gripps in The Cabaret Girl, Benny in The Desert Song, and Jimmy Jack John Bondy in The Duchess of Chicago. A native of Oxford, ME, Jacob chairs the Department of Theatre & Dance and serves as director of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis. He holds degrees from Lawrence University, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Memphis. Jacob has directed and performed extensively across the Midwest and New England and is passionate about helping young artists find the intersection of authentic acting and dynamic singing.

ERIC ANDRIES, pianist, is pleased to return to Ohio Light Opera for a 16th year. He has a wide range of musical experience in several genres. Over the past few years, he has been the rehearsal pianist for several opera companies, including Opera in the Heights, Opera Birmingham, Wichita Grand Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, First Coast Opera, Voices Immersion Program at Castleton, Omaha Opera, Des Moines Opera, Amarillo Opera, Opera Tampa, Shreveport Opera, Mobile Opera, Syracuse Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Ashlawn Music Festival, and Opera Idaho. Eric has been the musical

director for touring educational opera troupes with Opera Iowa, Portland Opera, and Nashville Opera. In addition, he is an avid jazz pianist and has worked with Princess Cruise Line as piano player for the showband.

He was also the keyboardist/arranger for a local salsa music group that was featured at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Eric has been band leader and pianist for several musical shows as well. A native of Baton Rouge, he holds degrees from LSU in piano performance and has studied abroad in France and Austria.

JILLIAN BENTLEY, properties supervisor, is thrilled to return to the Ohio Light Opera for her third season.

Jillian has recently graduated with honors from Albion College, where she studied theater and history. She is eternally grateful to her family and to her wonderful mentor, Kiah Kayser, who have been nothing but supportive of her. Jillian’s philosophy is always to aim for greatness and lead with determination.

E. BLAHA, wig supervisor, is thrilled to be a newcomer at OLO for the 2026 season. A St. Louis native, E. is a graduate of Cottey College and is now pursuing an MFA at The University of Memphis in costume design.

Their previous credits include costume designer for As You Like It: The Musical, makeup and wig designer for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and wig stylist for Seussical: The Musical.

LAINEY BODENBURG, assistant costume designer, is thrilled for her first OLO season and for the opportunity to design the costumes for The Red Mill. Originally from Cincinnati, Lainey received her bachelor of arts in fashion design from Kent State University in 2022. She currently resides in Cleveland with her fiancé and her cat, where she works as a freelance costume designer for theater and film. Her recent credits include: Alice

by Heart (Beck Center for the Arts), The Comeuppance (Dobama Theatre), Maddi’s Fridge (Talespinner Children’s Theatre), Seeds of Tomorrow (Cleveland Public Theatre), Beetlejuice Jr. (Cain Park Theatre), and CLUE! (Millbrook Playhouse).

MICHAEL BOROWITZ, music director, is in his 17th year as associate professor and music director of the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at LSU, where this season he conducted Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and Cohen/Heggie’s Yedid Nefesh/Before It All Goes Dark. As artistic director with Opéra Louisiane, Michael led performances of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Recordings include: Offenbach’s Bluebeard, Kern’s The Cabaret Girl, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore and Patience, Kálmán’s The Duchess of Chicago (DVD), Youmans’ No, No, Nanette (DVD), and the recital Aux filles du désert with soprano Lisette Oropesa. Michael was artistic director of Nevada Opera for nine seasons, and has been guest conductor for La Musica Lirica, OperaFestival di Roma, Baltimore Concert Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Delaware, Pensacola Opera, and Opera Columbus, as well as assistant conductor with The Metropolitan Opera, Indianapolis Opera, and Cleveland Opera.

EMMA CHARLTON, box office manager, is excited to return to the Ohio Light Opera for her fourth summer season. Emma began working with OLO as a freshman

at The College of Wooster and has enjoyed filling a variety of roles in the organization throughout her college career. A native of Tiffin, OH, Emma recently graduated from The College of Wooster with a degree in elementary education and will begin her teaching career this fall. During her time at Wooster, she was involved in campus activities and enjoyed working with students both inside and outside the classroom. Emma has previous theater experience, both onstage and backstage, through productions at the Ritz Theatre and Heidelberg University’s Children’s & Teen Theater program. In addition to theater, she danced for 13 years at Dance Unlimited, where she developed a love for performing and teamwork. She has also helped lead and run dance camps for younger students. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, painting, traveling, exploring coffee shops, and spending time with family and friends.

ANDREW COUTURE, scenic charge, is delighted for his first season with OLO. He is currently studying scenic painting at Cobalt Studios, under Rachel Keebler and Terra Writz.

ZEE COWAN, wardrobe supervisor, is excited to be joining OLO for the first time but also sad to be leaving their job at Misty Bay Boutique on Put-In-Bay, OH. Zee is studying costume design at Emerson College in Boston, with the intention of becoming a draper, having draped for musicals such as Head Over Heels (Emerson Stage, 2025) and Sweet Charity (Emerson Stage, 2026). Zee is excited to bring their wardrobe supervision experience outside of Emerson, their experience including Macbeth (emShakes), No Exit (emShakes), and Imogen Says Nothing (Emerson Stage). Zee is set to graduate from Emerson in December of 2026 and is a 2023 high school graduate of the International School of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Their Instagram is @zahavaleah and their website is zeecowan.com.

RYLEE CREED, technical director, is thrilled to be returning for her second summer at Ohio Light Opera.

She was born and raised in Magnolia, AR, where she received her BFA in theater from Southern Arkansas University. Rylee is currently an MFA candidate for theater technology at Indiana University – Bloomington, where she studies under Jeff Baldwin and gets entirely too many splinters. Recent educational credits include IU’s productions of Dance Nation (technical director), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (assistant technical director), and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (technical director). Rylee will be presenting her MFA thesis production in the fall, The Rocky Horror Show. Recent professional credits include the 2025 OLO festival season (assistant technical director) and Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts’ 2024 professional summer season (scenic artist). Rylee would like to thank Ben, Pan, and Dani for being her biggest supporters, and her predecessor Kenny for her endless knowledge.

SADIE DESANTIS, stage manager, is the assistant professor of stage and production management and production manager at Coastal Carolina University.

Prior to joining Coastal Carolina, she served as director of production and head of the MFA stage management program at University of Missouri–Kansas City. A freelance stage manager, DeSantis has worked in concerts, ballet, opera, musical theater, outdoor productions, ohiolightopera.org 43

and corporate events. She earned a BA in theater arts with a minor in English literature from University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and an MFA in theater design and technology (stage management) from UMKC. Her professional credits include Opera Omaha, Clarence Brown Theatre, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Starlight Theatre, and Des Moines Metro Opera. She is a member of the Stage Managers’ Association and Actor’s Equity Association, and is the college/university division chair of the South Carolina Theatre Association.

JAYSEN ENGEL, costume designer, is excited to be returning to OLO for his second season, designing The Boys from Syracuse. Jaysen is a costume designer based out of New Haven, CT. He graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2020 with a BFA in costume design. Some previous design credits include Carousel, The Cousin from Batavia (Ohio Light Opera), The 39 Steps, The Tempest, Waiting for Godot (Colonial Theatre of Westerly), Constellations, The Plein Air Plays (Ancram Center for the Arts), Legally Blonde, Dog Sees God, Footloose, Peter and the Starcatcher (The Norwalk Conservatory), and A Body of Water (Shakespeare & Company). Website: jaysenengeldesign.com RENÉE SURPRENANT FITZGERALD, set designer, is designing her first OLO production this summer: The Yeomen of the Guard. She has previously painted backdrops in the OLO scene shop and has enjoyed many years of collaborations with other OLO company members in Michigan, Louisiana, and Novafeltria, Italy.

Renée holds a BFA in theater design & technology from University of Rhode Island and an MFA in production design from Michigan State University. She now lives in Rhode Island, where she is entering her tenth year as associate teaching professor of set design at Brown University and as a freelance set designer and scenic artist. This production of The Yeomen of the Guard is Renée’s 101st produced set design. You can follow her work at www.ReneeSFitzgerald.com.

MICHELLE FRAZIER, business and data manager, is excited to be back at OLO for her 11th season. Michelle is a 1994 graduate of Mount Union College, where she studied accounting and business administration.

She has spent the majority of her professional career in the consumer packaged goods industry in various capacities. During those years, Michelle worked in sales and marketing with Kraft Foods, Inc. and The J.M. Smucker Company, where she was manager, category development. Michelle spends most of her extra time restoring homes. Working as business and data manager for OLO not only allows Michelle to work in a field that she loves, but it also allows her to utilize her previous business experience.

CHARLENE GROSS, costume designer, is head of the BFA in Design & Technology at Penn State. Her work in theater, dance, and opera has been seen on- and offBroadway, across the United States, and in London’s West End. She served as resident costume designer for Ohio Light Opera from 2005–2019, contributing more than 60 set and costume designs, including numerous American premieres and recordings. She was production manager from 2007–17. Charlene is especially honored to design Steven Daigle’s final production at OLO as 44 Box Office: 330.263.2345

artistic director—marking more than 25 collaborations.

Charlene is a proud member of USA Local 829. https:// charlenealexisgross.weebly.com DANIEL HOBBS, scenic designer for My Fair Lady, The Boys from Syracuse, and The Merry Widow, is a scenic and projection designer as well as assistant professor of scenic design at Coastal Carolina University.

He is excited to be returning to OLO. Past shows with OLO include recent titles such as Carousel, Guys and Dolls, and Camelot. His recent credits include Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet for Toledo Opera, and Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt 2B for PURE Theatre. Daniel received his MFA from Michigan State University, and has worked with companies such as Long Beach Opera, The Public Theatre, and The Guthrie Theatre.

CARLY HOLZWARTH, costume designer, is joining this season of OLO as the costume designer for My Fair Lady. She is an assistant professor of costume design and history, and C. Graydon and Mary E. Rogers Faculty Fellow at Bucknell University. Carly holds an MFA in costume design and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in art education at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research is focused on ethical costume pedagogies and how costume design and production are taught in varying contexts. She currently serves as the drama section editor of the International Journal of Education & the Arts, where she recently guest-edited a special edition on issues in teaching theater design. NYC credits include Blood at the Root at the National Black Theatre; regional credits include Don Giovanni, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and Proving Up in Rochester, NY. International exhibitions of her work have been included in the Edinburgh Theatre Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

REIKO HUFFMAN, scenic designer, is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a freelance scenic designer who designs across the nation. She is happy to have collaborated on this summer’s OLO production of The Red Mill. Upcoming regional credits include Bunnicula! (The Rose Children’s Theatre), and Carrie the Musical and High School Musical with Oceanside Theatre Company in Oceanside, CA. KIAH KAYSER, production manager/scenic designer, is a freelance scenic designer, originally hailing from Minnesota and currently serving as an assistant professor at Albion College. This is Kiah’s tenth summer working at Ohio Light Opera as a scenic designer. Some of her favorite shows she has designed for OLO are The Sound of Music, Candide, Brigadoon, and Girl Crazy.

Her recent design credits at other locations include The Tempest and In the Next Room (Albion College), Jagged Little Pill, Waitress, and Seussical (Playhouse on the Square), and Come From Away (Meadow Brook Theatre). She received her MFA in scenic design from the University of Arkansas. In addition to her design work, Kiah has also worked as a scenic artist for Irish Repertory Theatre, Infinite Scenic, Opera Memphis, and Cedar Rapids Opera.

LAURA KELLOGG, orchestra personnel manager/flute, is thrilled to be returning to OLO for an 11th season.

Despite hating the cold and snow, Laura lives in Fargo, ND. She teaches applied flute, chamber music, and woodwind methods at North Dakota State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead. She is the executive

director of the Fargo-Moorhead Area Youth Symphonies.

Her opera pit experience includes performances with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera, NDSU Theater, Cimarron Opera, Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, and productions at the North Dakota State University, the University of Oklahoma, and Wright State University. She has played flute and piccolo in the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Fort Smith Symphony, Jackson Symphony Orchestra (MI), the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Laura’s flute mentors are Richard Sherman, Christopher Chaffee, Valerie Watts, Amanda Blaikie, Jeff Zook, and Sharon Sparrow. She has a BM from Michigan State University, an MM from Wright State University, and a DMA from The University of Oklahoma. She looks forward to the OLO performances this summer, reading non-academic books, and hiking at Spangler Park in Wooster. www.laurakelloggflutist.com RACHEL LAUREN, lighting designer, is pleased to return for a sixth season with OLO. This season, she will be designing Damn Yankees, The Boys from Syracuse, and The Merry Widow. Notable previous designs for OLO include Brigadoon, The Count of Luxembourg, No, No, Nanette, Arizona Lady, The Mock Marriage, and The Pirates of Penzance. Outside of OLO, Rachel spends most of her time in DTW, flying across the country to design at various companies such as Playhouse on the Square, Grand Rapids Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Encore Theatre, and Western Plains Opera. Rachel enjoys traveling the world, and hopes to one day have designed in every U.S. state. She would like to thank her family for their endless support and constant encouragement.

Find more of her work from previous seasons of OLO at rachellaurenlighting.com.

SARAH LINGENFELTER LOSCH, costume shop manager, is a second-year costume design and technology MFA student at San Diego State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in theater and art from Western Colorado University, where she got her start in costumes.

She designed many of her school’s productions there and fell in love with the process of designing for theater. Not only did she design for the shows, but she would manage the costume shop for her undergraduate university simultaneously. She is beyond grateful for the opportunity and experience this has brought her. She has enjoyed the process and production team here at Ohio Light Opera and would like to thank her team for their continued support and dedication this season. Enjoy the show.

LAURA NEILL, executive director/company manager, began her employment with the College of Wooster in 1986 after having attended Ohio Light Opera performances beginning in 1982. As a graduate of Wooster, Laura has championed the college’s support of OLO. Since becoming Executive Director/Company Manager in 1998, Laura’s role has been to work with and guide multiple leaders and departments at Wooster and in the greater Wooster community. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts from the College of Wooster with a major in English in 1989 and, two years later, earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in Scandinavian Studies/Language and Literature. She is active on many non-profit boards in Wayne County

and is fully engaged in the City of Wooster community.

In addition to overseeing the daily operations of OLO, Laura works at the college in business development, new student orientation, and strategic planning. Laura is married to Jon Neill ’89 and they have two children, Emily ’18 and Jack, both of whom reside and work in Chicago. Above all, Laura is grateful for her beautiful and flourishing family. This summer, Laura would like to express deep appreciation to retiring Artistic Director, Steven Daigle for his tireless leadership of OLO. She is also celebrating Jacob Allen as he becomes the new artistic director of the company. Steven and Jacob are both esteemed colleagues and dear friends who represent one of the key reasons why Laura has built her career with the College of Wooster/Ohio Light Opera. To our donors and audience members, she shares: “Enjoy the show and THANK YOU for your treasured support of our company’s special mission.”

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, sound designer, developed the sound degrees at Michigan Technological University, where he was named a distinguished professor in 2022. He has worked with Kierkegaard Acoustics, Pan Asian Rep in NYC, The Hanger Theatre, Montana Shakespeare Festival, and Diablo Immersive.

He led the NEA funded project Listening to Parks, which features soundscapes and images from the five national parks surrounding Lake Superior in an immersive multimedia installation, and created instructional videos for a project funded by the Japanese Ministry of Culture.

He has mixed special features for PBS, and premiered films at Isle Royal National Park and the Milwaukee Film Festival. He has served on graduate committees in mechanical engineering, communication and culture studies, and computer science. He has written articles for The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) publications TD&T and Current Research in Sound. He has presented at USITT, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), Prague Quadrennial, and the Audio Engineering Society.

Christopher is a past sound commissioner for USITT, past co-chair of design, technology, and management for region 3 of KCACTF, past co-chair of education for the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, and past editor of the USITT Teaching Archive.

SPENCER REESE, choreographer/director/tenor, returns to OLO for a lucky 13th season and celebrates his 70th production with the company. He counts himself lucky to carry on the rich lyric theater tradition established by OLO, and to inspire the next generation to love this repertoire in the same way he does. Recent performing roles include Billy Lawlor in 42nd Street (WTG 2026), Steve Burton in Tip-Toes (OLO 2025), Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl (OLO 2024), J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (OLO 2023), Billy Early in No, No, Nanette (OLO 2023), and Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly!

(OLO 2022). Spencer is the artistic director of the Connecticut Gilbert and Sullivan Society and a teaching artist with Goodspeed Musicals. He is also the tenor on voice faculty at the University of Connecticut, where he serves as the opera director. Recent directing credits include Die Fledermaus, Iolanthe, Orphée aux Enfers, The Cousin from Batavia, and The Yeomen of the Guard. When not onstage, you can usually find him ohiolightopera.org 45

in a museum or nature center, buried in a pile of craft supplies, or strolling through a Disney park.

BRITTANY SHEMUGA, lighting designer and 2026 Brian Woods Award Recipient, is excited to return to OLO for her tenth season. She will be designing My Fair Lady, The Yeomen of the Guard, and The Red Mill.

Her recent designs include the 2025 season’s Carousel, Bitter Sweet, and The Cousin from Batavia. During the school year, she designs for the College of Wooster’s theater department and mentors students at Hudson High School in technical theater. Brittany has designed at various theaters throughout the Washington, DC area, where she also received her MFA in lighting from the University of Maryland. She currently resides in Copley with her fiancé, son, and two dogs.

WILSON SOUTHERLAND, associate music director, is an internationally sought-after conductor, pianist, and vocal coach whose engagements span the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He made his acclaimed conducting debut with Les enfants terribles (Glass) at North Carolina Opera in 2012 and was principal conductor for Eastman Opera Theatre’s She Loves Me in 2013. Wilson began his work with OLO as rehearsal pianist (2006–08) and has since appeared with Opera Africa, New Israeli Opera, the Royal Opera in Muscat (Oman), Seattle Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Omaha, and the Mark Morris Dance Group, among others. A finalist in the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition, he served for six seasons as senior coach and principal pianist under Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival and later joined Maazel

in recital at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Since 2016, Wilson has served on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music, where he recently conducted Ainadamar and Impressions of Pelléas. He holds degrees in piano from Vanderbilt University and The Juilliard School.

MICHELLE HUNT SOUZA, costume designer, is delighted to join OLO for a second season. Michelle’s professional costume design work has been featured at a wide range of theaters from coast to coast, including the Cleveland Play House, Porthouse Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Summit Performance Indianapolis, Crossroads Repertory Theatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre, Moxie Theatre, and many others. Her writing and scholarship have been featured in Theatre Design and Technology magazine, HowlRound Theatre Commons, TheatreForum International Performance Journal, at the Prague Quadrennial, and in the USITT Teaching Archive.

She is currently on the faculty of the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University. Find her work at msouzadesign.com.

TESSA VERNER, production stage manager/associate production manager, is delighted to return to OLO. She is originally from Amarillo, TX and earned her BA in theater with an emphasis in stage management from Angelo State University. Beginning in the fall, Tessa will be an MFA candidate for design and technology in stage management at the University of Missouri Kansas City.

Tessa has served as the production stage manager at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis for the past four years, following her time there as a stage management intern. She also previously worked as a stage manager with Cedar Point. Past shows with OLO include Carousel and Brigadoon. Her other favorite credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Waitress, Catch Me If You Can, and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

SAMUEL WRIGHT, assistant technical director, is excited for his first season with OLO. He is currently an MFA candidate in scenic technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and most recently served as assistant technical director for Illinois Lyric Theatre’s production of Mark Adamo’s Little Women. Prior to attending the University of Illinois, he received his bachelor of arts in theater: design and production at the University of Northern Iowa. Previous organizations he has worked for include Theatre Aspen as the education and cabaret technical director, Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA as the Gilliam stage carpenter, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, IA as a stagehand, and the Utah Shakespeare Festival as a carpenter.

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FESTIVAL CAST JEREMIAH ANGEL, tenor, is pleased to be joining OLO this summer for the first time as Harry in My Fair Lady, Dromio of Syracuse in The Boys from Syracuse, and Kid Conner in The Red Mill.

Previously, Jeremiah performed the roles of Will Parker in Oklahoma!, La théière in L’enfant et les sortilèges, Toby in The Medium, and The Gnome in Amélie. Jeremiah also had the opportunity to perform in notable concert performances of Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge and Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac. He was named the 46th Gumberts Award Winner in music, as well as an honorable mention in the Vukovich Concerto Competition twice. Born and raised in Evansville, IN, he gained a BM in education and music performance from the UE Music Conservatory and is currently seeking an MM at IU. Jeremiah studies under the instruction of Kelly Markgraf, after previously working with Timothy Noble.

MELANIE ATHANS, soprano, is thrilled to be making her debut this summer with OLO. She has just graduated with her master of music degree in opera from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she performed the roles of the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and La Contessa in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Other stage credits include Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and Anita in West Side Story. Melanie received her bachelor of music degree in 2024 from California State University, Long Beach, where she sang in both the opera and jazz voice programs. Melanie is a native Texan, with a dual allegiance to both Houston and San Diego. When not on stage, she loves cuddling with her two siamese kitties, Macy and Maestro. Melanie is a student of the esteemed César Ulloa.

RIS BLAND, mezzo-soprano, is ecstatic to be making her debut at OLO. She is a ’25 grad of Taylor University in Upland, IN, as well as an alum of CLOC in Falmouth, MA. Putting her BFA to work, she has babbled incessantly as Trixie in Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, fought like a tiger-cat as Dame Hannah in Ruddigore, and run up the bill as Countess Lily in Anastasia. Other credits include Elinor Dashwood in Kate Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Countess Aurelia in The Madwoman of Chaillot, and Jacqueline in La Cage aux Folles. Raised in Manila, Philippines, she now makes her home in Indianapolis, where she slings orange chicken at Panda Express in all her free time.

SOPHIA BRAUSER, youth cast, is delighted to return to Ohio Light Opera for her second summer in Damn Yankees. She previously made her debut with OLO as Brigitta in The Sound of Music. Other favorite roles include Gabriella in High School Musical with

Medina County Show Biz and Miss Honey in Matilda, Jr. with Buckeye Community Theatre. Sophia is a student at St. Francis Xavier School in Medina, and is grateful for the guidance of Kimberly States and for the constant support of her family. Sophia gives thanks to God for blessing her with the gifts of singing and acting, and for the joy she feels every time she steps on stage to share those gifts with others.

SAM BROWN, baritone, is overjoyed to be performing in an ensemble track in Damn Yankees, My Fair Lady, The Red Mill, The Boys from Syracuse, and The Yeomen of the Guard for his first summer with OLO. Recently, he has performed as Mungojerrie in Cats, Ensemble in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and Nick Bottom in Something Rotten! Sam hails from Cleveland and is currently pursuing a BFA in musical theater at Ball State University. Sam is a voice student of Thomas Hall.

CONNOR BURNS, baritone, is thrilled to be spending his third season with Ohio Light Opera in the roles of Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees, Dromio of Ephesus in The Boys from Syracuse, and the Governor of Zeeland in The Red Mill. You may have seen him at OLO last year in the role of Billy Bigelow in Carousel. Hailing from Lakewood, CO, Connor graduated from NYU’s Steinhardt School with a BM in vocal performance last year. He has since moved to NYC, where he is an indemand cantor at Roman Catholic Churches. Connor was a rehearsal cover for the MasterVoices series at Carnegie Hall in fall of 2024 (Strike Up the Band), and recently sang with the ensemble at Lincoln Center.

Connor was also recently seen in the off-Broadway workshop for The Language He Called God, a new play produced by Royal Family Productions. He is a voice student of Christopher Preston Thompson.

ALEX CAMARGO, youth cast, is elated to be making his Ohio Light Opera debut in My Fair Lady. Previous roles include Les in Newsies, Cinderella’s Father in Into the Woods Jr., Zeke Baylor in High School Musical, Rudolpho in Matilda, and Bert Healy in Annie Jr. Alex is from Medina, OH and is an eighth grader at Highland Middle School. He sings with the Summit Choral Society and has performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Alex studies voice with Kimberly States and looks forward to future opportunities on stage.

MADELEINE CHRISTOPHER, mezzosoprano, is thrilled to be joining the OLO company for the first time as a resident young artist. After making her stage debut on the Freedlander Theater stage in The King and I, she was also seen as Amaryllis (The Music Man), Lil’ Jake (Annie Get Your Gun), and Carl (The Dancing Years). This summer, she will be seen as Phoebe Meryll ohiolightopera.org 47

(The Yeomen of the Guard) and Emilia (The Boys from Syracuse). Hailing from State College, PA, she currently studies at the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Kathyrn Cowdrick. With Eastman Opera Theater, Madeleine has appeared as the Witch (H&G, a Great and Terrible Story), the Interviewer (CLICK! world premiere), and a member of the chorus of Niñas (Ainadamar). Madeleine is overjoyed to be spending another summer in Wooster, and would like to dedicate her performances this summer to the late Spiro Matsos, Wooster’s Escoffier.

TED CHRISTOPHER, baritone, is delighted to return after a seven-year hiatus. Favorite roles over the years at OLO include Arthur (Camelot), Billy (Carousel), Danilo (The Merry Widow), Harold Hill (The Music Man), Ludwig (The Merry War), Florestan (Véronique), Villon (The Vagabond King), and, of course, anything

by Gilbert and Sullivan. Some notable productions directed by him include The Student Prince (2007), The Fortune Teller (2011), Blossom Time (2012), The Desert Song (2008), Die Fledermaus (2005 and 2014), H.M.S. Pinafore (2006), and Oh, Kay! (2015). This season, Ted will perform Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard. In the off-season, he splits his time between Pennsylvania State University, where he serves on the faculty of the School of Music, and the Episcopal Church, where he is engaged with both parish and campus ministry. He is over the moon to share the stage with Madeleine.

CAMERON DUGGINS, baritone, is pursuing a BM in voice and opera performance at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and is currently studying with Patrice Michaels. In 2023 he was named Best Lead Actor in a Musical by the Texas regional awards program, Las Casas Foundation’s Joci Awards. He then went on to compete at the 2023 Jimmy Awards in New York City, where he performed on the Minskoff Stage as the Beast from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He recently received an Encouragement Award in the 2026 Upper Division of the Schmidt Vocal Competition. Recent appearances include Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro), The Merry Widow (Baron Zeta), and The Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King).

Cameron is thrilled to perform with OLO. LYDIA DUNLAP, soprano, is delighted to return for her fourth season with OLO, appearing in the ensemble of The Merry Widow and The Boys from Syracuse. Previous OLO credits include Louisa in The Sound of Music and the ensemble in Carousel and Brigadoon.

Lydia is an active member of the Wooster High School Drama Club, where she has portrayed Annie in Annie and Mrs. TeaVee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Outside of the theater, Lydia runs with the cross-country team and participates in choir, STAND, Green Club, National Honor Society, and the Student Leadership Team. She extends heartfelt thanks to her friends and family for their constant support and encouragement.

Lydia studies voice with Adam Ewing.

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SHANNON DUNNING, mezzo-soprano, is excited to be joining OLO for her first summer season. No stranger to Wooster, she is currently pursuing a BM from the College of Wooster and recently performed in the college’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest as Cecily. Shannon also sings with The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus as a Shari Bierman Singer Fellow. When not performing in Ohio, Shannon returns to her cats in Virginia and graciously assumes the lead role of pet pamperer. She is a trained dancer and enjoys exploring movement of various techniques, including ballet, yoga, Droznin, and contemporary floorwork. Shannon is a vocal student of Adam Ewing.

CAMRYN FINN, soprano, is so excited to return to OLO for a second season.

She will be performing as Adriana in The Boys from Syracuse, Sylviane in The Merry Widow, and as part of the ensemble in this summer’s other productions. You may remember her from last season as Jean in Brigadoon or Lady Saphir in Patience. She recently graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Some favorite previous credits include Beth in Little Women and Littler Daughter in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up. She is very excited for the twin representation in The Boys from Syracuse and makes no promises she won’t attempt her very own switcheroo somewhere this season with her twin sister Leah.

LEAH FINN, mezzo-soprano, is thrilled to be returning to OLO for a second summer in the ensemble and as Luciana in The Boys from Syracuse.

Currently based in San Francisco, Leah has recently appeared as Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Taller Daughter in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up. She has recently performed with Opera San Jose, Santa Rosa Symphony, Pocket Opera, and workshopped a new opera

by Jake Heggie with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. When not performing, Leah is also passionate about directing, most recently serving as the assistant director for the world premiere of David Hanlon and Stephanie Flesichmann’s The Pigeon Keeper with Opera Parallèle. Although multiple characters are twins onstage this season, she is delighted to spend another summer both on and offstage and with her twin sister, Camryn.

LANDON GRAHAM, tenor, is excited to participate in his first season with OLO. Landon is a native of Nashville and is a rising junior BFA candidate at the University of Memphis. He has been performing in musical theater and music videos in the Nashville area since elementary school. Some of his favorite past roles include Billy Flynn in Chicago, Ren McCormack in Footloose, and any role in many productions of Disney’s Newsies.

ADAM GRIFFITHS, tenor, is excited to return for his third season at OLO, playing the roles of Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow, Captain Christian van Damm in The Red Mill, and covering Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard. Last season Adam played

the Duke of Dunstable in Patience, Carl Linden in Bitter Sweet, and August Kuhbrot in The Cousin from Batavia.

Some of his other favorite roles include Haydn in The Classical Style, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Horace in La colombe, Candide in Candide, Anatoly in Chess, and Sparky in Forever Plaid. Adam regularly performs as a soloist in large choral works, most recently in Handel’s Messiah. He and his wife Wendi are both pursuing DMA degrees in voice performance at the University of Iowa.

When not engrossed in performing and studies, Adam can be found distance running, assembling Lego sets, or playing video games.

NIGEL GRIMES, youth cast, is elated to be returning to Ohio Light Opera for a third year. He portrayed Kurt von Trapp in The Sound of Music and was in the ensemble for Carousel in previous seasons. He has also appeared as Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Wooster High School’s drama club. Nigel is part of the ensemble in Damn Yankees.

TREVOR GRIMES, youth cast, is delighted to be joining OLO for a third year as ensemble in Damn Yankees. He participated in OLO last year as Young Billy and ensemble in Carousel, and two years ago as Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music. He has studied classical ballet, jazz, and modern dance for 14 years, and tap for four years. Trevor graduated from Wooster High School this year, where he participated in the Concert Choir and Symphonic Band. He also performed in several of the Wooster High School drama club productions, including Elf the Musical and Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, and played in the pit orchestra for Annie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also appeared in The Music Man, The Little Mermaid, and a summer showcase with Summer Stage Wooster.

JORDAN HAAS, tenor, is thrilled to be making his OLO debut as Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, covering Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow, and appearing in the ensemble for The Boys from Syracuse, The Yeomen of the Guard, and Damn Yankees. Recent operatic performances include El Remendado in Carmen, Miles in Proving Up, Tamino in The Magic Flute, and the Beadle in Sweeney Todd.

Jordan holds a BM in voice performance and MEd in music education from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he studied with Tyler Nelson.

He is currently pursuing his MM in voice and opera at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under Norman Reinhardt. He serves as youth choir director at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette, IL and maintains a private voice studio teaching middle and high school students.

MARK HOSSEINI, baritone, is thrilled to be returning for a third season at OLO as Joe Boyd in Damn Yankees, Sergeant Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard, Kromow in

The Merry Widow, and Burgomaster Jan van Borkem in The Red Mill. Mark has previously been seen on the OLO stage as El Gallo in The Fantasticks, The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, and Dr. Engel in The Student Prince. Other recent roles include Emile de Becque in South Pacific (Suncoast Broadway Dinner Theater), John Brooke in Little Women (Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival), Masetto in Don Giovanni (Winter Opera St. Louis & Norwalk Symphony Orchestra), and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette (Quisisana Resort). He holds degrees from The Eastman School of Music and Oakland University. He currently lives in New York City, where he performs with New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church Choir.

ELEANOR HOWELL, youth cast, is thrilled to make her OLO debut in My Fair Lady. She is a rising freshman at Highland High School. Her acting credits include Grace Farrell in Annie Jr., Cinderella’s Mother in Into the Woods Jr., and Young Cosette in Les Misérables.

Eleanor has been part of the Weathervane Musical Theatre Company for three years and studies acting with Tyler Martin at the Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School. In addition to theater, she studies voice with Denise Milner Howell, trains in ballet, and plays cello in the Akron Youth Philharmonic.

LILY GRACE JENKINS, soprano, is ecstatic to be making her OLO debut this summer. She can be seen throughout the season as Kate in The Yeomen of the Guard and an ensemble member in Damn Yankees, My Fair Lady, The Boys from Syracuse, and The Red Mill. Lily is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a BFA in musical theater, as well as minors in dance and history.

Most recently, she was seen performing as Gabrielle in Kent State’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. A native of northern Michigan, Lily loves exploring nature, spending time with family and friends, watching basketball, and cuddling with her dogs.

JUAN ANGEL JOHNSTON-CHAVEZ, baritone, is excited to be making his debut with OLO as the Duke of Ephesus in The Boys from Syracuse, Cockney in My Fair Lady, and Linville in Damn Yankees, as well as an ensemble member of The Red Mill and The Merry Widow casts. Previous roles have included Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Brother in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins, Dancaïro in Carmen, Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance, The Learned Judge in Trial by Jury, and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. Juan Angel recently finished his MM in classical vocal performance from Manhattan School of Music and holds a BM in music education and vocal performance from San Jose State University. In addition to singing, Juan Angel is a dancer, choreographer, and director, most recently having conceptualized, directed, and choreographed staged interpretations of Franz Schubert’s Winterreise and Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe.

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SAFIN KARIM, baritone, is honored to be back at OLO for his second season, in The Boys from Syracuse, Damn Yankees, The Yeomen of the Guard, The Red Mill, and playing Bogdanowitsch in The Merry Widow. Safin is entering his senior year at New York University, where he pursues his BM in vocal performance concentrated in musical theater, studying with Scott Murphree. At NYU, Safin has recently played Jonas Fogg in Sweeney Todd and covered the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance. He spends Sunday mornings singing at various cathedrals in the New York area, or accompanying and music directing—his joint love besides stage performance. Safin hails from Florida, but dislikes terribly humid weather, which is why he loved the last summer he spent in Ohio. If you see Safin, please let him know of your favorite restaurant nearby, as he is always hungry.

VIVIENNE KIST, youth cast, is thrilled to be returning to Ohio Light Opera for her third consecutive summer. Viv made her OLO debut in 2024 as Marta von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She returned in 2025 as part of the youth cast of Brigadoon. Viv is a student of Susan Wallin at the West Side Vocal Academy and has been a dance student of Mark and Erin Smith at Studio West in Akron. Viv has participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Regional Student Auditions in Fort Wayne, IN and is a current soloist with the Copley-Fairlawn Middle School Choir. A graduate of several workshops at Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, Viv is also a former student of multimedia artist Jennifer Davis. In her spare time, she participates in the Science Olympiad and Quiz Bowl. Viv loves to watch movies, read, draw, and eat cupcakes that have sprinkles.

JORDAN KNAPICK, soprano, is thrilled to return to OLO for her third summer, this time as Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Elsie in The Yeomen of the Guard, and Gretchen in The Red Mill. In previous OLO seasons, Jordan was seen as Carrie in Carousel, Patience in Patience, Juliette Vermont in The Count of Luxembourg, and Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music.

Originally from Rockford, IL, she currently resides in Seattle with her fiancé and two dogs, and she specializes in both operatic and musical-theater style singing. Jordan received her MM from Boston University and her BM from Oklahoma City University, where she studied voice under Lynn Eustis and Jeffrey Picón, respectively. This past spring she had the pleasure of singing Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with Seattle Opera’s School Opera Tour, as well as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos with Pacific Northwest Opera. www.jordanknapick.com HELEN KNUDSEN, resident assistant director/soprano, giddily returns for another season with OLO. A multihyphenate artist, Helen acts, directs, intimacy choreographs, and teaches with specializations in clown, heightened text, operetta, and devised story-theater.

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She is currently an instructional assistant professor at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and particularly enjoys coaching dialects and absurdist theater. She most recently directed The Drowsy Chaperone and is looking forward to staging The Glass Menagerie this fall. Helen spent the past several years performing and working across the UK, including at Nonsuch Studios, Nottingham Playhouse, and Coventry University Scarborough, where she developed zany retellings of Shakespeare’s King John, Cymbeline, and Pericles. With Chicago as home base, she regularly returns to instruct at the acclaimed Piven Theatre Workshop and host wild Shakespeare parties.

Helen is a coloratura soprano with a classic Broadway belt trained by Mark Crayton (Roosevelt University) and Roberta Duchak. www.helenknudsen.com AMIA KORMAN, mezzo-soprano, is ecstatic to be returning to Ohio Light Opera for their second season, as Lola in Damn Yankees, Bertha in The Red Mill, the Seeress in The Boys from Syracuse. Amia hails from the greater Philadelphia area and now resides in NYC. After graduating from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with a degree in voice and musical theater under the tutelage of Heidi Grant Murphy, Amia spent a year in Chicago, undertaking roles including Éponine in Les Misérables and Caroline in I and You. Other favorite roles include Julie Jordan in Carousel, Lady Angela in Patience, and the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. Offstage, Amia is a playwright, lyricist, and songwriter, releasing off-kilter baroque pop under the pseudonym Dolly In Slacks and writing the book and lyrics for Purity, a new musical Shakespeare adaptation.

Amia’s greatest loves include hot yoga, burlesque, horror movies, and the color red.

MAGGIE LANGHORNE, soprano, is delighted to be back with OLO, this season as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Gloria Thorpe in Damn Yankees, Courtesan in The Boys from Syracuse, Prascowia in The Merry Widow, and assistant director for The Yeomen of the Guard. A true “crossover” artist whose experience ranges from contemporary opera to Shakespeare, Maggie’s favorite recent credits include Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and Hanna in The Cousin from Batavia with OLO, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with Blue Hill Troupe, Hero in Much Ado About Nothing with Scenic City Shakespeare, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with Village Light Opera Group. Originally from Santa Barbara, CA, Maggie received her BM from Oberlin Conservatory and worked with the College Light Opera Company throughout her collegiate years.

Now Maggie is an artistic associate with Royal Family Productions and lives with her husband Mark and black cat Kiki in NYC. www.maggielanghorne.com JOSEPHINE McILVAINE, youth cast, is delighted to return to the Ohio Light Opera for her second season, appearing in Damn Yankees. A proud resident of Wadsworth, OH, Josephine will be entering eighth grade at Sacred Heart of Jesus School this fall. She continues her studies in voice with Voice Variations and dance at

Northeast Ohio Dance. Some of her favorite past roles include Amaryllis in The Music Man, Bubbles in Finding Nemo, Jr., and “the brat” in The Nutcracker ballet. Local audiences may also recognize her as Ola in last year’s reenactment of Michael Jackson’s Thriller in Wadsworth.

When not on stage, Josephine enjoys reading, playing the piano, and spending time with her family.

JACK F. MURPHY, tenor, is pleased to return to his beloved OLO home for his fourth consecutive season. This season includes performances as Antipholus of Syracuse (The Boys from Syracuse), Con Kidder (The Red Mill), Benny Van Buren (Damn Yankees), Lord Boxington (My Fair Lady), and Danilo cover (The Merry Widow).

Previous OLO highlights include Tommy Albright (Brigadoon), Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), and Roy Dexter (Arizona Lady). Jack recently became a company member of the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players.

This season alone included performances of The Yeomen of the Guard, H.M.S. Pinafore, and Lord Dramaleigh in the rarely seen Utopia, Limited in NYC, The Mikado on tour, and Frederic in NYGASP’s The Pirates of Penzance sextet. Additional recent credits include The Irish … and How They Got That Way at Playhouse on Park and You’ve Got A Friend: The Music of Carole King aboard the Queen Mary 2. www.jackfmurphy.com NORA MYERS, youth cast, is a 7thgrader at Wooster Christian School.

She was Gander in Charlotte’s Web with Bright Life Players, Young Belinda in A Carol for Tiny Tim with Bright Life Players, Fräulein Schweiger in The Sound of Music with her school, and in the ensemble of Brigadoon with the Ohio Light Opera in its 2025 summer season. She enjoys poetry, reading, theater, Broadway, swimming, and singing. She plays the clarinet and played the cello. Her favorite musicals are Wicked and The Sound of Music, with her favorite song being “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” She would like to thank the OLO crew for being so supportive of her and believing in her at times when she didn’t even believe in herself. She would also like to thank her parents for letting her be in Damn Yankees and for being so gracious about all the rehearsals and performances.

KELLY O’SHEA, mezzo-soprano, is thrilled to be making her debut with OLO this season as Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady, Sister in Damn Yankees, and in the company of The Boys from Syracuse, The Yeomen of the Guard, and The Red Mill. Career highlights include performing Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in Rome, Italy, appearing as a recitalist at Carnegie Hall with Vincerò Academy, and Mother Superior in Sister Act. Originally from Los Angeles, where she earned her BA and MM in vocal performance, Kelly moved to Miami to work as a band vocalist for weddings and live events. Kelly is also the founder and artistic director of K.O. Performing Arts, where she produces musicals and trains the next generation of performers. She believes this work is her greatest passion alongside performing.

ASHER RAMALY, tenor, hailing from Skokie, IL, is thrilled to be returning for a second year at OLO as a resident young artist. After earning his BM in voice performance and BSOF in musical theater at the Jacobs School of Music, Asher is currently a first-year master’s student in voice, also at Jacobs School of Music. Recent opera roles there include a workshop of In the Rush in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera, Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro, and Tobias in Sweeney Todd.

He has also appeared in numerous opera choruses at Jacobs, including La bohème, Carmen, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (a Metropolitan Opera debut), The Merry Widow, Candide, L’étoile, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Magic Flute. When he is not singing, he can be found working as a union stagehand for Broadway touring shows and spoiling his cat. Asher studies under Bryan Hymel.

NATHANIEL RICHARD, baritone, is a singer and actor working in the New Orleans area and is a recent alum of Loyola University under Tyler Smith. He made his professional debut with Opéra Louisiane as Ob in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus. He is also a member of the New Orleans Opera Chorus, most recently performing in L’elisir d’amore as a featured chorister as well as Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, in which he made his company debut as The First Philistine. Nathaniel is also a lover of baroque music and was a featured soloist this last winter in Bach’s Cantata 62, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, with the Krewe de Voix chamber choir and orchestra. Following that, he joined Verismo Opera as Dunois in Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans.

KYRA RODENBORN, youth cast, is grateful to return for a second season at OLO, after making her debut last summer in Carousel. She recently completed fourth grade at Moreland Hills Elementary School, where she loves reading, writing, and music. She also loves acting and has performed as Young Fiona/ Dwarf in Shrek (Weathervane Playhouse), Molly in Annie (Porthouse Theatre), Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (Great Lakes Theatre Festival), and brought new works to life in the Marilyn Bianchi Kids Playwriting Festival (Dobama Theatre). She studies voice with Denise Milner Howell, and studies music at school with Matthew Parrotta and Kayla Hoye. She is a member of the Weathervane Musical Theatre Company and the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Preparatory Chorus.

NIKO THERIAULT, baritone, is so excited to return to OLO for his second year as Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow, and Wilfred Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard. Last season, Niko could be seen eating bread and drinking wine as Uncle Josse in The Cousin from Batavia, pattering through Gilbert and Sullivan in a British accent as the Colonel in Patience, or wearing killer sideburns as David Bascombe in Carousel. Niko is currently studying for his BM in music theater and vocal performance at Oklahoma City ohiolightopera.org 51

University under the teaching of Jeffrey Picón. There he recently portrayed Billy in Anything Goes, Barry in The Prom, and Count Ipolitov in Anastasia. Niko is looking forward to another wonderful summer spent hiking, perfecting crock-pot meals, and making art with his colleagues.

JONATHAN TRIMBLE, tenor, is thrilled to be a part of OLO for his first season as Freddy in My Fair Lady and Cascada in The Merry Widow. He has recently graduated from SFCM with a master in music for vocal performance and studies with Matt Worth. Outside of OLO, he has performed as Prologue in The Turn of the Screw, Oronte in Alcina, Leaf in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Scott Smith (u/s) in Harvey Milk. In his spare time, Jonathan loves to read classic literature and cook new recipes whenever he gets the chance. He would like to thank everyone who supports him on his journey, and hopes everyone enjoys the show.

NATALIA TURCHIN, soprano, is a Moldovan soprano celebrated for her vocal agility, emotional depth, and dynamic stage presence. Trained internationally (DMA candidate, University of Utah; MM, Southeastern Louisiana University; Specialist Diploma, St. Petersburg State Conservatory), she excels in repertoire from bel canto to contemporary opera. Recent highlights include Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), First Lady (The Magic Flute), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Alice in Amy Scurria’s A.L.I.C.E., Babbitt’s electronic work Philomel, and Elvira (L’italiana in Algeri in Italy). A 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition participant, she has won top prizes in Romania and performed with orchestras and in recitals across Europe and the United States. Fluent in three languages, Natalia loves preparing new roles and working on new projects. She is thrilled to make her OLO debut in its 2026 summer festival.

THOMAS VALENTI, tenor, is a Boston-based vocal artist who has a passion for collaborative performance and the conception of new music, and is honored to be returning to OLO. Recent performances have included Colonel Fairfax in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Yeomen of the Guard with the New York Gilbert

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and Sullivan Players, as well as his winter residency at the Sarasota Opera. Thomas is a member of the Boston Lyric Opera chorus, and also is enjoying a number of projects this season, partnering with various composers in the creation of art song and chamber repertoire—both as a performer and a poet. When he is not performing, he works as a librettist and a voice teacher and is a fierce advocate for equity in the arts. A student of Rebecca Folsom, Thomas earned his masters of music in opera performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

STELLA VODILKO, youth cast, is overjoyed to be returning to Ohio Light Opera for a third season. She has previously been seen as Brigitta von Trapp in The Sound of Music and as The Starkeeper in Carousel. She has also performed the roles of Ensemble in Hadestown: Teen Edition, Cinderella in Into the Woods Jr., Ariel in The Little Mermaid Jr., and Anna in Disney’s Frozen. Stella is from Wadsworth, OH and is a sophmore at Highland High School. Stella is planning to pursue musical theater or voice performance in college. She is a voice student of Denise Milner Howell and acting student of Tyler J. Martin.

JULIANNA WASON, youth cast, is delighted to be returning to OLO as part of the youth ensemble in Damn Yankees.

She was previously a part of the 2024 season as Gretl in The Sound of Music.

She loves to perform, and other previous credits include Honk! the Musical (Downy), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Cobweb), Matilda (Alice), and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Featured Dancer/Mouse). Julianna will be a fifth grader next year and loves to play soccer, read, and dance everywhere she goes. She studies musical theater, has danced competitively for seven years, and is a voice student of Amanda Beagle.

ACADIA WEBB, youth cast, is delighted to be returning to OLO for her third season in My Fair Lady.

Acadia made her Ohio Light Opera debut in 2024 as Louisa in The Sound of Music, and appeared again last year in Brigadoon. She has also previously directed and starred in the production Dear Anne, From Nina. She has been seen in numerous productions, including The Bookstore and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Wooster High School. Acadia currently studies voice with Adam Ewing of the College of Wooster.

Currently a junior, Acadia is a member of the drama club and National Honor Society at Wooster High School.

She is planning to study theater and political science in college.

RACHEL WEINFELD, soprano, is delighted to return to OLO for her third season as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Meg Boyd in Damn Yankees, Luce in The Boys from Syracuse, and Tina in The Red Mill. Rachel has performed some of musical theater’s great leading ladies, including Julie in Carousel, Fiona in Brigadoon (OLO ’25), Maria in The Sound of Music

(OLO ‘24), Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, and Marian Paroo in The Music Man. She made her principal artist debut with Opera Company of Middlebury this past fall and in 2024 was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition.

A Michigan native, Rachel completed her BM in voice performance at Ball State University and her MM in voice performance at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign. Rachel is a voice teacher and vocal coach, teaching at the University of Vermont and through her own private studio.

SPENCER WILDE, baritone, is thrilled to be returning to Ohio Light Opera this summer season. Spencer just graduated from George Mason University with a BFA in musical theater and a minor in jazz studies. He is also a pianist, choreographer, and playwright. OLO credits: Brigadoon (Harry Beaton); Carousel (Carnival Boy); Bitter Sweet (Henry); Patience; Tip-Toes. Select GMU credits: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Anatole); 110 in the Shade (Starbuck); You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Schroeder); The Tempest (u/s Ferdinand), Head Over Heels (u/s Basilius). Many thanks to his family, professors, and loving partner. @mywildeside

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Ohio Mart | Oct. 1 – 4

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2026 FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

Lev Roshal Violin/Concertmaster

Abreal Whitman Violin/Assistant Concertmaster

Ian Aegerter Violin

Jeffrey Anderson Clarinet

Jacob Bodnar Horn

Stephanie Bueche Clarinet

Moises Chirinos Bass

Neil Faulkner Percussion

Emily Grissing Cello

Lauren Hinkle Trumpet

Laura Kellogg Flute/Orchestra Personnel Manager

Michelle Kenyon Violin

Christopher Ludwig Flute

Isaac Morton Trumpet

Ari Paris Violin

Johan Pepper Violin

Cameron Randall Trombone

Nasr Ali Sheikh Viola

Lauren Swartz Viola

Ella Thornton Cello

Ger Vang Oboe

Liza Viers Harp

Spencer Wilson Bassoon

Julia Wineger Horn

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IAN AEGERTER, violin, is a freelance violinist and teacher based out of Ann Arbor, MI and is excited to join the OLO for his first season. Ian recently graduated from the University of Michigan, earning an MM in violin performance. Previously, Ian studied at Indiana University, where he got his bachelors of music as well as a performers diploma in solo performance. An avid fan of symphonic literature, Ian has performed with numerous orchestras and has had the opportunity to tour with ensembles to Vienna, Poland, and South Africa.

He currently is a member of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. In his spare time, Ian enjoys reading, building model kits, and foraging for mushrooms with his brother.

JEFFREY ANDERSON, clarinet, is pleased to be returning for a tenth season in the pit orchestra of OLO. In addition to clarinet, Jeffrey plays other woodwind instruments as well as piano. He was appointed this past fall the position of music instructor and band director at Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, TX, where he leads the bands and teaches music major courses.

Jeffrey will be subbing as pianist and accompanist this summer at Wooster United Methodist Church. Jeffrey is delighted to see another Victor Herbert production in the lineup this season at OLO, because his favorite show he ever played at OLO was Herbert’s Dream City and The Magic Knight. He received his education from Michigan State University, Bowling Green State University, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

JACOB BODNAR, horn, happily returns to OLO for his fourth season. A Wooster native, he frequently performs with the Mansfield Symphony, Central Ohio Symphony, Tuscarawas Philharmonic, Akron Symphonic Winds, and the Canton Concert Band, among others.

He also served as the alternate horn for the 2024–25 season for The Orchestra Next in Eugene, OR. As an educator, Jacob teaches horn at The Music Institute at the University of Akron, as well as in several area school districts. His students perform in youth orchestras in Cleveland and Akron. Jacob holds an MM from the University of Akron, a bachelor of arts in music, and a bachelor of arts in business administration from Ashland University. Jacob has studied with Alan Demattia, Kiirsi Maunula Johnson, Sean Yancer, and Michael Metcalf.

STEPHANIE BUECHE, clarinet, is excited to return to Wooster for their third season with the Ohio Light Opera.

Stephanie has performed with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, and as a globally-selected performer at the 2024 International Clarinet Association Conference in Dublin, Ireland. As an educator, Stephanie is a faculty teaching artist at the Mason Community Arts Academy, serving previously on faculty at the Paducah Symphony Orchestra Academy.

Stephanie is currently pursuing a DMA at George Mason University, under the instruction of Kathy Mulcahy, where they teach introductory music and applied lessons.

Stephanie received their MM from Austin Peay State University and bachelor degrees in music performance and nonprofit administration from Grand Valley State University. Former teachers include Spencer Prewitt, Arthur Campbell, and Gary June.

MOISES CHIRINOS, bass, began his studies at the National School of Music in Tegucigalpa, Honduras at the age of thirteen. He has served as principal bassist in

many orchestras across Honduras, and has worked as assistant principal of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra in Alexandria, LA and as an assistant teacher with Houston Youth Symphony. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in bass at Bard College Conservatory of Music with Satoshi Okamoto. Moises has participated in many prestigious music festivals and academies, like the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Campos do Jordão’s Winter Festival (Brazil), and Central American Youth Orchestra.

Moises graduated with a double major in bass and vocal performance from LSU, and also from the Global Leaders Institute for Music Entrepreneurship. Moises has been the recipient of several prizes, including 3rd prize at the 2019 Louisiana Bass Fest. When not making music, Moises loves to cook, play pickleball, and listen to music.

NEIL FAULKNER, percussion, is thrilled to be returning to the Ohio Light Opera for his fourth season. A native of Metro Detroit, he received his MM and graduate certificate in percussion performance from Bowling Green State University, where he was a graduate assistant and member of the Landlocked Percussion Quartet. Based in northwest Ohio, Neil is a section percussionist with the Adrian Symphony, and has performed with the Lima, Perrysburg, and Livingston Symphonies. As an educator, Neil serves as the percussion director for Maumee City Schools, and works as an outreach instructor through Live Arts Toledo. Additionally, he is working to build a private studio while also serving as adjunct professor of percussion at Defiance College. Outside of percussion, Neil enjoys singing, and is currently studying voice with Jane Atwood. When not gigging or teaching, he enjoys participating in the Toledo theater scene and watching copious amounts of reality TV. EMILY GRISSING, cello, is thrilled to be returning for her ninth season with OLO. Emily was captivated by live classical professional orchestral music at age two in her Rochester, NY hometown and immediately dove into a life dedicated to in-depth study and performance of music. From a young age, Emily practiced piano, composed music, listened to opera, jazz, and more.

She has studied cello, conducting, free improv, flute, voice, viola, double bass, musical theater, music theory, early music, and more, while establishing herself as an accomplished, collaborative musician. Currently based in North Carolina, she is a cellist in the Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Western Piedmont Symphonies and freelances/is a sub cellist with other SE orchestras. Emily has participated in prestigious music festivals, such as the Aspen Music Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Chautauqua Institution, and the National Orchestral Institute. Close to Emily’s heart is sharing music with others through performance, mentoring, and teaching.

LAUREN HINKLE, trumpet, is delighted to return for her fourth season with the Ohio Light Opera. Based in Cleveland, she performs with a variety of local groups and runs a small studio of sticker-obsessed trumpet players. While Ms. Hinkle loves trading stickers for scales, she especially enjoys performing in pit orchestras, with recent shows including Anything Goes and Jesus Christ Superstar. Outside of music, Lauren spends her time knitting, buying overpriced coffee, and bird watching. She holds a BM from Kent State University and an MM from Cleveland State University. ohiolightopera.org 55

MICHELLE KENYON, violin, is a Pittsburgh-based violinist/violist who is thrilled to be returning for her third season with OLO. Michelle received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Duquesne University (Pittsburgh), where she studied with Charles and Rachel Stegeman. Michelle went on to receive her master’s degree in viola performance from Duquesne under the tutelage of Andrew Wickesberg and Timothy Deighton.

Michelle finds joy in exploring many different genres, from Broadway to Baroque and everything in between.

She developed a passion for the viola d’amore when studying at Duquesne under the guidance of Paul Miller, an expert in the instrument and in the music of the baroque era. When Michelle is not making music, she enjoys attempting (unsuccessfully) to master latte art, hosting movie nights, and love-bombing her cats Valentino and Versace.

CHRISTOPHER LUDWIG, flute, is excited to be returning for his second season with OLO. A teacher, flutist, and singer from Orlando, Chris currently resides in Houston, while working in Lake Charles, LA as visiting professor of flute at McNeese State University.

In addition to braving traffic for work, Chris maintains a private flute studio in Houston. He holds his DMA and MM from Louisiana State University, where he studied with Katherine Kemler, and his BM from the University of Central Florida, where he studied with Nora Lee Garcia and Jeremy Hunt.

ISAAC MORTON, trumpet, is pleased to be returning to OLO for his fourth season. Isaac is a recent graduate of Indiana University, where he studied with John Rommel, Joey Tartell, and Jeffrey Curnow for his undergraduate and masters degrees. Highlights of his time at IU include a solo debut performing Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben and An Alpine Symphony, and Gustav Holst’s The Planets. After his summer with the Ohio Light Opera, Isaac will be joining The Orchestra Now’s Advanced Certificate Program in Orchestral Studies at Bard College.

ARI PARIS, violin, recently graduated with a BM in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music, where they studied with Renée Jolles. During their time at Eastman, they served as concertmaster for operatic and orchestral performances, including the world premiere of CLICK! by Emmy nominee Steve Bramson. As a member of the Atlas Quintet, they played in a masterclass with the Doric String Quartet and a private coaching with the American String Quartet. Ari loves to teach and works as a substitute strings teacher at an elementary school in Rochester, NY. Outside of playing and teaching violin, they enjoy listening to jazz, climbing trees, spam-calling their siblings, and going on excursions around Rochester.

They are very excited to join OLO for the 2026 season.

JOHAN PEPPER, violin, is pleased to be returning to OLO for the 2026 season. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Johan is currently based in Baton Rouge, LA. He recently earned his DMA in violin performance with a minor in composition from Louisiana State University, where he also completed his MM. Johan holds a bachelor’s degree from the Musikakademie der Stadt Kassel “Louis Spohr” in Germany. He serves as assistant concertmaster of the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra and 56 Box Office: 330.263.2345

performs regularly with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his orchestral work, Johan maintains an active teaching studio and has performed throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe.

CAMERON RANDALL, trombone, is excited to return for his fourth season with OLO. Currently based in Chicago, he recently completed an MM at DePaul University, where he studied with Mark Fisher, Charlie Vernon, and Scott Tegge. He also holds a BM from Oberlin Conservatory, where he studied with John Gruber and Dennis Nulty. Hailed for his versatility and skills as a doubler, Cameron’s performing career has taken him across the Midwest, having performed with the Festival City, Lake County, Fox Valley (IL), Evanston, and Firelands Symphonies, among others, on alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass trombones, tuba, euphonium, and bass trumpet. Aside from his career as a freelance musician and educator, Cameron works as a stage manager in the greater Chicago area. A native of Des Moines, he is greatly looking forward to a break from city life this summer.

LEV ROSHAL, violin/concertmaster, is delighted to return to Wooster for his fifth year with the Ohio Light Opera. He has just finished his doctoral coursework at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he is pursuing simultaneous degrees in violin performance (DM) and music theory (Ph.D.). At Jacobs, he has been president of the Graduate Theory Association and served as a coordinating instructor of music theory. He is an awardee of the Wennerstrom teaching fellowship and dissertation fellowship. He has presented his musical research at conferences across the United States and Canada, including an upcoming paper at the 2026 Society for Music Theory conference. Lev is also a member of the Carmel and Terre Haute Symphony Orchestras. He is the dedicatee of a newly-composed violin concerto and solo sonata by Andrew Mead. When not performing or writing about music, Lev enjoys a good board or soccer game.

NASR ALI SHEIKH, viola, is delighted to return to the Ohio Light Opera this season. A versatile performer, he has served as principal viola with Opera Louisiane, Acadiana Symphony, and Rapides Symphony, and has performed with the San Francisco Symphony and Louisiana Philharmonic. Previously, he was a section violist with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, California Symphony, and Lubbock Symphony. Nasr holds an MM from the San Francisco Conservatory, studying with Jonathan Vinocour, and recently completed a DMA at Louisiana State University under Kimberly Sparr. When not onstage, he teaches at LSU and the Acadiana Conservatory. A fellowship alumnus of the National Orchestra Institute, Tanglewood, Brevard, and the National Music Festival, Nasr also enjoys sightreading chamber music—especially when he isn’t hunting for the perfect cup of coffee to take to the pickleball courts.

LAUREN SWARTZ, viola, is a Cleveland native and excited to be joining the Ohio Light Opera for the 2026 season. Lauren is an active performer and a passionate teacher. She received her BM from the Eastman School of Music and her MM from the Lynn Conservatory.

She greatly enjoys orchestral playing and has previously held positions with the Miami Symphony Orchestra and the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, and is currently a member of the Traverse City Philharmonic.

Outside of performing, her love of teaching and working with children has led her to hold a faculty position at the Westlake Music Academy, as well as becoming a teaching artist through the Rainey Institute. Outside of her musical work, Lauren enjoys immersing herself in the beautiful parks of Ohio, crocheting, and reading.

ELLA THORNTON, cello, is excited to be joining OLO for her first season. Ella is from Evansville, IN and graduated in May from Union University with a BM in music education. She served as principal cellist for four years with the UU Symphony Orchestra. She has played cello in pit orchestra for three shows, served as stage manager for six shows at her university, and was a cast member for five shows. Ella is grateful to be part of this orchestra, and for the friendships and experiences that music has brought into her life.

GER VANG, oboe, is delighted to return for a fourth season with OLO. Currently based in Greensboro, NC, he performs with his chamber group, the Cardinal Sound Collective. During the last year, he has commissioned and premiered new chamber works at the local and national levels. He is most excited to return to Wooster to enjoy its farmers’ market and its small-town ambience.

LIZA VIERS, harp, is thrilled to join OLO this summer. Originally from Middle Tennessee, she is an active performer and harp teacher in Northeast Ohio.

Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in musicology at Case Western Reserve University with full funding. In 2024 she earned her BA from Vanderbilt University, with a double major in music and Latin American studies.

Both an award-winning performer and music researcher, she enjoys engaging music history through performance practice. She has performed with diverse ensembles, including the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra, where she made her debut as an orchestral soloist. She has enjoyed many summer festivals, including the Banda Sinfónica de las Américas, in Colombia, the Dorset Harp Colony, and the TN Governor’s School for the Arts. Her harp teachers include Jody Guinn, Paula Bressman, Sarah Crocker, and Alix Raspé Gray.

ABREAL WHITMAN, violin/assistant concertmaster, is excited to be joining Ohio Light Opera for her fourth year. Whitman graduated from the Eastman School of Music with her bachelor’s degree in 2023, and with her master’s degree in 2025 from Louisiana State University.

Originally from Maine, Whitman has travelled all over the country (and Poland), performing as a member of various orchestras. In high school, she attended Idyllwild Arts Academy. In 2022 Whitman won a position as a substitute violinist in the New World Symphony.

Whitman currently attends the Texas Tech School of Music, where she is working on obtaining her DMA degree, and studying with Annie Chalex Boyle. She works as a music theory graduate assistant and won a full-time contract as fifth chair in the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. Outside of music, she enjoys reading, writing poetry, traveling, playing cribbage, and spending time with her two dogs.

SPENCER WILSON, bassoon, is delighted to join the Ohio Light Opera for his eighth season. A Virginian by birth, Spencer has lived the past decade in Dallas, working as a teacher and freelance musician. As a performer, he has played with the Dallas Winds, the Rapides Symphony, and the Fort Smith Symphony. For his work as an educator, Spencer has maintained a studio spanning multiple districts in Texas, as well as serving as adjunct professor of bassoon for Dallas College. He has been a featured presenter for multiple university bassoon intensives and masterclasses throughout Dallas. Spencer is a graduate of James Madison University and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, studying under Susan Barber and William Ludwig, respectively. Spencer is looking forward to a summer of performing great shows before returning to his hometown of Chesapeake, VA to pursue a career in bassoon reed making.

JULIA WINEGER, horn, is delighted to be playing her first season with the Ohio Light Opera. Originally from Berkeley, California, she recently graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory with degrees in horn performance and geosciences. Julia has played in productions with the Oberlin Opera, Oberlin Musical Theater Association, College Light Opera Company, and Opera Columbus. She is passionate about new music, having played in the premieres of new orchestral and chamber works at Oberlin, the Mostly Modern Music Festival, and the International Women’s Brass Conference. Outside of music, Julia served as a peer tutor and a research assistant in Oberlin’s department of geosciences, and was an active member of the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association. This fall, she will pursue a fully funded master’s degree in horn at the Yale School of Music. In her free time, Julia enjoys word games, hiking, and fiber arts.

We are grateful to our local orchestra subs for their service to our mission: CHRISTOPHER AGNEW, baritone saxophone ANN GILBERT, bass TY HANSEN, trumpet DREW HOSLER, baritone saxophone and clarinet PATRICIA JOHNSTON, bass JONAH RICHARDSON, oboe TOM ROBLEE, percussion

BOOKS IN STOCK DOWNTOWN WOOSTER · OHIO

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TECHNICAL AND FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM SCENE SHOP AND STAGE CREW CHARLIE BRADSHAW, carpenter, hails from Magnolia, AR and is currently pursuing his BFA in technical theater at SAU. Previous credits include Little Shop of Horrors (puppet master and dramaturg), Actor’s Nightmare (director and set designer), The Cottage (assistant set designer), The Man in the Ceiling (sound designer and “Jimmy” understudy), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (sound designer), Fiddler on the Roof (sound designer), Intimate Apparel (props designer), and Songs for a New World (lighting designer)—all for which he has been a carpenter as well. He is so excited for his first year here with such an awesome cast and crew and hopes you enjoy our season.

SEAN HOLLOWAY, carpenter, is a rising senior at Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in theater, media, and Japanese (multifaceted). Sean has been working with paints at the IU Scenic Studio since their freshman year. This is Sean’s first year at Ohio Light Opera as well as their first year working with carpentry, which they’re excited about. Sean has helped their grandpa some with woodworking as a kid and is now the proud owner of a wooden giraffe carving. Sean has been interested in the arts from a young age. They love painting, drawing, and have grown to love using makeup as an art form. Sean is excited to learn more about carpentry and woodworking.

HALLIE CHARLEFOUR, assistant stage manager, is excited to be back for her third season at OLO. She graduated from Albion College with a BA in theater, and will be working towards her MFA at the University of Cincinnati this fall. Hallie has been involved in theater since middle school, where she fell in love with the magic of theater. She is so thankful for her friends and family for believing in her.

ANNA KEYS, carpenter, is excited to be joining OLO for their first season here. Anna is currently studying technical theater at Indiana University Bloomington.

There, they have participated in many shows, including stage-managing Science! The Musical, and assistantstage-managing Georgia McBride. Anna looks forward to this season and the new experiences it will bring.

CLAIRE CHOINKA, first hand, is very excited to be joining OLO for the first time. Claire just graduated from Truman State University with a BA in theater.

During her time at Truman, she worked in the costume shop for three years, was the assistant costume designer for The Rocky Horror Show, the costume designer for Peter and the Starcatcher and Little Women, and filled in as costume shop manager for She Kills Monsters.

She also dabbled with performing onstage as a DooWop Narrator in Little Shop of Horrors, Avery/Homer/ Sheep in Charlotte’s Web, and Mrs. Drudge in The Real Inspector Hound. She also spent two years in Truman’s best (and only) improv comedy group.

JULIANNA GRIMES, scene shop foreman, is happy to be working for their fourth season as part of the scenic crew for Ohio Light Opera. Outside of OLO, Julianna has worked on the sets for Wooster Community Theater’s production of The Music Man (2021), and the College of Wooster’s productions of Caged (2021), Trifles (2021), Alicia from the Real (2022), Boeing Boeing (2024), and Legacy of Light (2025). She is especially proud of their work on Boeing Boeing, as they built much of the set by themselves. Julianna is a Wooster local, graduating from Wooster High School and from the College of Wooster in 2025. She also enjoys time with her pet rabbit, as well as reading and studying martial arts.

RIAN HOALCRAFT, scenic painter, is excited to start her first professional job painting for OLO. She is currently studying at Coastal Carolina University for her BFA in theater design and production. She has previously worked on various plays and musicals such as Rhinoceros, Grease, The Black Pearl, The Lion King, and SpongeBob the Musical. She is excited to help bring the world of shows to life through paint and design. Rian would like to thank her parents and professors who have gotten her here, and she hopes you enjoy the show.

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JULIA KRIEG, run crew & tech, is excited to participate in the opera this summer. She is currently a student at the College of Wooster, studying environmental studies and theater & dance. Most recently, Julia was the scenic charge artist for COW’s The Importance of Being Earnest. In her time at the COW, she participated as a scenic and props artisan in An Iliad, Legacy of Light, and Boeing Boeing. Aside from plays, she is the COW Dance Company’s stage manager. Over the summer, she is joining her mentor, Naoko Skala, in designing COW’s next play production.

SARA LEWELLEN, run crew, recently graduated from Wooster High School, where she stage-managed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this past year. She is looking forward to attending Kent State University in the fall for a BFA in theater design, production and technology. She is thrilled to join Ohio Light Opera this summer.

AMELIA MINDLIN-LEITNER, assistant stage manager, is from Denver and is a rising senior at Syracuse University, majoring in stage management. She is so excited to be returning to Ohio Light Opera this summer for her second season. At Syracuse, selected show credits include stage manager for Picnic, assistant stage manager for Little Women, technical and calling stage manager for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, stage management intern for Dial M for Murder, and assistant stage manager for Touched. This fall, she will be the stage manager for SU Drama’s production of Henry V. KEPPLEY MULLIGAN, assistant stage manager, is pleased to debut at OLO this season. She is currently pursuing her BFA in theater design and production at Coastal Carolina University. She assistant-stage-managed Macbeth, Alice by Heart, and Godspell at CCU. Keppley was also recognized by the American College Theater Festival for meritorious achievement in sound design in the CCU production of Grease. She would like to thank those who have supported her throughout her career.

ANNE PLUMMER, carpenter, is excited to be returning to OLO for their fourth summer with the company. Anne recently attended the American College Theatre Festival with UW-Parkside, where she assisted in traveling their award-winning production of Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play to the festival and was individually recognized with an honorable mention for theatrical design excellence in scenic design for her conceptual design of Tea. ROSSIE ROSSEN, carpenter, is excited to be working in the scenic shop for their first season at OLO. Rossie is currently working on BAs in technical theater and history at Indiana University Bloomington. Previously, Rossie has been assistant stage manager for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and constructed several other shows in Bloomington.

AUBREY SMITH, technical intern, is excited to begin her first season at OLO. Born in Medina, OH, she is a sophomore mechanical engineering major with a minor in entertainment design and production at Ohio Northern University. At ONU, she has had the technical roles of A2 in The Mad Ones and head of properties in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. She has also done technical work at Highland High School as stage manager in Newsies, head of properties in Footloose, and assistant stage manager in The Little Mermaid.

GAVIN TRUMP, run crew, is excited to be working with OLO for the first time. Hailing from Chapel Hill, NC, Gavin has worked extensively with PlayMakers Repertory Company (PRC) as an electrician, carpenter, and lighting operator for many shows over the last two years. He was also the assistant lighting designer for PRC’s 2025 Summer Youth Conservatory production of Pippin. At East Chapel Hill High School, Gavin led the lighting department, designing lighting for Hadestown: Teen Edition, Is He Dead?, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Almost, Maine, alongside several dance shows. Recently, Gavin attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, studying for a BFA in lighting design, where he programmed lighting for Marie Antoinette. Beyond the theater, Gavin is quite a nerd, enjoying complex science fiction stories and the social deduction game Blood on the Clocktower.

MAZE WETZEL, scenic artist, is delighted to work with such a talented cast and crew. Their favorite work credits so far include Cullud Wattah (props director) and As You Like It (assistant scenic designer) with the University of Kentucky Department of Theatre and Dance. Maze is currently a student at the University of Kentucky, studying technical theater and philosophy. They would like to thank their Uncle John and Aunt Mary Ellen for encouraging me to pursue the arts. A special thank you to their parents for always being there for them and loving them. Love you all.

COSTUMES AND WARDROBE GABE ABT, stitcher, is a theater design and production student from Coastal Carolina University, concentrating in costume construction and design. They are ecstatic to be part of the Ohio Light Opera’s costuming team for the 2026 season. Gabe’s work has been on stage in several of their college’s productions, from vintage builds in Cabaret and Rhinoceros to timeless pieces in Godspell and Macbeth. They hope to bring the costumes to life for this year’s season at OLO. EMILY CONSTAN, wardrobe, is joining OLO for the first time. She is currently a sophomore at Albion College in Albion, MI, working on a BA in theater and a BA in creative writing. Emily recently performed as Adrian and the Boatswain in Albion College’s production of The Tempest. Behind the scenes, she works in the college’s costume shop and has been on the stage management team. Her hometown is Lansing, MI, where her personal library and stash of yarn sit in wait for her.

OLLI DiBENEDETTO, wigs/wardrobe crew, recently graduated from Central Michigan University. Olli is excited to be returning to OLO for the second summer to work on wigs and wardrobe. She is looking forward to working with new people and learning new things.

RILEY FOX, stitcher, is elated to be working behind the scenes this year at OLO. This will be her first opportunity working in a professional costume shop for the summer season. She resides in Michigan, where she is halfway through getting her bachelor of fine arts in technical theater and design with a concentration in costuming from Central Michigan University. There she has worked on shows including Cymbeline, Witch, The Drowsy Chaperone, and All My Sons. She has recently been awarded The Doris J. Ramsey Endowed Theatre

Scholarship for the following year for her contributions to the area of costuming.

BAYLOR HAWKS, assistant costume shop manager, is pleased to be spending his first season at OLO. Baylor hails from SE Ohio, where he is pursuing an MFA in costume technology with a specialty for costume crafts at Ohio University. Baylor also finished his undergrad at OU. He lives full time in Athens, OH and was born in a small village called Vinton, OH, in the foothills of Appalachia. He wants to thank his best friend Ray, and his family, for supporting his summer season, as well as his three cats Bear, Buggy, and Biscuit.

DANI HAWKINS, stitcher, is excited for their first year working with the Ohio Light Opera. Dani received their BFA in theater from Southern Arkansas University, with a specialty in costuming. After the summer, Dani plans to move to Northern Arkansas to grow their talent and pursue their passion of costuming further. Dani’s past credits from Southern Arkansas University include Much Ado About Nothing (costume designer), Dogfight (costume designer), and Intimate Apparel (costume designer).

MU LAY KU, wardrobe assistant, is excited to be making her debut with Ohio Light Opera this season. Originally from Chicago, Mu Lay Ku is currently a student at The College of Wooster. They are excited to be working with the company this season as both a technician and member of the wardrobe crew, and look forward to contributing behind the scenes to this summer’s productions.

JULIA NAIL, lead stitcher, is excited to be joining OLO for her first season. A recent BFA graduate of Kent State University, she was a first hand on productions such as The Book of Will, Cinderella, and The Wiz. During ohiolightopera.org 59

their time at Kent, Julia developed a passion for not only stitchwork, but also costume crafts, millinery, wigs, and makeup, among other skills. This past summer, she worked at Porthouse Theatre as an assistant costume designer for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and was a wardrobe crew member for School of Rock. Julia can be found vintage shopping, lifting, and going to concerts in their free time.

EVAN STEHLIK, draper, is excited to be joining OLO for the second time. Owosso, MI native Evan is a graduate of Central Michigan University, where he received a BFA

in technical theater with a focus in costuming. Currently, Evan is the costume shop supervisor at Albion College in Albion, MI. Evan will be attending grad school in the fall at Michigan State University, where he is excited to further his career as a costume designer. Evan has also constructed wigs for Midland Center for the Arts and has worked with Peach State Summer Theater in Georgia as part of its wardrobe, stitcher, and hair/makeup crews. In his free time, Evan is a drag entertainer and goes by their stage name Remington Rose.

PROPERTIES JAMIE DOWNING, properties artisan, is excited to be participating in their first season with Ohio Light Opera.

Jamie is a third-year BFA theater tech and design student at Northern Michigan University, focusing in scenic design, stage management, and technical direction. They have worked previously as a production assistant for Live Design International’s 2025 trade show, as the coproperties designer for NMU’s production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and as the head carpenter for Tibbits Opera House’s 2025 summer season. When they are not making magic happen onstage, Jamie enjoys watercolor painting, embroidering flowers on their pants, and spending time with their loved ones.

PAN CREED, props artisan, is very excited to be working with the Ohio Light Opera this summer. Pan comes from Magnolia, AR, where they grew up and started their collegiate career at Southern Arkansas University. After their summer at the Ohio Light Opera,

Pan will be transferring to the University of Arkansas to pursue further knowledge in their field. Pan’s notable past credits include SAU’s productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (puppet and prop designer), Much Ado About Nothing (charge scenic artist), and Songs for a New World (prop designer). Pan hopes everyone sits back and enjoys the show.

HANNAH LoGIUDICE, assistant props supervisor, is a senior at Syracuse University, pursuing a BFA in theater design and technology. Originally from Wooster, she is excited to return to OLO for the fourth time. At Syracuse, Hannah has served as assistant set designer for Twelfth Night and What the Moon Saw, assistant lighting designer for Picnic, and student worker in the Syracuse Stage paint shop. Next year, she will be setdesigning Rent and lighting-designing Private Eyes for SU Drama.

ELECTRICS & SOUND JAMNIA AI, sound technician, is an Asian-Canadian artist, composer, and designer. Finishing her sophomore year in sound design at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Jamnia is incredibly excited to put the skills she’s learned to use in her first OLO season. Recently, she was the assistant sound designer and A1 of Shakespeare’s R&J (City Theatre), assistant sound engineer for Company (CMU), and audio assistant for The Cape Playhouse’s 2025 season.

JOHN BATORY, sound assistant, is excited to join the team for his first year at Ohio Light Opera. He has worked on previous shows as designer and technician for Waiting for Godot and Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play,

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A True B&B 356 N. Market Street, Wooster, Ohio 330-262-4085 marketstreetinnwooster@gmail.com www.MARKETSTREETINNWOOSTER.com

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and as mixer for Cabaret at his college of UW-Parkside.

John is still a Parkside student and plans to graduate in theater design and technology.

CHRISTINA DRAGEN-DIMA, head electrician, is thrilled to be joining the OLO team this summer season.

Currently based in Pittsburgh, Christina works as the production key in electrics at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and is a freelance electrician and projection/ video engineer. She is also a proud member of IATSE Local 3. Christina got her BA in theater at Florida State University and holds a certificate in electrics at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. In her off time, Christina enjoys reading, crocheting, and hanging out with her two cats and dog. She would like to thank the OLO team, her fiancé, and friends for supporting her.

ALEX EFFES, electrician, has worked for numerous companies and is thrilled to work with OLO. He was born and raised in Connecticut, and is now studying theatrical design with a lighting concentration at Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. He has worked in many theaters in both Connecticut and NYC and has designed many shows, including Our Town, Parade, Mean Girls, and Chicago.

DREW HAMBY, sound technician, is thrilled to join the Ohio Light Opera company this summer. She recently earned her BFA in theater–entertainment design & technology with an emphasis in sound design and technology from the University of Memphis. Previous

design credits include As You Like It: The Musical, Steel Magnolias (Allie Award Nomination), and Driving Miss Daisy (Allie Award Winner). Previous engineering credits include As You Like It: The Musical, Chicago, and The Most Happy Fella. She also served as the A2 for the 2025 summer season at New London Barn Playhouse in New London, NH (The Bridges of Madison County, Sister Act, Mary Poppins, Hairspray, The Cottage).

BRADY ZALAC, electrician, is returning for their second season at OLO. In previous seasons, they worked as a carpenter, but found a love for lighting and decided to make a career change. Over the past year at Albion College, they have designed lighting for Annie Baker’s The Aliens and David Auburn’s Proof, and they are excited to deepen their understanding of lights and design here at OLO.

ADMINISTRATIVE/FRONT OF HOUSE STAFF LADY PARIS ASANTE, box office assistant, is excited to be returning to Ohio Light Opera for the 2026 summer festival season. Currently studying economics and computer science, she enjoys combining creativity with analytical thinking both in and outside of the theater environment. Outside of work and academics, Lady Paris enjoys listening to music and reading in her free time. She is grateful for the opportunity to continue contributing to the OLO community and looks forward to another exciting summer season alongside the talented cast, crew, and staff.

ANNA CARRAWAY, front of house assistant, is a sophomore at the College of Wooster. She is doublemajoring in business economics and urban studies. She is using this job as experiential learning in the musical theater pathway. Anna was raised in Wayne County and graduated from Dalton High School. She has participated in choir and performed, or was part of the crew, in many theatrical productions in school, college, and in the community. She enjoys cats, video games, and bringing people together in venues.

LYDIA DUNLAP, front of house staff, is thrilled to be returning to the Ohio Light Opera this season.

Lydia is an upcoming senior at Wooster High School and is performing in the ensembles of The Yeomen of the Guard, The Merry Widow, and The Boys from Syracuse. In school, Lydia runs with the cross country team, performs for the WHS drama club, is involved with STAND, General Leadership Council, National Honors Society, and choir. Lydia would like to thank all of her friends and family for their continued support for her passion in the arts.

MADELEINE RAE FRAZIER, part-time box office assistant and house manager, is a recent graduate of The College of Wooster and a political science major. “Maddie Rae” has worked at Broken Rocks Café and Bakery as a server and has been a part of Ohio Light Opera since 2010, assisting box office and house management. She was Princess Yingyawalak in The King and I (Ohio Light Opera, 2013) at the age of 9. She has also been an usher with the Wooster Chamber Music Series. Maddie Rae will look to further her education in the near future and is looking forward to using her degree(s) one day to help people/children.

SARAH MINISTERI, office assistant, is excited for her first season with the Ohio Light Opera. She graduated from Capital University in Columbus, OH with a bachelor of music in flute performance and has been at The College of Wooster for four years as the Scot Band assistant. In her free time, Sarah loves reading, frequenting local coffee shops, and visiting her family in Europe.

KATH SCOTT, box office assistant, is overjoyed to spend their first summer with OLO. They have enjoyed time on stage in many different forms and styles, especially with the Henry Mancini Arts Academy and the College of Wooster. Kath is a 2021 English department and Wooster Chorus alumnus, with a focus on operatic performance and Germanic folklore.

MATTHEW J WILKS, front of house manager, is thrilled to be joining OLO this season. He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC and a professional actor, director, teacher, and writer who works regularly throughout Northeast Ohio and the surrounding area. An experienced interactive event host and MC, he can currently be seen performing monthly with several local murder mystery theater groups and trivia companies. His written work is seen in several poetry anthologies dealing almost exclusively with themes of mental health, spreading the message “You are not alone.”

REBEKAH WINKLER, front of house manager, is thrilled to serve in this position for the 2026 OLO season. She is a 2026 graduate of Indiana University, with degrees in theater and drama (acting focus) and arts management. Her passion for administration is rooted in her identity as a storyteller; she views the front of house as the crucial first part of the theatrical experience.

This philosophy is deeply informed by her time on stage.

Some of her favorite roles include Hope in Urinetown, Ensemble in Jekyll & Hyde, and Rosie in The Wedding Singer. Rebekah is dedicated to fostering a warm sense of community for every patron. This fall she will be attending Carnegie Mellon University as a candidate in its master of arts management program, where she will further develop her strategic and operational expertise with the goal of leading an arts organization in the future.

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Wed-Fri 10am-5pm Sat 10am-4pm || Closed Sun-Tue Wed-Fri10am-5pm 10am-5pm| |||Sat Sat 10am-4pm Wed-Fri| |10am-5pm Closed Sun-Tue | Sat 10am-4 Wed-Fri 10am-5pm Sat 10am-4pm Closed Sun-Tue Tue-Fri 10am-4pm Closed Sun-Mon

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Experience international Lyric Theater classics in the charming atmosphere of Wooster, Ohio

“Renowned summer festival within driving distance once didn’t seem so far away. Shaw and Stratford in Canada, and even Ravinia in Chicago, remain magnets for those who are high on theater and music ....

It’s a relief to know that a day trip to seek artistic replenishment need not crush the budget. One of the most reasonable and delightful destinations is Wooster, where The Ohio Light Opera is in its 30th season of operetta merriment.”

Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer 2008

“It’s nothing less than remarkable that ... [The Ohio Light Opera] singers and instrumentalists gather from around the country to arrange a seasonal platter of rotating repertory — Viennese operetta, Gilbert & Sullivan shows, classic American musicals — that these indefatigable performers serve with style through the months of June, July and August.”

Elaine Guregian, The Beacon Journal

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THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER Independent Minds, Working Together

T

he College of Wooster is a community of Independent Minds, Working Together to prepare students to become leaders of character and influence in an interdependent global community.

Wooster offers a comprehensive liberal arts education in a vibrant, residential setting that culminates in a senior capstone project of in-depth research inquiry or creative expression. Working one-on-one with a faculty mentor, every student creates and presents new knowledge in their field of interest. Through this distinctive program, Wooster students develop abilities valued by employers and graduate schools: independent judgment, analytical ability, creativity, project and time management, problem-solving, and strong written and oral communication. Students can be themselves at Wooster, discover and pursue their passions, and connect academic learning to the real world through internships, research fellowships, career pathways, and other experiential opportunities. They forge lifelong

bonds with one another, faculty, coaches, and staff in an environment that fosters community.

In his book The Price You Pay for College, New York Times columnist Ron Lieber praises Wooster for its exceptional combination of quality faculty, affordability, and undergraduate research. Lieber devotes an entire chapter to answering “How the College of Wooster Puts It All Together,” highlighting Wooster’s up-front attitude in helping prospective students understand the financial package they will receive, and the satisfaction students get from faculty mentorship.

Academics, research, experiential learning, community service, social activism, athletics, the arts, environmental sustainability, and a community of belonging all play an important role in a Wooster student’s life. Learn more about the College at wooster.edu.

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9 COMPLETE PERFORMANCES

AVAILABLE ON DVD

These DVDs, recorded live during our summer festivals, are available in the lobby during the season.

Patrons may also call the Ohio Light Opera at 330-263-2345 to purchase DVDs, or visit www.ohiolightopera.org to view DVDs and order online.

Kálmán: A Soldier’s Promise • The Duchess of Chicago • The Little King • The Little Dutch Girl Herbert: Mlle. Modiste • Dream City and the Magic Knight • Lehár: Cloclo • Kern: Have a Heart Youmans: No, No, Nanette

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GILBERT & SULLIVAN

H.M.S. Pinafore THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA J. Lynn Thompson

Steven Daigle

CONDUCTOR

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

43 COMPLETE RECORDINGS

AVAILABLE ON CD

Tomás Bretón La Verbena de la Paloma

André Messager Véronique

Reginald De Koven Robin Hood

Lionel Monckton The Arcadians

Rudolf Friml The Vagabond King • The Firefly

Jacques Offenbach The Brigands • Bluebeard

Gilbert & Sullivan Utopia Limited • Patience • Princess Ida The Grand Duke • The Gondoliers The Mikado • Ruddigore • The Sorcerer The Yeomen of the Guard The Pirates of Penzance • H.M.S. Pinafore

Sigmund Romberg Maytime • Blossom Time

Victor Herbert Dream City and the Magic Knight Eileen • Mlle. Modiste Naughty Marietta • The Red Mill Sweethearts • The Fortune Teller Emmerich Kálmán The Bayadere • Sari • Autumn Maneuvers Countess Maritza • The Violet of Montmartre A Soldier’s Promise • Miss Springtime Jerome Kern The Cabaret Girl

Franz Schubert Das Dreimäderlhaus John Philip Sousa El Capitan Oscar Straus The Chocolate Soldier Johann Strauss A Night in Venice Carl Zeller Der Vogelhändler Compilations Gems from The Ohio Light Opera, Vol. 1 Gold and Silver

These recordings are mastered and adapted from our summer productions. Most are released as two-CD sets and are available in the lobby during the season and in finer book and music stores. Patrons may also call the Ohio Light Opera at 330-263-2345 to purchase compact discs or visit www.ohiolightopera.org to view CDs and to order online.

ohiolightopera.org 65

COMPLETE REPERTOIRE 1979-2026

THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA S STEVEN A. DAIGLE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Richard Adler & Jerry Ross The Pajama Game........................................... ’18 Damn Yankees................................................. ’26 Daniel Auber Fra Diavolo..................................................... ’88 Lindsay Warren Baker & Amanda Jacobs Pride & Prejudice............................................ ’06 Ralph Benatzky & Robert Stolz White Horse Inn.............................................. ’05 Irving Berlin Call Me Madam............................................... ’14 Annie Get Your Gun........................................ ’16 Leonard Bernstein Candide........................................................... ’18 Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick Fiddler on the Roof.......................................... ’09 Tomás Bretón La verbena de la paloma.................................. ’99 Emmanuel Chabrier L’étoile...................................................... ’91, ’08 Federico Chueca & Joaquín Valverde La gran vía...................................................... ’99 Noël Coward Bitter Sweet....................................... ’93, ’98, ’25 Reginald De Koven Robin Hood..................................................... ’04 Leo Fall The Dollar Princess......................................... ’95 Madame Pompadour....................................... ’11 Rudolf Friml The Vagabond King.................................. ’87, ’04 Rose Marie...................................................... ’03 The Firefly....................................................... ’06 Noel Gay Me and My Girl............................................... ’24 Edward German Merrie England................................................ ’84 Tom Jones........................................................ ’92 George & Ira Gershwin Of Thee I Sing................................................. ’09 Lady, Be Good!............................................... ’13 Oh, Kay!.......................................................... ’15 Primrose.......................................................... ’17 Girl Crazy........................................................ ’19 Tip-Toes........................................................... ’25 William Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan The Gondoliers..... ’79, ’82, ’85, ’88, ’92, ’96, ’01, ’06, ’13, ’24 H.M.S. Pinafore.... ’79, ’80, ’81, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85, ’87, ’90, ’93, ’98, ’02, ’06, ’09, ’13, ’17, ’23 Iolanthe... ’79, ’81, ’84, ’87, ’91, ’98, ’05, ’10, ’18 The Mikado... ’79, ’80, ’81, ’82, ’84, ’85, ’88, ’92, ’95, ’00, ’04, ’08, ’12, ’16 The Pirates of Penzance...... ’79, ’80, ’81, ’83, ’84, ’86, ’89, ’94, ’99, ’03, ’07, ’11, ’14, ’19, ’22 Ruddigore....... ’79, ’82, ’85, ’88, ’95, ’02, ’09, ’15 Trial by Jury......... ’79, ’80, ’81, ’84, ’86, ’89, ’98, ’11, ’21 The Yeomen of the Guard... ’79, ’81, ’84, ’86, ’90, ’97, ’01, ’08, ’15, ’26 Patience.......... ’80, ’83, ’86, ’91, ’97, ’04, ’10, ’25 Princess Ida......................... ’80, ’85, ’94, ’99, ’07 The Sorcerer................. ’80, ’82, ’86, ’89, ’96, ’05 Utopia Limited............. ’80, ’83, ’87, ’93, ’00, ’12 The Grand Duke............................... ’81, ’95, ’03 66 Box Office: 330.263.2345

Reynaldo Hahn Ciboulette........................................................ ’90 Victor Herbert Naughty Marietta .................................... ’89, ’00 Eileen............................................................... ’97 The Red Mill............................................. ’01, ’26 Sweethearts...................................................... ’02 Mlle. Modiste................................................... ’09 The Fortune Teller........................................... ’11 Dream City and The Magic Knight..................... ’14 The Lady of the Slipper...................................... ’17 Jerry Herman Hello, Dolly!.................................................... ’22 Richard Heuberger The Opera Ball................................................ ’90 Emmerich Kálmán Countess Maritza................. ’85, ’89, ’94, ’03, ’17 The Gypsy Princess............................ ’86, ’93, ’10 The Bayadere................................................... ’98 Sari/Der Zigeunerprimás.................................. ’01 Autumn Maneuvers ........................................ ’02 The Violet of Montmartre................................ ’04 A Soldier’s Promise/Der gute Kamerad............ ’05 The Duchess of Chicago.................................. ’07 Marinka: The Mayerling Story......................... ’08 Miss Springtime............................................... ’12 The Little King................................................ ’14 The Little Dutch Girl....................................... ’16 The Devil’s Rider............................................. ’19 Arizona Lady................................................... ’23 Jerome Kern The Cabaret Girl............................................. ’08 Oh, Lady! Lady!!............................................ ’14 Have a Heart................................................... ’16 Music in the Air............................................... ’19 Eduard Künneke The Cousin from Batavia................... ’00, ’02, ’25 Charles Lecocq Clairette/La fille de Madame Angot................. ’89 Le petit duc...................................................... ’00 Franz Lehár The Merry Widow......... ’83, ’90, ’96, ’04, ’11, ’26 The Count of Luxembourg.......... ’88, ’97, ’10, ’24 The Land of Smiles................................... ’90, ’03 Giuditta........................................................... ’94 Gypsy Love..................................................... ’95 The Czarevitch................................................. ’08 Friederike......................................................... ’15 Cloclo.............................................................. ’18 The Mock Marriage......................................... ’22 Mitch Leigh Man of La Mancha.......................................... ’05 Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe Camelot............................................. ’00, ’11, ’23 Brigadoon.......................................... ’02, ’15, ’25 My Fair Lady..................................... ’03, ’14, ’26 Frank Loesser Guys and Dolls......................................... ’12, ’24 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying................................. ’23 André Messager Véronique........................................................ ’97 Karl Millöcker The Beggar Student................................... ’87, ’96

Lionel Monckton The Arcadians........................................... ’98, ’24 Otto Nicolai The Merry Wives of Windsor........................... ’95 Ivor Novello The Dancing Years........................................... ’16 Perchance to Dream........................................ ’19 Jacques Offenbach The Brigands..................................... ’83, ’92, ’03 La Périchole....................................... ’84, ’93, ’18 La vie parisienne.................................’85, ’99, ’16 La belle Hélène...................................’86, ’94, ’09 Bluebeard................................................. ’87, ’07 Orpheus in the Underworld............’88, ’91, ’01, ’23 The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein.............. ’89, ’13 Christopher Columbus..................................... ’95 Robinson Crusoe............................................. ’96 Regrets Only/M. Choufleuri...................... ’96, ’98 The Island of Tulipatan................................... ’05 Evening Wind.................................................. ’11 Cole Porter Jubilee.............................................................. ’11 Silk Stockings................................................... ’13 Can-Can.......................................................... ’15 Kiss Me, Kate................................................... ’16 Anything Goes................................................. ’17 Fifty Million Frenchmen.................................. ’18 Heinrich Reinhardt The Daring of Diane........................................ ’21 Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II Carousel................................................... ’01, ’25 South Pacific............................................. ’04, ’19 The Sound of Music.................................. ’07, ’24 Oklahoma!...................................................... ’08 The King and I................................................. ’13 Cinderella........................................................ ’22 Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart A Connecticut Yankee...................................... ’12 Babes in Arms.................................................. ’18 The Boys from Syracuse................................... ’26 Sigmund Romberg The Student Prince...’82, ’85, ’92, ’99, ’07, ’17, ’22 The Desert Song.................................’86, ’95, ’08 The New Moon................................. ’91, ’97, ’06 Maytime.......................................................... ’05 Blossom Time.................................................. ’12 Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones The Fantasticks......................................... ’21, ’22 Franz Schubert & Heinrich Berté Das Dreimäderlhaus........................................ ’02 Stephen Sondheim Into the Woods................................................ ’19 John Philip Sousa El Capitan....................................................... ’10 Oscar Straus The Chocolate Soldier.........................’88, ’98, ’12 A Waltz Dream................................................ ’91 Johann Strauss A Night in Venice........................’81, ’91, ’99, ’09 The Gypsy Baron.........................’82, ’89, ’00, ’13 Die Fledermaus.....................’86, ’92, ’97, ’05, ’14 Wiener Blut....................................... ’87, ’93, ’98 The Merry War................................................ ’01 The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief...................... ’06 Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim Gypsy.............................................................. ’10 Arthur Sullivan & F.C. Burnand Cox and Box...’79, ’80, ’81, ’84, ’89, ’96, ’99, ’11

Arthur Sullivan & B.C. Stephenson The Zoo........................................................... ’99 Franz Von Suppé Boccaccio.................................................. ’83, ’02 My Fair Galatea............................................... ’90 Heitor Villa-Lobos Magdalena....................................................... ’92 Robert Ward Lady Kate........................................................ ’94 Robert Ward & James Stuart A Friend of Napoleon...................................... ’05 Kurt Weill Street Scene...................................................... ’90 Kurt Weill & Ira Gershwin The Firebrand of Florence................................ ’99 Kurt Weill & Ogden Nash One Touch of Venus........................................ ’15 Meredith Willson The Music Man......................................... ’06, ’17 Quade Winter & William Gilbert Thespis............................................................ ’96 Quade Winter & Frank Desprez The Carp......................................................... ’99 Robert Wright & George Forrest The Great Waltz.............................................. ’94 Song of Norway............................................... ’96 Kismet............................................................. ’10 Vincent Youmans No, No, Nanette.............................................. ’23 Carl Zeller Der Vogelhändler................................’93, ’94, ’07

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DINING, ACCOMMODATIONS & SHOPPING Dining Bay Lobsters Café & Fish Market..................................... 330-601-1200 Broken Rocks Café & Bakery.................. 330-263-2949 Buehler’s Towne Market Café.................. 330-264-9900 Caribou Coffee ........................................ 330-222-3102 The City Steakhouse ................................ 330-262-2489 The Leaf Restaurant................................. 330-804-0126 Local Roots Market & Café .................... 330-263-5336 Mariola Italian......................................... 330-845-8889 Olde Jaol Steakhouse & Tavern............... 330-262-3333 Pine Tree Barn.......................................... 330-264-1014 TJ’s Restaurants....................................... 330-264-6263 Tulipan Pastry & Coffee ......................... 330-264-8092 Accommodations Bed & Breakfast Black Squirrel Inn..................................... 330-317-6627 Market Street Inn..................................... 330-262-4085 Hotel/Motel Best Western Plus Wooster Hotel & Conference Center........................... 330-264-7750 Hilton Garden Inn ................................... 330-202-7701 Quality Inn............................................... 330-262-5008 St. Paul Hotel........................................... 330-601-1900 Entertainment/Attractions Ashland Symphony.................................. 419-289-5115 The Cleveland Orchestra.......................... 216-231-1111 Lyric Theater Wooster ............................. 330-495-9019

Celebrating the Creative and Technical Excellence of Ohio Light Opera

Committed to Innovation

Built for Performance Seaman Corporation is:

| A Leading U.S. Manufacturer of High-Performance Industrial Coated Fabric

Main Street Wooster................................ 330-262-6222 McKinley Presidential Library & Museum........................................... 330-455-7043 National First Ladies Library................... 330-452-0876 Porthouse Theater.................................... 330-672-3884 Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.................... 330-836-5533 Tuesday Musical...................................... 330-761-3460 Wayne Center for the Arts........................ 330-264-2787 Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau.............................. 330-264-1800 Wooster Country Club............................. 330-263-1890 Shopping Bay Lobsters Café & Fish Market..................................... 330-601-1200 Books in Stock......................................... 330-262-2665 Coblentz Chocolates................................ 330-893-2995 Friendtique............................................... 330-262-2012 Local Roots Market & Café .................... 330-263-5336 Nancy’s Draperies ................................... 330-855-7751 Nest by Friendtique.................................. 330-262-2012 New World Spice & Tea................ facebook.com/newworldspiceandtea/ Olive Lane Oils & Vinegars.................... 330-601-1645 Roomscapes............................................. 330-262-1088 VHSource LLC......................................... 917-815-8899 Wooster Floral & Gifts ........................... 330-264-9630 Wooster Gift Corner................................ 330-264-6117 World Crafts............................................ 330-857-0590 Services/Manufacturing Daisy Brand Products............................... 330-202-4376 Seaman Corporation................................ 330-262-1111 Ideastream................................................ 216-916-6100 Western Reserve Insurance Group ........... 330-262-9060 Wooster Brush.......................................... 330-264-4440 Wooster Eye Center.................................. 330-345-7200 Banking/Financial Briggs & Starr Wealth Management........................................ 330-264-2811 Commercial & Savings Bank.................... 330-263-1955 Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd....................................... 800-686-0440 Edward Jones (Portage Rd) Andy Jones........................................... 330-264-2168 Edward Jones (Riffel Rd) Dan Fagert........................................... 330-262-3572 Edward Jones (Riffel Rd) Kaleb Reed........................................... 330-262-3572 Farmer’s National Bank........................... 888-988-3276 Killbuck Savings Bank ............................. 330-276-4881

| A Team Atmosphere with Creative People | A Proud Part of our Community | Family-Owned since 1949

1000 Venture Blvd. Wooster, OH 44691 phone | 330.262.1111 web | www.SeamanCorp.com

Vete ra n O w n e d | Eq u a l O p p o r t u n i t y E m p l oye r

68 Box Office: 330.263.2345

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Just 3 blocks from the Theater.

Take a tour and book your stay – BlackSquirrelInn.com 636 College Ave., Wooster • 330-317-6627 Black.Squirrel.Inn@gmail.com

2026 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Over the last 48 years, the College of Wooster staff and faculty have been instrumental in OLO’s success. Without their support since the beginning, the company would not operate as seamlessly as it does. Many in-kind services provided to OLO have made it possible for the company to thrive as a unique part of the educational mission at Wooster.

HEARTFELT THANKS go out to: Ben Small, Gail Smith and John Schambach of Live Publishing, for your tireless work on behalf of the company.

Michael and Nan Miller, for your neverending commitment to the company.

Glen and Lisa Grumbling, for your personal support of the company all year and through your fine downtown establishment, Broken Rocks Café & Bakery.

Our entire Board of Directors—your genuine support and valued advice are priceless.

Michael Borowitz, for your preseason work with the orchestra parts.

Eric Andries, for your tireless dedication and many hours at the piano.

Libbie Buehler, for the beautiful, commissioned art in celebration of 25 years of the musical in the OLO repertoire.

Evan Stehlik, for your skills as a costume draper.

Featuring over 60 varieties of premium olive oil and balsamic vinegar

International Pantry • Sustainable Kitchen and Home Goods • Succulents • Bakery

Visit us at our new location!

131 W Liberty St • Wooster, Ohio olivelaneoils.com • hello@olivelaneoils.com • 330.601.1645 — open seven days a week —

College of Wooster departments of Theatre and Dance, Communication Studies, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and our Westminster Presbyterian Church friends for your support of the company’s work and the generous sharing of space with us.

Kiah Kayser and Tessa Verner, for their work in assembling and working with the artistic and technical team.

Michelle Souza and Kent State University, for Damn Yankees uniforms.

University of Memphis Department of Theatre and Dance.

Cole Hudson, for the beautiful millinery.

Sharon Grimes, for assisting in music preparation with the youth cast in Damn Yankees.

The families of our youth cast in My Fair Lady, Damn Yankees, and The Yeomen of the Guard. We realize that each family has made a summer commitment to participate. Your enthusiasm and dedication are making this another special season.

Get tickets, news & information.

Visit our website

ohiolightopera.org ohiolightopera.org 69

TICKET INFORMATION & PRICES Season Subscriptions: Subscribe for the Season!

Choose four, five, or six performances at a discount from individual ticket prices.

Ticket Exchanges: You have the privilege of exchanging tickets, subject to availability, within the 2026 season.

Individual Ticket Pricing Single Tickets............................................................$68 Students (ages: 16-23)..........................................$25 Children (ages: 3-15)...............................................$15

Tickets being exchanged must be RECEIVED in the ticket office no later than 48 hours prior to the performance date on the original tickets.

Exchanges may be made in person or by mail.

There is a $4.00 PER TICKET charge for exchanges.

No other exchanges are possible.

Subscription Rates (Price Per Ticket) 4 Different Performances.....................................$67 5 Different Performances.................................... $66 6 Different Performances.....................................$65 Ordering Tickets: The Ohio Light Opera accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card. You may call 330.263.2345, order tickets online at ohiolightopera.org, or mail your order to the box office at: The Ohio Light Opera The College of Wooster 1189 Beall Avenue Wooster, OH 44691 If you have requested your tickets to be mailed, you will receive them at least one month prior to the performance.

NO REFUNDS. NO CANCELLATIONS. Box Office Location & Hours: (Please note the locations of our winter & summer offices) January 7-May 17, 2026: The Ohio Light Opera The College of Wooster Westminster Church House 353 East Pine Street (Corner of College Ave and E. Pine St.) Wooster, OH 44691 May 18-August 2, 2026: Freedlander Theatre 329 East University Street Wooster, OH 44691 Monday-Friday........................... 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Saturday (beginning June 20)......12 noon-4:30 p.m.

Sunday (beginning July 12)..................12:30-4 p.m.

24-Hour Order Online: Visit our secure website, ohiolightopera.org, to view available seats, order, and pay for your tickets.

Group Discounts: Last year, more than 2000 people saw Ohio Light Opera performances with our group discount plan.

20-46 people......................................... $65 per ticket 47-100 people........................................ $63 per ticket Put together a group of people to come to Wooster for an afternoon or evening of lyric theater—a joyful time with friends at wonderful savings! Call our group coordinator at 330.263.2329 or 330.263.2345 to order tickets for your group.

Our group sales expert will be glad to assist you with your plans.

Please see page 2 for the performance calendar.

70 Box Office: 330.263.2345

Unused Tickets: Ticket holders unable to use or exchange their tickets may notify the ticket office so that those tickets can be resold. These “turnbacks” make seats available to other music lovers and can provide additional income to OLO. Lost Tickets: If you lose your original tickets, duplicates can be made for you.

Parking Information: Parking is FREE in all College of Wooster signed lots. Spaces fill up quickly so please plan to arrive early. Visit the website for more information on parking at Freedlander Theatre, as well as directions to the theater and any known road construction.

Air Conditioning: Freedlander Theatre is air conditioned. Some Ohio Light Opera patrons might like to bring a sweater or jacket to wear during the performance.

Decorum Reminder: Freedlander Theatre is an intimate space. Please keep in mind that talking during the overture and/or throughout the performance is distracting to fellow audience members as well as to the performing company.

Also, please refrain from opening noisy candy or gum wrappers during the show. Please turn off all noise-emitting devices before entering the theater. Photography and recordings of any kind are prohibited.

Late Seating: All performances begin promptly at 2 p.m. for matinees and 7:30 p.m. for evening shows. In deference to the comfort and listening pleasure of the audience in the house, late-arriving patrons will not be seated while the performance is in progress. Latecomers are asked to wait quietly until the first convenient break in the program, when ushers will assist you into the theater.

These arrangements are at the discretion of the house manager in consultation with the artistic director and performing artists. Thank you for your cooperation.

Pre-Performance Talks: Enhance your enjoyment of the performance by learning lesser-known facts about the show's history and tips to recognize the unique special pleasures of each show. You might also learn more about the company and other parts of the production process as well. We feature lecturers seasoned and experienced in the study of the myriad aspects of lyric theater.

No reservations are necessary—all are welcome.

Lectures begin one hour prior to showtime and are held in Lean Lecture Room, down the hall from Freedlander Theatre. Check for signs in the lobby for the location of these informative and free gatherings! Please see page 15 for more detail.

2026

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CLEVELANDORCHESTRA.COM l 216-231-1111

God Save The Queen In keeping with the tradition established at the Savoy Theatre in London during the premiere of each Gilbert & Sullivan production, we ask you to join us in singing God Save the Queen before each performance of The Yeomen of the Guard.

S

God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen: Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the Queen.

S Queen Victoria