Ohio Light Opera 2023 Season Program

JULY

BEETHOVEN’S ODE TO JOY

JUL 1

SALUTE TO AMERICA*

JUL 2, 3, & 4

MOVIE NIGHT LIVE

JURASSIC PARK

JUL 7, 8, & 9

ROMANTIC RACHMANINOFF

JUL 15

SHE’S GOT SOUL

JUL 16

DEBUSSY’S LA MER

JUL 22

FEINSTEIN & THIBAUDET

TWO PIANOS: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE

JUL 23

MOVIE NIGHT LIVE

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

JUL 28, 29, & 30

Fireworks following the concert (weather permitting)

AUGUST

SIBELIUS’S FIRST SYMPHONY

AUG 5

MOZART IN THE MEADOWS

AUG 12

AN EVENING WITH AUDRA MCDONALD

AUG 13

FUJITA PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY

AUG 19

IMPRESSIONS FROM FRANCE AND SPAIN

AUG 26

SEPTEMBER

MOVIE NIGHT LIVE DISNEY: THE SOUND OF MAGIC

SEP 1, 2 , & 3

DISTANT WORLDS

music from FINAL FANTASY*

SEP 9

Resident Professional Company of The College of Wooster Freedlander Theatre

OHIO LIGHT OPERA WELCOME

Welcome to Wooster and the 44th summer festival season of the Ohio Light Opera. There is palpable excitement as the company celebrates yet another wonderful season of lyric theater, with a mix of repertoire unlike that of any performance company worldwide.

Where else can you experience six engaging, and sometimes rare, show titles in the span of a few days? Our productions offer seasoned vocalists, unique visual designs, a full pit orchestra, and a state-of-the-art theater. Our ticket price offers patrons an unmatched entertainment value.

The enthusiasm thus far for this year’s festival (Camelot, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, No, No, Nanette, H.M.S. Pinafore, Arizona Lady, and Orpheus in the Underworld) has been overwhelming. This summer we add three new shows to our repertoire, bringing the total count to an impressive 154 titles. Please take a moment to read OLO’s mission statement found in this program. It defines a history and volume of exceptional artistic creativity and preservation—achievements enriched by the contributions of The College of Wooster, the Wooster community, and, most importantly, the loyalty of our patrons and generosity of our donors. It is because of you that our future looks bright … thank you!

Whether your taste in lyric theater is for operetta or musicals—or maybe both—the quality productions and community engagement found in Freedlander Theatre and the Wooster community will bring you back year after year. If you are attending for the first time, please know that we are excited to have you join us. If you are an OLO veteran, we welcome you back.

Warm regards,

Artistic Director Executive Director

e-mail: sdaigle@wooster.edu

e-mail: lneill@wooster.edu

THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Miller, Chair

Steven Daigle, Vice Chair

Nan Miller, Secretary

Marlene Kanipe, Treasurer

Glen Grumbling

Ron Holtman

Amelia Laing

The Honorable John Ong

Sara L. Patton

David Rice

John Schambach

Laura Neill, Executive Director

EMERITUS DIRECTORS

Bill & Marilyn Blanchard

Jean W. Knorr

Boyd & Eloise Mackus

Richard Seaman

Show illustrations in this program by Daniel Hobbs

Laura Neill Executive Director

Steven A. Daigle Artistic Director

Jacob Allen Assistant Artistic Director

Wilson Southerland Associate Music Director

Michael Borowitz Music Director

THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA 2023 ANNUAL FUND

We are grateful for the generosity of the following donors to the 2023 Ohio Light Opera Annual Fund.

Lord Chancellors ($10,000 and above)

Tom & Patsy Doak

Norman Keller

Joseph Loewenstein, M.D.

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

Brad Bennett

Carol Briggs

The Heuer Foundation

Ron & Prue Holtman

Ralph R. & Grace B. Jones Foundation

David “Jack” Knapp

Mimi McCain, in memory of my beloved parents, Harold & Lois Freedlander

Sorcerers ($2,500 to $4,999)

Adam & Vikki Briggs

Glen & Lisa Grumbling

Jean Knorr & Family

Pirate Kings ($1,250 to $2,499)

Bob Baer & Judy Cohen-Baer

Terry & Evan Buck

Mrs. Shirley Buehler

Robert & Virginia Cassady

Marian Taylor Cropp

Clarence & Connie Drennon

John & Lee Ann Eyre

Sarajane Fondiller

Stephen & Nancy McGraw Gfell, in memory of William R. & Barbara Ward McGraw

Stan & Diane Hales

Jim & Mary Anne Jicha

Bruce Kinsel

Englishmen ($750 to $1,249)

Michael Acree

Michele Anderson, in memory of Elsa Anderson

Anonymous

Steve & Lisa Armstrong

Lucille Bowers

Dr. Ted Bromund, in memory of Linda Bromund

Eugene L. Cox

Richard Dean

Clark R. Green Charitable Foundation

Michael & Nan Miller

The Honorable John Ong

Pamela Mellor

Burton D. Morgan Foundation

Sara L. Patton

Seaman Family Foundation

Tim & Jenny Smucker

Joe & Marlene Toot

Mrs. Andrea Traubner, in memory of Richard Traubner

Dick & Mimi Lewellen

Dwight & Christina McCawley

Betty McNutt

Stephen Miles, in memory of Karl Warner

Gordon Musch

Cyril Ofori & Amelia Laing

Christine & Robert Rosenow

John Schambach

Richard Springman & Pamela Elsass

Mary Stockton & Jeffrey Perkins, in honor of Julie Wright Costa

Dr. Lynn & Cyndy Willett

Jean Wingate

Bill & Claudette Finke

Marvin Fletcher

Robert Goss, in memory of Margaret L. Goss

Martha Hancock

Alicia Handwerk, in memory of Ivan “Pete” Handwerk

Gail Jones-Nemeth & Gary Nemeth

Thomas Jorgensen

Cynthia Knight

Bill & Jane Miller

Roy & Cindy Moore

Joyce H. Neill

Ward Randol

Stephen & Cheryl Shapiro

Carol Stewart

Timothy Strope

Peers or Peris ($400 to $749)

Mary L. Abbott

Robert C. Anderson

Anonymous

Elaine Arnold, in memory of Barbara Eisinger Adams

Ed Badger

Julia E. Bain

Victor C. Bastron

Mr. & Mrs. Brian W. Bishop

Bill & Pauline Bittner

Michael Clark

Lois Clemmer

David L. Dalrymple

Tom & Judy Driskell

Doug Drushal

Joe & Mary Dulle

Dee Durbin

Linda Earley

Katherine Eickmann

Mr. & Mrs. Harold Elliott

Kurt Erichsen

Richard Gillmore

Yeomen ($250 to $399)

Anonymous

Workplace Friends of Alicia Handwerk, in memory of “Pete” Handwerk

Robert & Constance Bouchard

Jeanette G. Brown

Robert Burger

Roy & Joan Burgess

Paul & Ruth Crowley

Mrs. Herbert C. Douglas

John & Adriana Dryer

Tom & Anne Engel

Howard & Terry Epstein

Bob & Lori Everett

Suzanne Fligiel

Tom & Renee Flowers

Richard & Patricia Gordon

Mary Ann Grumbling

Ray & Marge Gunther

Nancy K. Hachtel

Louise E. Hamel

Eleanor & Joseph Hingtgen

Allan Kazdan

Byron & Sue Kentner

Bob & Marilyn Kuhn

Jennifer Larson

Richard LeSueur

Joan Long

W. Berry Lyons & Anne E. Carey

Steve & Chris Matthew

Bob McInnes

The Mersol Family

Ted & Laura Motter

Emily Neill

Jeffrey & Jackie Nicholls

Robert Palmer

David Porter & Margaret Poutasse

Linn & Jodie Raney

Ms. Phyllis Gallo

Stuart Grigg, in honor of Leigha Sweiger’s patron service

Robert & Vickie Groenke

Alan Hamburger

Dianne Kauffman

Mary Knox

Steve & Carolyn Kuerbitz

Dr. & Mrs. Stan Levy

Anne R. Lewellen

Judy Mallonn

Jan & Lynda Menuez

Robert Mindek

Elizabeth T. Mitchell, in memory of Joan Strope

Lynn Moomaw

Flowers of Progress ($150 to $249)

Ken Acuff

Anonymous

David & Heidi Baney

Wilma & Herbert Beigel

Wayne & Barbara Beimesch

Mr. & Mrs. David Bokor

Alison Brown, in memory of Mag. Siegmund Haider

Richard & Susanne Campbell

Chaim Caron

Ted & Betha Christopher

Wendell & Ruth Cole

Peter Danford

Harriet Donaldson

Anne Dunipace

Pam & Howard Eagle, in memory of Alex & Geri Sherman

Anthony & Sarah Efremoff

Lisa Egan

Susan English

Howard & Terry Epstein

Jon & Mary Fancher

Ronald Fleming

In Memory of Mabel Stocker

David & Heidi Baney

Briggs Financial Group

Mary Ann Dobras

Frank & Linda Gollinger

Catherine & Tom Graves

Malinda Heineking, in memory of Janice Ladd

Dennis & Kathy Helmuth

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hillson

Stefani Koorhan & Ira Hinden, M.D.

Karen Hollo, in memory of Elaine Bielniak

Holly Horn

Katherine M. Hull

Willard H. Johnson

Grace Chamberlin Kelly

Rolland & Anne King

Charles & Connie Lepold

Luke & Nita Lovell

Dr. Arthur Marshall

Dr. W. Peter Marwede

Beverly McCall

Catherine McGraw

Antoinette Miller

Jim & Doris Miller

Marc Miller

Stanley Ransom

Andy & Cindy Ruckman

Dr. & Mrs. James J. Rybak

Dr. Martin Saltzman

Kalina & Isaiah Schloneger, in memory of Tori Bowers

Kenneth Shafer

Jack Shepherd

A.V. Shirk

Talia Starr

Betsy & Fred Stueber

Sheldon & Rebecca Taft

Bonnie Thurston

Robert Weppler

Luisa Westfall & Family, in memory of David J. Westfall

Wilkinson-Gudikunst Family Fund, in memory of John E. Wilkinson

Steve Woodward

Tom Woodward

Gerald & Julia Yaffee

J. Rufener & J. Young

Randall & Karen Moore

Dr. Michael Nichols, in memory of Susan Davis Nichols

John B. Nolan

Dr. Richard & Nadine Osborn

Stephen Orphanos

Ilona Pinzke

Jean E. Pollock

David & Karolyn Rice

John & Rebecca Schmidt, in memory of Charles & Mary Cureton

James M. Smith

J. Lynn & Adelia Thompson

Chuck & Lucy Weller

Linda R. Wilcox

John & Linda Zimmermann

Robert & Jane Moore

Deborah Neale

Don & Pam Peterman

Joanne Poderis

Ms. Betty Raber

Patricia Radigan

Hope & David Reynolds

Margaret Robinson

Randall Wilkins & Dianne Sattinger

Chris Saylor

Rose Ella Sears

Michael Seider

William & Susan Seitz

Sondra & John H. Siegenthaler

Edward Smith

Terry & Maria Snoddy

Doris Sopher

Linda Spear & Jeff Wanser

Larry Wallerstein

Elizabeth A. Young

Nedra Zachary

Robert & Jane Moore

Benjamin & Brenda Norton

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 2023 Ohio Light Opera Fund. Please contact: Laura Neill at 330-263-2090, lneill@wooster.edu for information on how to make a gift to the Ohio Light Opera Annual Fund.

The donor list includes gifts received prior to May 26, 2023. 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 2023 season:

Brad Bennett

Adam & Vikki Briggs

Carol Briggs

Tom & Patsy Doak

Clark R. Green Charitable Foundation

Ron & Prue Holtman

Ralph R. & Grace B. Jones Foundation

Norman Keller

Joseph Loewenstein, M.D.

Mimi McCain, in memory of Harold & Lois Freedlander

Michael & Nan Miller

Burton D. Morgan Foundation

The Honorable John Ong

Sara L. Patton

Seaman Family Foundation

PARAGONS OF THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA AND OPERETTA!

In last year’s program, we acknowledged three valued company members—Julie Wright Costa, J. Lynn Thompson, and John Schuesselin—who each gave more than 30 years of service to the mission of this unique company. As OLO approaches its golden anniversary, the company has decided to adopt a new tradition by acknowledging each year select past company members who have so fervently brought operetta and traditional musical theater to the hearts of tens of thousands of patrons.

STEVEN BYESS – Steven served for more than 20 seasons as music director and associate music director for OLO, for which he conducted over 80 productions and 21 audio and video recordings. A true champion of lyric theater, Steven is renowned for his versatility, multi-faceted presence on the podium, passion for music education, and devotion to promoting a lifelong love and enthusiasm for music and the arts.

CAROL HAGEMAN – Carol served as a choreographer with OLO for 25 years. Whereas other company members get a production off each season, the choreographer is, year after year, involved with every show. Carol’s ability to draw the most out of both seasoned and inexperienced performers was unique and inspiring. Her dedication, talent, and knowledge as a choreographer danced their way into a staggering 150 productions.

BOYD MACKUS – In countless lead roles for OLO, Boyd’s baritone voice has graced the Freedlander Theatre stage for over 30 years and 1300 performances. No cast member has portrayed such a diverse range of roles as Boyd has—from American and Continental operetta to musical theater to the principal characters in all 14 Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas.

Steven, Carol, and Boyd played invaluable roles in furthering OLO’s mission. They were an integral part of the expansion and evolution of our repertoire as we moved into golden age and early American musicals. The past, present, and future of the Ohio Light Opera look that much brighter because of their immense knowledge, creativity, and dedication. We celebrate their talent, friendship, collegial spirit, and love for the Wooster community.

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

Eighteen 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 (two 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 2023 Recipient of The Brian Woods Award: Spencer Reese – Choreographer, Stage Director

& Cast Member

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

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.”

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 Eastman School of Music. For seven seasons, he performed the principal tenor roles with Dorothy Raedler’s American Savoyards and the Martyn 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 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.

To make a lasting gift to the Ohio Light Opera, contact Executive Director Laura Neill at 330-263-2090.

James F. Stuart Founding Artistic Director 1928-2005

James F. Stuart

James Stuart in The Gondoliers, 1996

2022 season photos by Matt Dilyard

The Student Prince

Cinderella

The Pirates of Penzance

The Mock Marriage

Hello, Dolly!

The Fantasticks

The Pirates of Penzance

The Student Prince

The Pirates of Penzance

Cinderella

The Student Prince Hello, Dolly!

The Fantasticks

Hello, Dolly!

The Mock Marriage

America’s Premier Lyric Theater Festival

OUR MISSION

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 44 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 four 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 over 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

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 30 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 historical titles in the spirit of fidelity and faithfulness to the original material. This commitment over 40-plus years has brought over 750,000 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 154 titles produced, and over 2750 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

Cinderella

OHIO LIGHT OPERA 2023 FESTIVAL COMPANY

ADMINISTRATIVE, ARTISTIC, AND LEADERSHIP TEAM

RACHEL AHO, Lighting Designer

JACOB  ALLEN, Assistant Artistic Director

ERIC ANDRIES, Pianist

WREN BEERS, Prop Master & Artisan

MICHAEL BOROWITZ, Music Director

SOPHIE CARLICK, Assistant Costume Designer

AMBER COOK, Costume Designer

CATE CROGHAN, Wigs/Crafts

STEVEN DAIGLE, Artistic Director

MICHELLE FRAZIER, Box Office and Business Manager

SAMI HANSEN, Production Stage Manager

DANIEL HOBBS, Set Designer/ Production Manager

NEWMAN JONES, Wardrobe Master/Costume Designer

KIAH KAYSER, Set Designer/ Production Manager

LAURA KELLOGG, Flute/ Orchestra Personnel Manager

BROOKE KESLER, Costume Designer

AUDREY KLOSTERMAN, House Management

KHARLA LANDRAU, Lighting Designer/Assistant Lighting Designer

CHYNA MAYER, Assistant Set Designer

LAURA NEILL, Executive Director

LYDIA OTTO, House Manager

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, Sound Designer

PATRICK POLSIN, Assistant Director

CONNOR PROFITT, Technical Director

SPENCER REESE, Choreographer, Director, Tenor

SUWATANA ROCKLAND, Costume Designer

BRITTANY SHEMUGA, Lighting Designer

WILSON SOUTHERLAND, Associate Music Director

CAST

MADISON BARRETT

LYDIA DUNLAP

JULIA FEDOR

VINCENT GOVER

LILY GRAHAM

MARVIN HOLT

MEG JOHNSON

KOLBY KENDRICK

MAGGIE LANGHORNE

SARA LUCILLE LAW

OWEN MALONE

SOPHIA MASTERSON

SPIRO MATSOS

JAMES MITCHELL

MATTHEW MUELLER

JACK MURPHY

NICHOLAS ORTH

MICHELLE PEDERSEN

CHARLES AUSTIN PIPER

BERGEN PRICE

CHRISTINE TAYLOR PRICE

DAVIAN RAGGIO

MATTHEW REYNOLDS

COLIN RING

BENJAMIN RORABAUGH

NATHAN SELDIN

ALEXANDER SPENCE

SADIE SPIVEY

ELIZABETH STASSEN

TZYTLE STEINMAN

LOUISA WAYCOTT

ORCHESTRA

JEFFREY ANDERSON, Clarinet

DREW ANDREATTA, Percussion

MADELINE ARNEY, Harp

RUILIN CHEN, Violin

ALEXANDER DAY, Flute

SAMANDA ENGELS, Horn

NEIL FAULKNER, Percussion

TOM FLOWERS, Bass

GABRIEL FORERO, Viola

MAURICIO FRANCO, Clarinet

ANN GILBERT, Bass

EMILY GRISSING, Cello

LAUREN HINKLE, Trumpet

ANDREW HOSLER, Baritone Sax

MICHELLE KENYON, Violin

ISAAC MORTON, Trumpet

GRACE NELSON, Violin

LUCAS ORTH, Cello

DREW POSTEL, Bass

CAMERON RANDALL, Trombone

JONAH RICHARDSON, Oboe

LEV ROSHAL, Violin

GRAY SMILEY, Horn

GER VANG, Oboe

ABREAL WHITMAN, Violin

LEAH WIDMAIER, Viola

SPENCER WILSON, Bassoon

TECHNICAL AND FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM

WHITLEY ADAMS, Wardrobe

ALLIANCE AKINS, Master Carpenter

CLAIRE ALDERFER, Carpenter

RAINEY ALEXIEV, Sound Assistant

NINA ANDERSON, Box Office

KATIE AYER, Run Crew/Spot Op

KATHALEEN BURLEY, Carpenter

KATHERINE BURNS, Painter

ELLIOTT CARNELL, Assistant Technical Director

MORGAN CARSON, House Management

EMMA CHARLTON, Box Office

RYAN CORBETT, Costume Shop Manager

JORDINIA DENSON, Wardrobe

JAYDEN DUDLEY, Assistant Stage Manager

ANGIE GECOSKY, Sound Assistant

JULIAN GRIMES, Carpenter

ALISON HARVEY, Assistant Stage Manager

LANA JEFFCOAT, Master Electrician

AMANUEL JISSA, Front of House/Box Office/House Management

KATELIN KAPLAN, Stitcher

HANNAH LoGIUDICE, Run Crew/Spot Op

RACHEL LUNEKE, Wardrobe/ Stitcher

ETHAN MANN, Properties Artisan

BETHANY MARTY, Box Office/ Costumes

SANDY McILVAINE, Front of House

ROBERT PFOST, Electrician/ Board Op

ANNE PLUMMER, Carpenter

AMANDA PORDON, Assistant Stage Manager

MATTIE ROOS, Painter

MOIRA SEGER, Prop Artisan

GRACIE SHREVE, Assistant to Costume Designer

SYDNEY LONDON SMITH, Assistant Wig/Stitcher

KALEIGH WHITE, Head Stitcher/ Costumes

JORDAN DANIEL WIGGINTON, Carpenter

LERNER AND LOEWE’S CAMELOT

Music

Book and Lyrics

Frederick Loewe

Alan J. Lerner

Based on the novel The Once and Future King by T. H. White

Conductor ...................................................................

Stage Director ............................................................

Michael Borowitz

Steven A. Daigle

Choreographer ...............................................................Spencer Reese

Scenic Designer Daniel Hobbs

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Suwatana Rockland

Brittany Shemuga

Sound Designer Christopher Plummer

Assistant Sound Designer and Operator

Angie Gecosky

Stage Manager ............................................................... Sami Hansen

Assistant Stage Director .............................................. Patrick Polsin

Guenevere ...................................................................

Lancelot Du Lac

King Arthur

Pellinore

Merlyn

Mordred

Morgan Le Fey

Nimue

Sara Lucille Law*

Sadie Spivey**

Matthew Mueller*

Nathan Seldin**

James Mitchell

Vincent Gover

Vincent Gover

Matthew Reynolds

Michelle Pedersen

Sophia Masterson

Sir Dinadan ......................................................................

Sir Sagramore ................................................................

Sir Lionel ....................................................................

Spencer Reese

Kolby Kendrick

Alexander Spence

Squire Dap .........................................................................

Lady Anne

Lady Sybil

Bliant

Castor

Clarius

Colgrevance

Guilliam

Nicholas Orth

Margaret Langhorne

Lily Graham

Benajmin Rorabaugh

Jack Murphy

Colin Ring

Marvin Holt

Owen Malone

A Page Davian Raggio

Soloists in "Guenevere!"

Solo 1 .................................................................................

Kolby Kendrick

Solo 2 .....................................................................................

Tom of Warwick ...........................................................

Bergen Price

Lydia Dunlap***

Sophia Masterson****

LERNER AND LOEWE'S CAMELOT Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Knights and Ladies-in-Waiting: Lily Graham, Marvin Holt, Meg Johnson, Kolby Kendrick, Margaret Langhorne, Owen Malone, Sophia Masterson, Jack Murphy, Nicholas Orth, Charles Austin Piper, Bergen Price, Christine Price, Davian Raggio, Spencer Reese, Colin Ring, Benjamin Rorabaugh, Alexander Spence, Elizabeth Stassen

Understudy for King Arthur: Charles Austin Piper

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Adam & Vikki Briggs • Carol Briggs • Tom & Patsy Doak • Ron & Prue Holtman

330.263.2345

SETTING

England—in the legendary time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

ACT I

Scene 1: A hilltop near the castle at Camelot

Scene 2: Same as scene 1 – immediately following

Scene 3: A countryside near the castle – five years later

Scene 4: A hilltop near the castle – a few months later

Scene 5: A park near the castle – immediately following

Scene 6: Arthur’s study – two weeks later

Scene 7: A corridor within the castle – the next day

Scene 8: The jousting tents facing the field –immediately following

Scene 9: Arthur’s study – early evening after the joust

Scene 10: The Great Hall

15 Minute Intermission

MUSICAL NUMBERS

Overture

ACT I March

ACT II

Scene 1: A Corridor within the castle - evening, a few years later

Scene 2: Arthur’s study – late afternoon, a month later

Scene 3: The forest of Morgan Le Fey –immediately following

Scene 4: The corridor outside the Queen’s bedroom – later that night

Scene 5: The Queen’s chamber – immediately following

Scene 6: A timeless setting within Camelot

C’est Moi

The

Month of May

How to Handle a Woman

The Jousts

Before I Gaze at You Again

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Entr’acte

Madrigal/If Ever I Would Leave You

The Seven Deadly Virtues

What Do the Simple Folk Do?

Forest

The Persuasion

The Sleep Sequence

I Loved You Once in Silence

Guenevere .............................................................................Soloist, Arthur, Mordred, Dinadan, Sagramore, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court

Finale Ultimo: Camelot (reprise) Arthur, Tom, Ensemble

Scene 7: The battlefield outside Joyous Gard –pre-dawn S

“In short, there’s simply not a more congenial spot”

ACT I: On a wintry morning, King Arthur’s court greets the arrival of Guenevere, the King’s soon-to-be bride. Arthur is nervous at becoming a bridegroom; Guenevere is more romantically inclined in her new position as Queen of England, but equally uncertain. When they meet unexpectedly, he outlines the pleasures of life in Camelot. Each charmed by the other’s lack of court etiquette and formality, they are happily married as King and Queen. Arthur’s tutor, the magician Merlyn, is lured away from Camelot and is unable to warn the king of imminent dangers. Arthur has learned the wisdom of peaceful ways from Merlyn and has brought tranquility and justice to his domain through the establishment of the celebrated Round Table. News of the Table has even reached France, engaging the sympathies of young Lancelot du Lac, who arrives at Camelot proclaiming his intentions to serve King Arthur. Lancelot, in the view of the court and Guenevere, is insufferable; she encourages the castle knights to challenge him to a joust. Arthur tries to dissuade her from siding against Lancelot, but the Queen is adamant. Lancelot is victorious, exhibiting a strange power of faith and purity, thereby gaining the respect of the court and of the Queen. His feelings towards Guenevere speedily develop into a deep but silent love, putting to test the principles of the Round Table and Lancelot’s true love for the King he serves.

ACT II: Two years pass—Lancelot and Guenevere still strive to conceal their love. Arthur is aware of their feelings, but covers his resentment to preserve peace in Camelot. Rumors of the relationship attract the young squire Mordred, Arthur’s illegitimate son, who loathes Arthur’s dreams of peace and intends to disrupt the kingdom in the hope that he may ascend to the throne. Through Mordred’s scheme, Arthur is trapped in the enchanted forest of Mordred’s aunt, Morgan Le Fey, who casts a sleeping spell over the King. Lancelot visits Guenevere in her chambers, where Mordred overhears

them confess their love and accuses them of treason. Lancelot escapes, but Guenevere is sentenced to burn at the stake. At the last moment, Lancelot rescues Guenevere and takes her to France, and Arthur is forced to make war on his friend. Just before their final battle, Arthur meets both Guenevere and Lancelot, and discovers that they are no longer together. Realizing that all he has fought for is gone, Arthur forgives Guenevere. He discovers a young stowaway who aspires to join the Round Table. He knights the boy and sends him back to England, charging him, when he grows up, to tell another generation of the noble ideas of Camelot.

BACKGROUND

In the theatrical world, Shakespeare’s Macbeth is dubbed “that damned Scottish play” because so many productions of it are marred by misadventures. Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe may have felt that the curse of Macbeth struck Camelot during its pre-Broadway tryouts and in the initial weeks of its Broadway run. The Toronto opening, dogged by problems with the theater’s acoustics and technical facilities, didn’t let out until 12:25 A.M. Lerner soon developed a bleeding ulcer, director Moss Hart suffered a heart attack (and died during the Broadway run), and Lerner and Loewe quarreled over how to save the show. Rewrites in Toronto and Boston of “Costalot” (as some cynically titled it) trimmed the length, but the Boston reviews were mixed. When Camelot opened at New York’s Majestic Theatre on December 3, 1960 with Julie Andrews as Guenevere and Richard Burton and Robert Goulet making their musical theater debuts as King Arthur and Lancelot, the critical response was modified rapture. Howard Taubman in the New York Times contended that Camelot was only a “partly enchanted city” and that the tone of the book was inconsistent. At first there were no long lines at the box office, but a program—more than three months after the opening—of excerpts on the Ed Sullivan Show excited new interest.

After the show had settled into its run of 873 performances, Lerner attributed the initial lukewarm reception to Broadway’s provincial snobbery and the audience’s expectation of another My Fair Lady.

In adapting T. H. White’s The Once and Future King, Lerner sensed that the challenge was to create an all-pervasive innocence— “to make Arthur so ingenuously charming that one would fall in love with him, forgive him anything, and follow him everywhere, even over the hot coals of tolerating his wife’s infidelity.” He became aware, however, that his original libretto uneasily shifted from a joyous and romantic first part to a purely dramatic second part. His revisions adjusted the text to secure an upbeat ending. When a small boy who wants to be a knight appears, Arthur realizes that he is not a failure so long as his vision is kept alive in one small heart. Camelot’s afterlife in American culture was enhanced by Jacqueline Kennedy’s revelation in an interview that her late husband adored the title song. For many Americans, the Kennedy White House became identified with “one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.”

Camelot has been revived on Broadway four times: in 1980 with Richard Burton and Christine Ebersole; in 1981 with Richard Harris and Meg Bussert; in 1993 with Robert Goulet (as Arthur) and Patricia Kies, and in 2023 with Andrew Burnap and Phillipa Soo. A Warner Bros. film version appeared in 1967, featuring Richard Harris as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot.

Adapted from the original of Raymond McCall

FRANK LOESSER AND ABE BURROWS’

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

1961

Music and Lyrics Frank Loesser

Book ..... Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert

Conductor ......................................................

Wilson Southerland

Stage Director Jacob Allen

Choreographer ....................................................... Spencer Reese

Scenic Designer Kiah Kayser

Costume Designer Amber Cook

Lighting Designer........................................... Brittany Shemuga

Sound Designer Christopher Plummer

Associate Sound Designer and Operator ... Angie Gecosky

Stage Manager Sami Hansen

Assistant Stage Director Patrick Polsin

J. Pierrepont Finch

Spencer Reese

J. B. Biggley .............................................................. Vincent Gover

Rosemary Pilkington

Louisa Waycott

Gatch............................................................................ Nicholas Orth

Bratt Colin Ring

Miss Jones

Michelle Pedersen

Mr. Twimble.............................................................. James Mitchell

Hedy LaRue Bergen Price

Wally Womper....................................................... Kolby Kendrick

Bud Frump

Matthew Reynolds

Smitty Madison Barrett

Miss Krumholtz.............................................................. Julia Fedor

Ovington Charles Austin Piper

Jenkins .......................................................................... Jack Murphy

Scrubwomen Christine Price, Tzytle Steinman

The Voice of the Book ................................................

James Mills

Workers of the World Wide Wicket Company: Madison Barrett, Julia Fedor, Lily Graham, Marvin Holt, Meg Johnson, Sophia Masterson, Matthew Mueller, Jack Murphy, Charles Austin Piper, Christine Price, Davian Raggio, Colin Ring, Nathan Seldin, Alexander Spence, Sadie Spivey, Tzytle Steinman

FRANK LOESSER AND ABE BURROWS’ HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Norman Keller • Burton D. Morgan Foundation • Seaman Family Foundation

SETTING

The 1960s—in the new Park Avenue office building of World Wide Wicket Company, Inc.

MUSICAL NUMBERS

Overture

ACT I

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ................................................................ Finch

Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm Rosemary, Smitty

Coffee Break Smitty, Frump, Women, Men

The Company Way ............................................................................................................ Twimble, Finch

The Company Way (reprise) Frump, Men, Women, Twimble

A Secretary Is Not a Toy .........................................Bratt, Men, Women, Frump, Miss Krumholtz

Been a Long Day Smitty, Rosemary, Finch, Men, Women

Been a Long Day (reprise) ................................................................................ Frump, Biggley, Hedy

Grand Old Ivy Biggley, Finch

Paris Original Rosemary, Women, Smitty, Miss Jones

Rosemary .......................................................................................................................... Finch, Rosemary

Finale Finch, Rosemary, Frump

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Entr’acte

Cinderella, Darling............................................................................................................. Smitty, Women

Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm (reprise) Rosemary

Love from a Heart of Gold ................................................................................................ Biggley, Hedy

I Believe in You Men, Finch

I Believe in You (reprise) Rosemary

Brotherhood of Man ...................................................... Finch, Men, Womper, Biggley, Miss Jones

Finale Ultimo Ensemble

S

“To see the cool clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth”

S

ACT I: With one hand on a squeegee and the other grasping the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, window washer J. Pierrepont Finch has his heart set on pursuing an exalted career inside the building of the World Wide Wicket Company rather than outside. On his way to the personnel office, Finch both knocks over company president J. B. Biggley and catches the admiring eye of secretary Rosemary, who offers to help him in his job pursuit. Finch smart-talks his way to a job in the mail room, as Rosemary delights in finding someone for whom she would be happy to “keep a dinner warm.” In his quest for a higher position, Finch is challenged by fellow mail room employee and promotion-seeking Bud Frump, the nephew of Biggley’s wife. When Finch is chosen to succeed the retiring mail room head, he slyly suggests that Frump would be a better man for the job. His altruism does not go unnoticed by Biggley, as Finch is given a junior executive post in plans and systems. The happily married but funloving Biggley, in the meantime, has added the voluptuous Hedy La Rue—formerly cigarette girl at the Copacabana—to the secretarial staff and assigned her to Finch. Through wily and opportune manipulation of the corporate hierarchy, the rising young executive, always with guidebook in hand, is eventually appointed vice-president of advertising.

ACT II: Rosemary’s joy at being designated Finch’s secretary turns to disenchantment when he continually sees her as his typing machine rather than fiancée. She contemplates resignation, but is convinced by the secretarial pool to stick it out and hope his attitude changes. Biggley, meanwhile, has managed to dissuade Hedy from overreacting to her growing displeasure with office life and returning to the Copacabana. Frump’s plot to humiliate his rival in Biggley’s eyes backfires as the cunning Finch enlists the aid of Hedy in mounting a businessboosting, prize-offering TV campaign. The

effort falls embarrassingly short and Finch, summoned before the company chairman Womper, is facing his first competency crisis and the apparent end of his ascent up the company ladder. At least he still has Rosemary, who will stand by him—whether as executive or window washer. However … a bit more Finch magnanimity and a few fortuitous turns of events and … voilà!

BACKGROUND

Its title, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying—in subject matter and length—hardly conjures up the glamour of a blockbuster Broadway show. It surprised no one, therefore, that composer Frank Loesser, when first presented in September, 1960 with an invitation to work on the show, adamantly refused. Despite scoring big hits with Guys and Dolls (1950, 1200 performances) and The Most Happy Fella (1956, 676), he was fresh off a disappointing failure in the 1960 Greenwillow, which closed in May before reaching 100 performances.

How to Succeed is based on a 1952 novel of the same name by Shepherd Mead (1914–1994), who, at 22 and just out of college, worked his way up from a mail-room clerk to vice-president of a prominent New York advertising agency. Subtitled “The Dastard’s Guide to Fame and Fortune,” the novel— clearly inspired by Mead’s own ascent up the corporate ladder—became a best seller. In 1957 newspapers began to report of plans to turn the novel into a play, with adaptation by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, stage direction by the legendary George Abbott, and with Gene Kelly, Peter Lawford, and Jack Lemmon mentioned as possible leads. Fast forward three years … still no play on stage, but show producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin (Guys and Dolls, CanCan, The Boy Friend, and Silk Stockings) acquired the rights to turn How to Succeed into a musical. Abe Burrows, who had— with his “rescue” of Guys and Dolls and a few other musicals—earned a reputation as a “script doctor,” was engaged to rework the Weinstock and Gilbert play. Loesser, recognizing the stellar talents already

assembled and sensing the possibility of a major comeback after Greenwillow, finally joined the team. Burrows had recently worked with, and been impressed by, Robert Morse, who was cast in the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch. For the role of the boss’ nephew Bud Frump, Morse recommended his friend Charles Nelson Reilly, who, although neither a singer nor dancer, won out in auditions over seemingly more qualified performers. And, finally, for pompous company president J. B. Biggley, Cy Feuer traveled to Canada to track down show biz legend Rudy Vallee, with whom, as Feuer relates, “everyone was delighted— until they had to start working with him.”

How to Succeed opened at Broadway’s 46th Street Theater on October 14, 1961 and played for 1417 performances, becoming the fifth-longest-running Broadway musical

(after My Fair Lady, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music). Musical theater historian and raconteur Peter Filicia (who spoke at OLO’s 2015 symposium) reminds us that “since the World War II era until late 1963 (when the New York Mirror folded), critics from New York’s seven newspapers gave only seven musicals unanimous raves. In October 1961, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was the last of them.” Despite its frothy plotline and seeming promotion of questionable tactics for getting ahead in life, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the fourth musical—after Of Thee I Sing, South Pacific, and Fiorello!—to capture this coveted prize and one of only ten to this day.

Michael D. Miller

Concerts and Cabarets

Concerts and Cabarets

Concerts and Cabarets

Concerts and Cabarets

Concerts and Cabarets

Footlight Parade (Public Radio)

Grammy-award winning Harbinger Records

Grammy-award winning Harbinger Records

Grammy-award winning Harbinger Records

Grammy-award winning Harbinger Records

Grammy-award winning Harbinger Records

Footlight Parade (Public Radio)

Footlight Parade (Public Radio)

Footlight Parade (Public Radio)

Footlight Parade (Public Radio)

Let’s Go to the Movies at Home!

On the Aisle (SiriusXM)

On the Aisle (SiriusXM)

On the Aisle (SiriusXM)

On the Aisle (SiriusXM)

On the Aisle (SiriusXM)

Acclaimed School Programs

Let’s Go to the Movies at Home!

Acclaimed School Programs

Let’s Go to the Movies at Home! Acclaimed School Programs

Let’s Go to the Movies at Home! Acclaimed School Programs

Let’s Go to the Movies at Home! Acclaimed School Programs

Learn more at: MusicalTheaterProject.org

Learn more at: MusicalTheaterProject.org

Learn more at:

NO, NO, NANETTE

1925

Music Vincent Youmans

Lyrics ....................................... Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach

Book Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel

Conductor Michael Borowitz

Stage Director Steven A. Daigle

Choreographer ....................................................... Spencer Reese

Scenic Designer Daniel Hobbs

Costume Designer ..................................................

Brooke Kesler

Lighting Designer Rachel Aho

Sound Designer and Operator ........................

Stage Manager

Angie Gecosky

Amanda Pordon

Assistant Stage Director Patrick Polsin

Jimmy Smith, New York bible publisher

Sue Smith, his wife....................................................

Nanette, their protegée

Billy Early, a lawyer

Jacob Allen

Bergen Price

Sadie Spivey

Spencer Reese

Lucille Early, his wife.................................................. Julia Fedor

Tom Trainor, their nephew

Alexander Spence

Pauline, the Smith’s cook ..................................

Betty, from Boston

Louisa Waycott

Elizabeth Stassen

Winnie, from Washington .......................................

Flora, from San Francisco

Nanette’s Friends

Lily Graham

Madison Barrett

Lillian Mays........................................................... Christine Price

Alorna Webb

Alivana .......................................................

Grace

Wives

Sophia Masterson

Margaret Langhorne

Tzytle Steinman

Mrs. Webster-Wylie ...............................................

Mrs. Townley-Morgan

Lily Graham

Elizabeth Stassen

Mrs. Holmes-Gore...........................................

Madison Barrett

Bachelors Kolby Kendrick, Nicholas Orth, ......................................... Matthew Reynolds, Nathan Seldin

Husbands Marvin Holt, James Mitchell, Davian Raggio

Maids and Servants Sara Lucille Law, Owen Malone, ........................................... Colin Ring, Benjamin Rorabaugh

Orchestrations for No, No, Nanette provided through the courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin

(Eric Colleary, curator)

Ensemble: Madison Barrett, Lily Graham, Marvin Holt, Kolby Kendrick, Margaret Langhorne, Sara Lucille Law, Sophia Masterson, James Mitchell, Owen Malone, Nicholas Orth, Christine Price, Davian Raggio, Matthew Reynolds, Colin Ring, Benjamin Rorabaugh, Nathan Seldin, Elizabeth Stassen, Tzytle Steinman

Understudy for Nanette: Lily Graham

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Brad Bennett • Sara L. Patton

SETTING

Early summer in 1925—New York City & New Jersey

ACT I

15 Minute Intermission

ACTS II and III

MUSICAL NUMBERS

Overture

ACT I

The home of Jimmy Smith

Outside Smith’s seaside cottage

How Do You Do? Ensemble, Pauline

The Call of the Sea............................................................................................................. Billy, Ensemble Too Many Rings around Rosie Lucille, Ensemble

I’ve Confessed to the Breeze .............................................................................................Tom, Nanette

I Want to Be Happy Jimmy, Nanette, Ensemble No, No, Nanette! Nanette, Ensemble

Finale Tom, Nanette, Ensemble

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

When the Sea Begins A-Calling Me Nanette, Ensemble Fight Over Me Jimmy, Betty, Winnie Tea for Two .........................................................................................................Tom, Nanette, Ensemble

You Can Dance with Any Girl at All Billy, Lucille, Ensemble I Want to Be Happy (reprise)

Finale Ensemble

Acts II & III are presented without intermission

ACT III

Hello, Hello, Telephone Girlie

Billy, Ensemble, Flora, Winnie, Betty

Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues .......................................................................... Lucille, Ensemble Take a Little One-Step Billy, Nanette

Finale Ultimo Ensemble

S

“I want to be happy, but I won’t be happy till I make you happy too”

S

ACT I: Bible publisher Jimmy Smith has done quite well for himself in business. He shares his home with his frugal, straightlaced, and loving wife Sue, servant Pauline, and Nanette—the daughter of friends of Sue—who has been raised in the proper fashion by the Smiths. Sue is hesitant to let the sheltered Nanette join her flapper friends for a weekend at Jimmy’s seaside cottage, even after family lawyer Billy Early extolls the virtue of the sea. Lucille, Billy’s wife, is Sue’s best friend, but a total opposite when it comes to spending her husband’s money. Nanette’s boyfriend Tom, a bit of a stick in the mud, is distraught when she tells him that she wants to “raise a little hell first” before settling down to married life. When Jimmy arrives home, he tries to encourage Sue to spend some of his money on herself, but her frugality gets the better of her. The frustrated Jimmy, with a great sense of joy, gives Nanette $20 to go on a shopping spree—she is equally ecstatic. However … Jimmy’s generosity is not limited to the “daughter” he helped raise. He repentantly reveals to his lawyer Billy that he has opened charge accounts for three pretty flappers, Betty, Winnie, and Flora, and offers Billy a sizable fee to extricate him from these commitments. Meanwhile, Nanette, on her way shopping, has refused to tell Tom where she got the $20—they quarrel. Panic ensues when Flora phones and informs Jimmy that she is coming to town. Lucille has overhead part of the conversation, gets suspicious of what Jimmy and Billy might be up to, and convinces Sue to hire a private detective.

ACT II: Jimmy has joined Nanette at his seaside cottage, but is unaware that Billy has apparently instructed the three young ladies to make an appearance there. But, in fact, Billy has made no such request. Maybe Lucille and Sue are behind this. Nanette has to do some fast talking when Tom appears and is aghast at the thought that his girlfriend has spent the night there with a married man. The plot thickens as Betty, Winnie, and Flora show up at the cottage,

as does Lucille, who reveals that Flora had earlier popped up at Jimmy’s house and expects to marry him. Billy does some fast thinking and concocts a story that quells any thought that the trio of ladies may have of tapping big-time into Jimmy’s wealth. Sue arrives, spots the three ladies, and becomes convinced that it is Billy, not her husband, who is the womanizer. But she quickly changes her mind when she discovers that Nanette is also there. All agree that everyone must remain at the cottage until tempers settle down.

ACT III: Betty, Winnie, and Flora are eager for Billy to provide them a financial settlement and be on their way home. Lucille, led to believe that Billy is the ladies’ man, fears that she may be losing him. But she has a change of heart when she remembers that he has no money and could not be the one who was lavishing gifts on the three ladies. When she finally learns that Jimmy, in fact, is the sugar daddy, she dreads having to break the news to her friend Sue. It remains for the three ladies to calm Sue down and convince her that the road to happiness with Jimmy is to spend his money and doll herself up for him. The three ladies depart, as Lucille and Billy, and Sue and Jimmy, mend their differences. It remains only for the fun-loving Nanette and stiff-necked Tom to reconcile their life philosophies.

BACKGROUND

Never before, and never since, has Broadway experienced a week of artistic resplendence like the one that ended on September 22, 1925. On that day, Jerome Kern’s musical Sunny opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre for a run of 517 performances. The day before, on September 21, the curtain went up at the Casino Theatre on the opening night of Rudolf Friml’s The Vagabond King, which enjoyed 511 performances. On September 18, at the Knickerbocker Theatre, Rodgers and Hart’s first full-length book musical, Dearest Enemy, played its first of 286 performances. And … on September 16, Vincent Youmans’

No, No, Nanette premiered at the Globe Theatre, the first of 321 performances.

Whereas Sunny, The Vagabond King, and Dearest Enemy had arrived on Broadway as relatively unknown stage commodities—each having played in out-of-town tryouts for less than two weeks—No, No, Nanette had a pedigree quite unlike any other Broadway musical. It first saw the light of day on April 21, 1924 at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit. Reviews were mixed, but generally positive, as they were a week later when the show opened at Cincinnati’s Shubert Theatre. Show producer Harry Frazee, sensing that he maybe had a big hit on his hands, wanted an even bigger hit—one that would eventually capture the hearts of Broadway. He engaged Nanette composer Youmans and co-lyricist Irving Caesar to come up with some winning new tunes. And that they did! “Tea for Two” and “I Want to Be Happy”—songs that, to this day, epitomize the happy-go-lucky spirit of the 1920s—were inserted into the score for the opening night in Chicago on May 4. “As often as it was repeated last evening, the audience wanted more,” wrote a local newspaper concerning “I Want to Be Happy.”

Four weeks into the run, Frazee decided that the “demands of the title role required an actress of somewhat wider experience.” So he replaced 19-year-old Phyllis Cleveland with experienced Broadway performer Louise Groody, who had a resumé featuring lead roles in three Jerome Kern musicals. At the same time, Frazee hired Broadway pro Charles Winninger (who a few years later originated the role of Cap’n Andy in Show Boat) to replace Richard “Skeets” Gallagher in the lead role of Jimmy. Ever the astute show producer, Frazee was then, one week later, more easily able to engage Winninger’s wife, Blanche Ring, to take over from Anna Wheaton in the role of Lucille. Ring was one of Broadway’s most beloved stars, having introduced “In the Good Old Summertime” and “I’ve Got Rings on My Fingers,” and

introduced to America “Yip-I-Addy-I-Ay.”

Each of these cast changes by Frazee was met by increased box office receipts, which propelled No, No, Nanette to a remarkable 49-week run in Chicago.

In January 1925, a “B” company, featuring Donald Brian (America’s first Danilo in The Merry Widow) and Ona Munson, hit the road for a four-month tour through ten states and Toronto. In March, a “C” company played eight months in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and in October, a “D” company played a week in New Orleans. Finally, an “E” company took to the road in September 1925 for a five-month spin through the East and Midwest.

In the summer of 1924, London actor and producer George Grossmith (son of the famous Gilbert and Sullivan player) came to America ostensibly to buy the British rights for Rudolf Friml’s Rose Marie. Upon arriving, however, he learned that someone else had beat him to it. When he saw No, No, Nanette in Chicago, he not only jumped at the opportunity to buy the rights for London, but also decided to assume there the leading role of Jimmy. The show graced the Palace Theatre for 665 performances.

By the time September 1925 rolled around, No, No, Nanette had played on four continents (including Africa and Australia), but had not yet been seen on Broadway. The explanation lay in the fact that Louise Groody’s contract with Harry Frazee guaranteed her the opportunity to play the title role on Broadway. The Chicago business was so good that Frazee had no intention of prematurely terminating that run. When Nanette finally made it to New York, at the Globe Theatre on September 16, 1925, it garnered the same unanimously rave reviews that it had in all corners of the globe.

Michael D. Miller

H.M.S. PINAFORE

1878

Music ..........................................................................Arthur Sullivan

Libretto William S. Gilbert

Conductor ...................................................... Wilson Southerland

Stage Director Spencer Reese

Choreographer ....................................................... Spencer Reese

Scenic Designer Chyna Mayer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Newman Jones

Kharla Landrau

Stage Manager Alison Harvey

Sound Designer ....................................................

Angie Gecosky

Assistant Stage Director Patrick Polsin

Captain Corcoran Jacob Allen

Josephine Sara Lucille Law*

Sophia Masterson**

.................................................................

Ralph Rackstraw

Benjamin Rorabaugh

Little Buttercup ................................................... Tzytle Steinman

Sir Joseph Porter Vincent Gover

Bill Bobstay, boatswain's mate

Dick Deadeye

Matthew Reynolds

Charles Austin Piper*

................................................................... Matthew Mueller**

Bob Beckett, carpenter’s mate ....................... Kolby Kendrick

Cousin Hebe

Margaret Langhorne

Sailors and Sisters, Cousins, and Aunts of Sir Joseph: Madison Barrett, Julia Fedor, Marvin Holt, Meg Johnson, Kolby Kendrick, Margaret Langhorne, Owen Malone, Jack Murphy, Nicholas Orth, Michelle Pedersen, Christine Price, Davian Raggio, Matthew Reynolds, Colin Ring, Nathan Seldin, Alexander Spence, Elizabeth Stassen, Louisa Waycott

Understudy for Ralph Rackstraw: Owen Malone

* 6/29, 7/7, 7/13, 7/25 ** 7/5, 7/11, 7/22, 7/28

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Mimi McCain, in memory of Harold & Lois Freedlander • The Honorable John Ong

SETTING

19th century—on the quarter-deck of the H.M.S. Pinafore, off Portsmouth

Act I Noon

15 Minute Intermission

Act II Night

MUSICAL NUMBERS

Overture

ACT I

We Sail the Ocean Blue Sailors

I’m Called Little Buttercup Buttercup

But Tell Me Who’s the Youth ................................................................Buttercup, Boatswain's Mate

The Nightingale Sighed Ralph, Sailors

A Maiden Fair to See ............................................................................................................ Ralph, Sailors

I Am the Captain of the Pinafore Capt. Corcoran, Sailors

Sir, You Are Sad! ........................................................................................... Buttercup, Capt. Corcoran

Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well Josephine

Over the Bright Blue Sea Women Relatives of Sir Joseph

Sir Joseph’s Barge Is Seen ......................................................................................................... Ensemble

I Am the Monarch of the Sea Capt. Corcoran, Sir Joseph, Hebe, Ensemble

When I Was a Lad .................................................................................................. Sir Joseph, Ensemble

For I Hold That on the Seas Sir Joseph, Hebe, Ensemble

A British Tar Is a Soaring Soul Ralph, Boatswain’s Mate, Carpenter’s Mate, Ensemble

Refrain, Audacious Tar .................................................................................................. Josephine, Ralph

Finale: Can I Survive This Overbearing? Ralph, Dick Deadeye, Josephine, Ensemble

Oh Joy, Oh Rapture Unforseen! ......................................... Josephine, Hebe, Ralph, Ensemble

This Very Night, with Bated Breath Ensemble

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Entr’acte

Fair Moon, to Thee I Sing ................................................................................................. Capt. Corcoran

Things Are Seldom What They Seem Buttercup, Capt. Corcoran

The Hours Creep on Apace Josephine

Never Mind the Why and Wherefore .............................Josephine, Capt. Corcoran, Sir Joseph

Kind Captain, I’ve Important Information Dick Deadeye, Capt. Corcoran

Carefully on Tiptoe Stealing....................................................................... Sailors, Women Relatives

Farewell My Own Ralph, Josephine, Sir Joseph, Buttercup, Ensemble

A Many Years Ago .................................................................................................. Buttercup, Ensemble

Finale Ensemble

“Never mind the why and wherefore”

ARGUMENT

ACT I: High spirits prevail aboard the H.M.S. Pinafore as bumboat woman Little Buttercup distributes sweets and tobacco to the crew. Seaman Ralph Rackstraw’s mind, however, is on Josephine, the daughter of their Captain Corcoran. He is in love with her even though she is socially unattainable. Unaware of his affection, Josephine is in love with Ralph, but pride prevents her from revealing this because of his low station. Josephine, meanwhile, is sought in marriage by Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty, whose advances she refuses to acknowledge. Sir Joseph holds strong views about the treatment of sailors— he maintains that a British sailor is any man’s equal (excepting his own) and should always be treated with politeness, without recourse to bad language or abuse. This inspires Ralph to declare his love to Josephine, who soon forgets her pride and confesses her true feelings to him. Plans are quickly made to smuggle the couple ashore that night to be married.

ACT II: The Captain tries to explain to Sir Joseph that his daughter’s indifference toward him is explained by her bedazzlement at his exalted rank. Meanwhile, the only crewmember who is not happy at the news of the pending elopement is the cantankerous Dick Deadeye. He betrays their intentions to the Captain and the young couple are caught before they can leave the ship. Furious at Ralph’s actions, the Captain loses his cool and utters a swear word that is, unfortunately, overheard by Sir Joseph. He is appalled at such an outburst and turns to Ralph for an explanation. Unfortunately, Ralph only makes matters worse by revealing that he is in love with Josephine. Sir Joseph wastes no time in sentencing the young sailor to the dungeon cell. All looks hopeless for the two lovers … but Little Buttercup still has an ace up her sleeve.

BACKGROUND

For the 17th season, H.M.S. Pinafore has maneuvered up Killbuck Creek and docked at Freedlander Theatre. The most frequently performed work in Ohio Light Opera’s

repertoire (more than 130 performances), this Gilbert and Sullivan creation has been an audience favorite on both sides of the Atlantic for 145 years. The initial long run in London prompted numerous unauthorized productions in this country, where Sullivan’s melodies were relentlessly played by organ grinders, where Gilbert’s words became tag lines for would-be comedians, and the creators earned not one penny in royalties. The University of Wooster’s year book for 1880 offered as the tenth commandment of a mock decalogue: “Thou shalt not commit Pinafore gags.” One suspects that many of the students attended one or more of the three pirated touring productions that reached the Quinby Opera House in 1879 and early 1880.

To counter the American piracy and to demonstrate the superiority of the authentic version, London producer Richard D’Oyly Carte decided to bring a company to New York. On December 1, 1879, at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Sullivan conducted the score as he intended it to be heard, and Gilbert, on stage in a sailor’s costume, made sure that the chorus moved properly. The packed house roared its approval, and Carte boasted in newspaper ads: “New life given to the merry opera.” Yet Pinafore had almost sunk after its launching on May 25, 1878. Although the audience at the Opera Comique in London was enthusiastic, the reviews were condescending for the most part (“A frothy production destined soon to subside into nothingness,” the Daily Telegraph sniffed). Sullivan, however, stirred up interest by conducting a medley of Pinafore extracts at a Covent Garden Promenade Concert. Indeed, the box office eventually prospered to the extent that some of Carte’s once-nervous investors attempted a bizarre act of piracy by hiring thugs to steal the show’s set during a performance for use in a rival production; they were repulsed presumably by crew members and stagehands.

The denouement of Pinafore is not one of Gilbert’s happiest inventions (we are suddenly forced to accept Ralph and Captain Corcoran as equal in age), but his jabs at glib

and hypocritical egalitarianism still strike home today. Sir Joseph proclaims “the principle that a British sailor is any man’s equal, excepting mine.” That last phrase harmonizes Gilbert’s view with Samuel Johnson’s: “Sir, your levelers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear leveling up to themselves.” Johnson would have endorsed Dick Deadeye’s pragmatic observation: “When people have to obey other people’s orders, equality’s out of the question.” Sullivan’s score guarantees a voyage without the dangers of wrecks or seasickness. Whether in “We Sail the Ocean Blue,” the opening chorus that rhythmically invites the audience to come on board; the Mozartean eloquence of Josephine’s “Sorry Her Lot”; the mock heroics of “For He Is an Englishman”; or the infectious gaiety of “Never Mind the Why and Wherefore,” the music retains its freshness after tens of thousands of performances.

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ARIZONA LADY

Music Emmerich Kálmán

Original German Libretto

Alfred Grünwald and ...............................................................................Gustav Beer

English Translation/Adaptation

Conductor

Stage Director

Choreographer

Steven A. Daigle

Wilson Southerland

Jacob Allen

Spencer Reese

Scenic Designer Kiah Kayser

Costume Designer ..................................................

Lighting Designer

Sound Designer .....................................................

Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Director

Lona Farrell, owner of the Sunshine Ranch .......................................

Harry Sullivan, sheriff

Chester Kingsbury, Jr., from the city

Brooke Kesler

Rachel Aho

Rainey Alexiev

Jayden Dudley

Patrick Polsin

Louisa Waycott

Charles Austin Piper

Nelly Nettleton, owner of grand bazaar

Roy Dexter, cowboy

Spencer Reese

Tzytle Steinman

Lopez Ibañez, wealthy rancher........................

Jim Slaughter, former ranch foreman

Jack Murphy

James Mitchell

Alexander Spence

Bill Sanders, cowboy............................................. Owen Malone

Cavarelli, mind reader and fortune teller

Carnival barker ...........................................

Dolores Delaney, performer

Matthew Reynolds

Benjamin Rorabaugh

Lily Graham

Algernon Galahad Bentschley, extortionist .......... Colin Ring

Peligreen, warden of the jail

Molly

Spike, henchman for Ibañez

Jeremy, bartender

Benjamin Rorabaugh

Margaret Langhorne

Kolby Kendrick

Marvin Holt

Street singer ......................................................

Race judge

Elizabeth Stassen

Spiro Matsos

By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Agent in the USA for Josef Weinberger, Ltd., London, publisher and copyright owner.

Ensemble: Madison Barrett, Julia Fedor, Vincent Gover, Lily Graham, Marvin Holt, Meg Johnson, Kolby Kendrick, Margaret Langhorne, Sara Lucille Law, Owen Malone, Spiro Matsos, Matthew Mueller, Michelle Pedersen, Charles Austin Piper, Bergen Price, Colin Ring, Benjamin Rorabaugh, Alexander Spence, Sadie Spivey, Elizabeth Stassen

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Ralph R. and Grace B. Jones Foundation • Michael & Nan Miller

SETTING

1920—Arizona and Kentucky

ACT I

Scene 1: Lona Farrell’s Sunshine Ranch, near Rio Rico, Arizona

Scene 2: Early the next morning, at the ranch

Scene 3:.............................................Two weeks later, at the rodeo and county fair at the ranch

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Scene 4: .................................................................................................... Four weeks later, at the ranch

Scene 5: The following day, on the U.S. side of the county jail in Nogales

Scene 6: ........................................................................................................The Paradise Bar in Nogales

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT I

Low in the West, Soon the Sun Sets Sanders, Rex, Danny, Slaughter, Ensemble

Each New Day, My Heart Grows Bleak............................................................................................Lona

But Who Will Bring a Rose Bouquet?

Hear the Cowboy Song...........................................................................................................................

I Respect All You’ve Done

Driver, Driver, Not So Fast!

Finaletto.......................................................................................................................

Loving Horse, Splendid Horse Roy

With You Near Me, Dreams Can Come True

Oh, the Fair’s on the Ranch! Look Around! Ensemble, Cavarelli, Nelly

Arizona! Land Where the Cactus Bloom Lona, Nelly, Roy, Chester, Ensemble

Day and Night, I Keep on Wishing ................................................................................. Chester, Nelly

Finale I Ensemble

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Right Around, Left Around, How D’You Do Nelly, Molly, Chester, Ensemble

On Sunday, She Goes Out.......................................................................................................... Roy, Lona

Finaletto Ensemble

The Night ... It Fills You with Desire ................................................................................ Street Singer

Roses ... They May Bloom Roy

Wanted: A Husband to Marry a Woman Nelly, Chester

Melodrama ...............................................Roy, Lona, Sheriff, Chester, Nelly, Bentschley, Cavarelli

Finale Ultimo Ensemble

Scene 7: Four months later, at the refreshment tent at the Kentucky Derby S

“Will this life awaken dreams I have forsaken?” S

ACT I—Scene 1: Hungarian emigrant and Sunshine Ranch owner Lona Farrell has just fired her manager, Jim Slaughter, for trying to kiss her. She is left with no one to ride her prize racehorse, Arizona Lady. The sheriff arrives, makes no secret of his warm feelings for Lona, and informs her that a cattle thief from Colorado named Burt Morton is feared to be in the area. Nelly, the proprietress of a mobile store, tries to peddle her wares to the gathered crowd. The cowboy Roy Dexter, guitar in hand, arrives at the ranch and, despite his lack of references and Lona’s fear for the worst when he reveals that he is from Colorado, is hired as the new manager. Ranch apprentice Chester tries to win the affection of Nelly. The rich neighbor Lopez approaches Lona with an offer to buy Arizona Lady, who he recognizes is fierce competition for his own race entry, Mexican Cavalier.

Scene 2: Having agreed to ride Arizona Lady, Roy has spent the night sleeping in her stable. Lona arrives, as it becomes clear that the couple’s earlier agreement to speak only of business matters has been superseded by their mutual attraction. After Lona departs, Roy launches into a love song to the horse, speaking of taming her and having her eating out of his hand. Lona, still close enough to overhear these words, becomes outraged as she assumes the words are intended for her.

Scene 3: At the race, Nelly has received a letter from her sister Magnolia, who fears that she will lose her fiancé Charlie if he finds out that she has an illegitimate child. She has, in fact, told him that the child belongs to Nelly. Charlie has agreed to adopt, but only if Nelly sends them $2000. Lopez and Slaughter rendezvous and plot to ensure that Arizona Lady does not win the race. The jealous sheriff tells Lona that he is betting on Mexican Cavalier—he likes Arizona Lady but does not like its rider. The race begins—Arizona Lady leads the entire way until the very end, when she falls. Mexican Cavalier, ridden by Jim Slaughter, is the winner. Nelly receives her $2000—

Chester had bet on every horse in the race. When Roy reveals that his saddle-girth had been severed, Lopez puts the case to the race judges, who concur in the announced outcome. Lopez suggests that Roy leave town before suspicions are aroused concerning his Colorado background. Lona convinces Roy to stay on as all revel in the glories of their home state.

ACT II—Scene 4: Back at the Sunshine Ranch, Lopez and Slaughter plot the kidnapping of Arizona Lady, as feelings between Roy and Lona are heating up again. Nelly gives Roy the $2000 and asks him to deliver it to Magnolia in Kentucky. Lona introduces Dolores, a dancer from the Paradise Bar in Nogales, who entertains the party guests. The sheriff quizzes her about her acquaintance with a certain cowboy from Colorado. Pointing at Roy, she says that she indeed knows this man and that his name is Burt Morton. Roy is arrested—the sheriff finds on him $2000, as Lona, misconstruing the situation, is dismayed. A ranch hand enters and announces that Arizona Lady has been kidnapped and Chester is missing. Roy is led off to jail.

Scene 5: At the county jail in Nogales, the imprisoned Roy sings of how, among all the blooming roses and shining stars, one woman alone has become his total happiness. Roy’s cell mate Bentschley reveals that he has formulated a breakout plan—both men escape and are soon over the border and outside American jurisdiction.

Scene 6: At the Paradise Bar in Nogales—half in Mexico and half in the United States—the sheriff is startled to catch sight of Roy, who makes sure that he stays on the Mexican side. Roy agrees to give himself up if the sheriff will allow him ten minutes with Lona. Chester, to Nelly’s great joy, is brought in by two thieves, who want nothing more than to be rid of him.

When Lona arrives, Roy explains to her that, as a young boy, his father had been shot dead before his eyes by horse thieves. He had vowed to avenge his father’s memory, and has finally succeeded. He tells her that Lopez was the head thief and that Slaughter is really Burt Morton. Both have just been arrested and Arizona Lady

has been recovered. Lona asks Roy to continue in his job, but he refuses, asking that his only souvenir from the Sunshine Ranch be Arizona Lady, which Lona happily agrees to gift him.

Scene 7: At the Kentucky Derby, Lona and the sheriff make a wager that if Arizona Lady wins, the two will be married. Roy has entered the horse in the big race, but is not her rider, and is distressed to learn of the wager, especially when Arizona Lady wins the race. The sheriff, however, realizing that Lona’s heart beats only for Roy, releases her from the bet and bids them a happy life together in Arizona.

BACKGROUND

“We—you and I—owe a new work to the world.” With these words, penned in 1948 to his former librettist Alfred Grünwald, operetta composer Emmerich Kálmán (1882–1953) set the wheels in motion for the creation of what would be his final operetta, Arizona Lady. Kálmán and Grünwald, joined by co-librettist Julius Brammer, had teamed more than a quarter century earlier for five consecutive stage works—The Bayadere, Countess Maritza, The Circus Princess, The Duchess of Chicago, and The Violet of Montmartre—that, toward the end of the 1920s, had positioned Kálmán as Vienna’s most successful and sought-after operetta composer. Both composer and Grünwald, along with many of their musical peers, had been forced to leave their European homelands. Settling first for three months in Zurich, and then in Paris for a year and a half, Kálmán and his family (wife Vera, son Charles, and daughters Lili and Yvonne) left Europe (via Genoa) on March 20, 1940 and, with 60 pieces of luggage, arrived in America eight days later. They settled into an apartment on Central Park West. Within a few months, with hopes and some promise of working with M-G-M’s Louis B. Mayer on film versions of his operettas, Kálmán moved his family to Beverly Hills. By the fall of 1941—with diminishing public interest in operettas, especially those that originated in Germany and Austria—he was back in New York City. He collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart (of Rodgers and Hart

fame) on a Broadway-bound but ultimately aborted musical, Miss Underground, about the wartime French resistance movement. He did reach Broadway in 1945 with his musical Marinka, which had an admirable five-month run and, 63 years later in 2008, graced the Ohio Light Opera stage.

For his anticipated new work, Kálmán had strong opinions, which he voiced to librettist Grünwald: “You have to completely forget America and really write for Europe … where you and I are the old masters, and not beginners like here.” The composer suggested that they dramatize George Ohnet’s novel Le Maître de Forges (The Ironmaster). Grünwald claimed that it was unmusical but might fare better if its setting were moved from France to New Orleans and its protagonist was more like Rhett Butler (of Gone with the Wind). This all went nowhere and, before long, Kálmán and Grünwald had turned their attention to writing a “cowboy operetta,” initially titled Arizona Darling. According to the composer’s son Charles, his father had long been a fan of American westerns, having read the novels of Max Brand and enjoyed the films of Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, and Roy Rogers—it being no coincidence that the hero of Kálmán’s last operetta is named Roy. Charles also alludes to the inspiration that his father might have drawn from Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West or from a desire to emulate Dvořák and create an “operetta from the New World.” Less obvious, but seemingly significant, is the influence on Kálmán of the 1949 Broadway musical Texas L’il Darlin’, a Texan musical comedy that, according to the composer’s biographer Stefan Frey, he saw time and time again with Gustave Beer, who served as co-librettist of Arizona Lady. What is clear, in any case, is that, with Arizona Lady, Kálmán was paying homage to the country that had welcomed his music for more than 40 years and which opened its arms to him and his family when they fled Europe.

At Christmas time 1950, Kálmán suffered a stroke, from which he never fully recovered. Just two months later, Alfred Grunwäld—recovering himself from

a stroke—succumbed to a heart attack. Attempts to interest theaters in Zurich and Munich in this new work set in Arizona had fallen on deaf ears, as such theaters had little interest in “American imports” and preferred to revive Kálmán’s earlier successes The Gypsy Princess, Countess Maritza, and The Circus Princess. Kálmán relocated to Europe in the first months of 1951, eventually settling in Paris. Although able to speak only very little, he nevertheless continued work on the score, entrusting its orchestration to arranger Wolfgang Friebe. Sadly, the composer did not live to see the realization of his tribute to his adopted country, of which he had become a citizen. On October 30, 1953, he passed away in Paris. Son Charles and Gustave Beer put a few final touches on the music, which was premiered on New Year’s Day, 1954 on Bavarian Radio and featured Herbert Ernst Groh (dubbed the rightful successor to Richard Tauber) and Esther Réthy. The stage premiere occurred six weeks later at

the City Theater in Bern, Switzerland.

As Kálmán worked on Arizona Lady, he most certainly realized that it would be his last operetta. He had divided his life among three countries: Hungary, Austria, and the United States—each of which had a profound influence on his musical evolution. In a fascinating musical score that fully belies his weakened physical condition, Kálmán showcases in Arizona Lady his heartfelt devotion to all three influences. The refrain to Lona’s act-one entrance song is a haunting, minor-key tune that harkens back to a similar solo in his first operetta, Tatárjárás (Autumn Maneuvers in its English version), which premiered in Budapest in 1908. Roy’s first-act “cowboy song” and third-act prison ballad are reminiscent of his more sophisticated Viennese strains, and much of the music of the buffo-couple Nelly and Chester conjures up the Wild West.

Michael D. Miller

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD

1858

Music Jacques Offenbach

Original French Libretto Hector Crémieux and ......................................................................... Ludovic Halévy

English Translation ........................................... Richard Traubner

Edited and adapted by Steven A. Daigle

Conductor Michael Borowitz

Stage Director ..................................................... Steven A. Daigle

Choreographer ....................................................... Spencer Reese

Scenic Designer ........................................................ Daniel Hobbs

Costume Designer Brooke Kesler

Lighting Designer Brittany Shemuga

Sound Designer Christopher Plummer

Associate Sound Designer ................................ Rainey Alexiev

Stage Manager ........................................................... Sami Hansen

Assistant Stage Director ...................................... Patrick Polsin

Public Opinion Bergen Price

Orpheus Jack Murphy

Eurydice ..................................................................... Christine Price

Pluto/Aristeus ............................................................Nicholas Orth

Diana ................................................................................ Lily Graham

Jupiter Vincent Gover

John Styx James Mitchell

Juno Michelle Pedersen

Mars .............................................................................. Nathan Seldin

Venus ....................................................................... Tzytle Steinman

Cupid....................................................................... Sara Lucille Law

Mercury Margaret Langhorne

Minerva Elizabeth Stassen

Cybele Madison Barrett

Morpheus................................................................... Davian Raggio

Bacchus........................................................................ Owen Malone

Vesta Meg Johnson

Hebe Sadie Spivey

Fortuna Sophia Masterson

Ceres Louisa Waycott

Nike..................................................................................... Julia Fedor

Faunus ........................................................... Benjamin Rorabaugh

Apollo Spencer Reese

Neptune Charles Austin Piper

Vulcan Matthew Mueller

By arrangement with Bote & Bock Berlin and Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.

Ensemble: Madison Barrett, Julia Fedor, Meg Johnson, Margaret Langhorne, Sara Lucille Law, Owen Malone, Sophia Masterson, Matthew Mueller, Michelle Pedersen, Charles Austin Piper, Davian Raggio, Spencer Reese, Benjamin Rorabaugh, Nathan Seldin, Sadie Spivey, Elizabeth Stassen, Tzytle Steinman, Louisa Waycott

This production has been partially underwritten by gifts from: Clark R. Green Charitable Foundation • Joseph Loewenstein, M.D.

SETTING

Mythological Earth

ACT I

Scene 1: A countryside on Earth

Scene 2: Mount Olympus

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Scene 1: Pluto’s boudoir in Hades

Scene 2:...............................................................................................A “salon of decadence” in Hades

MUSICAL NUMBERS

Overture

ACT I

Prologue Public Opinion

A Lovesick Woman Stays Up Dreaming Eurydice

This Is the End Orpheus, Eurydice

Ah, a Cowboy Am I...........................................................................................................................Aristeus

I Welcome Death Eurydice

Come, It Is Honor that Calls ......................................................................... Public Opinion, Orpheus

Sleep On, Snore On Gods, Goddesses

I’m Cupid, I’m Back Cupid, Venus, Jupiter, Diana, Gods, Goddesses

To Arms, All Gods, All Deities!............................ Pluto, Diana, Cupid, Venus, Gods, Goddesses

Metamorphosis Rondo Minerva, Diana, Cupid, Venus, Pluto, Gods, Goddesses

Finale: He’s Approaching, He’s Advancing.......................................................................... Ensemble

15 Minute Intermission

ACT II

Entr’acte

When I Was King of Old Beotia John Styx

Now That Was a Pleasant Sensation! (Fly Duet) ................................................ Eurydice, Jupiter

Finaletto: Your Golden Wings Eurydice, John Styx, Jupiter

To Pluto and His Flowing Wine! Gods, Goddesses

Hymn to Bacchus ............................................. Eurydice, Diana, Cupid, Venus, Gods, Goddesses

Minuet and Galop Infernal Jupiter, Diana, Minerva, Juno, Mercury, ................................................................................................................................... Mars, Gods, Goddesses

Finale: Don’t Look Back, Those Are Your Orders! Ensemble

“Don’t look back … those are your orders!”

ARGUMENT

Public Opinion enters and informs the audience that it is her duty to society to keep the theatrical setting of this entertainment morally sound. Eurydice is bored to death with her fiddle-playing husband Orpheus and is having an affair with the shepherd Aristeus (Pluto, god of the Underworld, in disguise). Orpheus is also guilty of infidelity. He has been giving more than just violin lessons to his students. Out of spite, Orpheus sets a trap for Aristeus in a wheat field. Aristeus knows of Orpheus’ trap and uses it as a means to “kill” Eurydice, thus bringing her to Hades. As Eurydice dies, Aristeus reveals himself as Pluto, and she is delighted to accompany him to the Underworld. Orpheus is thrilled to find out about Eurydice’s recent departure. Now he can spend more time with his students. But Public Opinion insists that he go with her to Mount Olympus to plead for his wife’s return. On Olympus, Jupiter tries to instill good behavior in the other deities. His attempts are thwarted by their reminding him of his own innumerable amorous adventures. Public Opinion and Orpheus arrive. Jupiter decides to investigate the affair between Pluto and Eurydice personally and descends to the Underworld with the rest of the gods. Eurydice is kept in seclusion and guarded by the dimwitted former King of Beotia, John Styx. Eurydice, bored with her confinement, accepts the advances of Jupiter, who disguises himself as a fly to get into her room. Orpheus arrives, and Jupiter allows him to have Eurydice back, provided that he does not turn and look at her. Then, to make sure that he does look, he hurls a thunderbolt at Orpheus’ feet. Eurydice decides to become a Bacchante, and all join in the famous can-can.

BACKGROUND

In 1855, Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880) rented a tiny theater off the ChampsElysées, hoping to attract visitors to the Paris Exhibition with programs of short, zany shows. His strategy succeeded, but in the next three years, his company’s

increasing expenditures made him desperate for a big hit. (To avoid bailiffs, he sometimes composed not at home but in hotel rooms.) The liberalization of theatrical licensing laws that had previously restricted him to one act with a maximum of four performers prompted him to create on a larger scale. The result was his first two-act operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld, in 1858.

A French journalist comically described Offenbach in his office at the Bouffes-Parisiens on the afternoon of the premiere: “Various ‘friends’ from his birthplace, Cologne, beg for free tickets; Lise Tautin (Eurydice) insists on a real tiger skin for the final scene; an assistant reports that the actor scheduled to play Comus is dead drunk; three mysterious Hussars demand payment; an anonymous letter threatens a disruption that evening; a porter exclaims that a gas main has burst in the street; a message from the censor arrives, demanding cuts in the roles of Pluto and Jupiter; Mlle. Tautin complains that Mlle. Garnier’s (Venus) role is too long, and Mlle. Garnier that hers is too short; the editor of Le Figaro requests the composer’s service as his second in a duel; and his maid rushes in to declare that his daughter has contracted measles, and that Mme. Offenbach wants him to return home at once.”

The first performance on October 21 at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris lasted four hours and garnered a tepid response. Offenbach immediately began making revisions (a process that continued during the run) and received a boost when a prominent critic blasted the show as “a profanation of holy and glorious antiquity,” full of blasphemy and lascivious goingson. The public’s curiosity was whetted, and Orpheus ran for an unprecedented 228 profitable performances. In 1874, as manager of the Théâtre de la Gaîté, Offenbach expanded Orpheus into a fouract féerie, with huge cast, enlarged orchestra, full corps de ballet, and prodigious physical demands. This lavish version—whose formidable expense led to the ruin of the Gaîté—is rarely done today. Much of its added music did nothing to enhance the fizzy sparkle of the original version. In 1860,

for the Vienna premiere, Karl Binder crafted the now-famous overture that is heard at the start of even the 1858 version.

Operetta historian Richard Traubner asserts that Orpheus was the model for all the later full-length Offenbach works and the model “for future operettas, whether French, English, or Austrian.” The libretto by Hector Crémieux (with an uncredited assist from Ludovic Halévy) illustrates a basic principle of comedy: Nothing is sacred. The gods on Mount Olympus are treated no less irreverently than Orpheus himself, who—unlike his classical counterpart—is only too eager to be rid of his wife. When the amorous Jupiter disguises himself as a fly and the deities cavort in a cancan, the music thumbs its nose at inflated images of propriety.

Adapted from original material of Richard Traubner and Raymond McCall

ADMINISTRATIVE, ARTISTIC, AND LEADERSHIP TEAM

Listed alphabetically … respectful of the ensemble spirit that has characterized OLO since its founding.

RACHEL LAUREN AHO, lighting designer, is returning for a third season with OLO. Rachel graduated in May from Texas State University with an MFA in design. This season, she will be designing No, No, Nanette and Arizona Lady Last season, she designed The Pirates of Penzance and The Mock Marriage. Recent designs include Swan Lake at Sacramento Ballet, Pagliacci at Sacramento Opera, and Die Fledermaus at Western Plains Opera. She would like to thank her family for their endless support and constant encouragement.

JACOB ALLEN, assistant artistic director, returns for a 16th season with OLO as director of How to Succeed and Arizona Lady. As a member of the artistic team, Jacob is responsible for all casting for the summer season and also participates as a performer with the company. Earlier OLO directing credits include Hello, Dolly!, The Student Prince, South Pacific, The Pajama Game, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, The King and I, Guys and Dolls, and 2011’s “Triple Bill.” OLO veterans may remember Jacob 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. Jacob, a native of Oxford, ME, serves as professor and chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Memphis. He holds performance degrees in acting and voice from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, and his graduate degree in stage direction from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under OLO artistic director Steven Daigle. As a director and performer, Jacob has worked extensively throughout the Midwest and New England. Recent productions include The Wedding Singer, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Titanic, Chess, Fiddler on the Roof, Children of Eden, The Phantom of the Opera, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Bat Boy, The Winter’s Tale, and She Loves Me. As a teacher, he is fascinated by the challenges faced by young singers in their development as theatrical performers, and is dedicated to the integration of acting and singing.

ERIC ANDRIES, pianist, is pleased to return to Ohio Light Opera for a 13th 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 First Coast Opera, Voices Immersion Program at Castleton, Omaha Opera, Des Moines Opera, Amarillo Opera, 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.

WREN BEERS, prop master & artisan, is based in Tampa, FL but happy to be back at OLO for their second season, this time as prop master. Their array of strange talents were amassed through 15-plus years of being a nerdy costumer and general craft gremlin, as well as getting their BA in theater tech and design at the University of South Florida. Some of their work has included a faux cooked turkey (with removable leg) for OLO’s 2022 production of Hello, Dolly!, four life-size puppet skeletons for University of South Florida’s production of Everybody, and breakable stained glass windows for a production of The Owl Answers. Outside of the summer, Wren works for the University of South Florida as prop master and paints and props lab supervisor, sharing their strange array of talents and techniques with the students willing to give the wonderfully weird world of props a shot.

MICHAEL BOROWITZ, music director, is currently in his 14th year as associate professor and music director of the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at LSU, where this season he conducted performances of Massenet’s Cendrillon, Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg, and Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury. Next season he will lead performances

of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Brandt and Beber’s Kassandra, Menotti’s The Medium, and Candey and Svich’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba. As artistic director with Opéra Louisiane, he led performances of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Sparr, Campbell, and Miller’s Approaching Ali, and Williams and Chatterton’s Rocking Horse Winner. Next season he will lead performances of Borzoni and de los Santos’ The Christmas Spider, and Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. His recordings include Offenbach’s Bluebeard, Kern’s The Cabaret Girl, Herbert’s Mlle. Modiste (also released on DVD), Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore and Patience, a DVD of Kálmán’s The Duchess of Chicago, and with soprano Lisette Oropesa, a recital entitled Aux filles du désert.

SOPHIE CARLICK, assistant costume designer, lives and works in Charlotte, NC as a freelancer and as the resident costume designer for the Ballantyne Arts Center. Sophie earned her BA in theater – costume design from the College of Charleston. Recent design credits include Misery, Footloose, and Mamma Mia! She is very excited for her first season with OLO.

AMBER MARISA COOK, costume designer, is delighted to be returning to OLO, the place where she met her husband and her best friend, after nearly a decade. Previous OLO credits include The King and I, The Gondoliers, Cox and Box, Evening Wind, and Trial by Jury, along with heaps of wigs and crowns and hats while serving as the wig master and craftsperson. Amber earned her MFA in production design from Michigan State University. Currently the coordinator of design and technology and associate professor at the Dobbins Conservatory, her costume and scenic design work has been seen on stages off-Broadway and nationwide. www.ambermcookdesign.com

CATE CROGHAN, wig and crafts artisan, is thrilled to be joining the OLO team this season. Cate is a 2023 graduate of the Dobbins Conservatory at Southeast Missouri State University, where she studied wig, hair, makeup, costumes, crafts, and just about everything she could get her hands on. Originally from St. Louis, Cate is excited to be spending the summer in Wooster. Cate is looking forward most to creating new friendships and having her family visit.

STEVEN A. DAIGLE, artistic director, is an emeritus professor of opera and former artistic director of the Eastman Opera Theatre program

at The Eastman School of Music. He has served as part of the artistic staff for more than 300 lyric theater productions, along with calling over 400 professional operatic performances as a production stage manager. Daigle’s experience as a stage director encompasses over 160 titles and a wide range of lyric theater repertoire. Productions and projects include collaborations with legendary Broadway composer Charles Strouse, Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Anthony Davis and Robert Ward, Carlisle Floyd, Jake Heggie, Gene Shear, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, and conductors Louis Lane, Robert Spano, and Evan Whallon. Reviews and articles of Daigle’s work have been published in Opera News, Opera London, American Record Guide, Gramophone, Fanfare, Classical Singer, and Opera Now. As a champion of early American operetta and musical theater, he continues to pursue the preservation of the art form and has received critical acclaim for his commitment to research, reconstruct, and produce neglected musicals of early Broadway.

With Ohio Light Opera, he served as stage manager, assistant director, and general manager under the guidance of company founder James Stuart, and in 1999 was appointed artistic director. His first year with the company was in 1990. At OLO he has called over 300 performances as a stage manager, served on the technical or artistic staff for over 150 productions, and directed over 100 titles, including many American premieres in original versions: Lehár’s Der Zarewitsch (The Zarevitch), Künneke’s Der Vetter aus Dingsda (The Cousin from Batavia), and Kálmán’s Der Zigeunerprimás (Sari), Ein Herbstmanöver (Autumn Maneuvers), Das Veilchen vom Montmartre (The Violet of Montmartre), Der gute Kamerad (A Soldier’s Promise), Marinka, Die Faschingsfee (Miss Springtime), and Der kleine König (The Little King). As artistic director, he has created eight performance translations for Kálmán operettas, expanded OLO offerings to include traditional musicals (including those of Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, Lerner and Loewe, and Rodgers and Hammerstein), and introduced over 50 new titles to the company’s vast and unique repertoire, including works of Benatzky and Stolz, Bock and Harnick, Friml, Leigh, Loesser, Schubert and Berté, Sousa, Styne, Sondheim, and Willson. The company’s unique mission and service to the traditional lyric art form (Viennese, French, and German operetta; Edwardian musicals and Gilbert and Sullivan; early American operetta and musical theater) has been recognized internationally through scholarly publications.

In the past eight years, Eastman Opera Theatre has engaged ten living composers to participate in projects and productions within the program. Composers include: Anthony Davis, Ricky Ian Gordon, Adam Guetell, Jake Heggie, Lori Laitman, Missy Mazzoli, Ben Moore, Kevin Puts, Kate Soper, and Errollyn Wallen.

Steve served on the faculty of Kent State University, and as assistant director and acting director of the Opera Theater program at the Oberlin Conservatory. In the summer of 1998, he served on the faculty of the Oberlin in Italy program in Urbania, Italy. In September 2003, the Ohio Light Opera was given an Award of Achievement by Northern Ohio Live for its role in preserving operetta for the past 25 years. In the spring of 2006, he received the Outstanding Alumnus award from Southeastern Louisiana University. From 2009-13 and 2017-19, he served as chair of the voice and opera department at the Eastman School of Music.

In May of 2015, Steve received the Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester. In May of 2023, he received the Inclusive Excellence Award from the Eastman School of Music.

MICHELLE FRAZIER, business and box office manager, is excited to be back at OLO for her eighth 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’s hobbies are working out and flipping houses. Working as business and box office 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. Michelle lives in Wooster with her English bulldog Benson Butch Barkeley Frazier, while her son Mason Frazier golfs for Cleveland State University and her daughter Maddie Rae Frazier attends The College of Wooster.

SAMI HANSEN, production stage manager, is thrilled to be back with Ohio Light Opera for our 2023 season. Previously at OLO, Sami was the stage manager for The Student Prince and The Fantasticks, as well as an assistant stage manager on Cinderella, Hello, Dolly!, and

The Pirates of Penzance. Currently based in Southern California, Sami is working towards her MFA at the California Institute of the Arts, after having completed her BFA in directing at Belmont University, where she found her love for stage management. Recent productions and events at CalArts include Graduation 2023, El Misterio, Halloween, and Am I Susan? A Boston native, Sami enjoys trips to New York City to see Broadway productions, as well as the occasional drive to Newport, RI to tour the Newport Mansions and dream of living in the Gilded Age.

DANIEL HOBBS, co-production manager and scenic designer, is a scenic, projection, and costume designer and professor, working most recently as instructor of scenic design at San Diego State University. He is excited to return for another season with the Ohio Light Opera, designing for Camelot, No, No, Nanette, and Orpheus in the Underworld. Past shows with OLO include recent titles such as Cinderella, The Student Prince, and Into the Woods. His recent regional credits include Lear on the Second Floor in Rochester, NY; She Kills Monsters in Ashland, OH; and Ordinary Days in Tampa.

NEWMAN JONES, costume designer and wardrobe supervisor, is excited to be returning to OLO for the second time in his career. Newman is originally from Rocky Mount, NC, but currently lives in Memphis, TN. Since his first summer at OLO in 2018, he has worked for Disney Cruise Line and has gone back to school to obtain his MFA at the University of Memphis. Over the past year there, he costume-designed Aloha, Say The Pretty Girls, and Sense and Sensibility. He is the current recipient of the Marian A. Smith Costume Scholarship presented by SETC. Newman is ecstatic to continue his theater career here at the Ohio Light Opera.

KIAH KAYSER, co-production manager, set designer, and scenic charge artist, is a freelance scenic designer originally hailing from Minnesota and currently serving as a professor at Albion College. This is Kiah’s seventh summer working at Ohio Light Opera as a scenic designer/paint charge. Some of her favorite shows she has designed for OLO are: The Fantasticks, Candide, Girl Crazy, and La Périchole. Her recent design credits at other locations include: Peter and the Starcatcher, StopKiss, Eurydice (Albion College), Decision Height, Curious Incident (Hollins University), Roe, A Doll’s House, The Taming, Peter Pan, and Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Playhouse

on the Square), As Is (Regeneration Theatre), and It’s a Wonderful Life (TheatreSquared). 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, Variety 57, Opera Memphis, and Cedar Rapids Opera.

LAURA KELLOGG, personnel manager and flute, is thrilled to be returning to OLO for an eighth 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 and director of the NDSU Music Academy. In addition to OLO, her other opera pit experience includes performances with the FargoMoorhead Opera, NDSU Theater, Cimarron Opera, Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra, and opera productions at 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

BROOKE NICOLE KESLER, costume designer, is thrilled to be joining the team at Ohio Light Opera for the first time. She currently is a freelance designer based in Southern California and adjunct faculty in costume design and technology at San Diego State University. She also was the 2020 recipient of USITT’s Zelma H. Weisfeld Award in Costume Design and Technology. Recent designs include: The Mystery of Irma Vep (Diversionary Theatre); Measure for Measure (University of San Diego/The Old Globe Theatre); Interstate: A New Musical (East West Players); A Midsemester Prom Night’s Dream (California Lutheran University); Skin of Our Teeth (University of San Diego/ The Old Globe); John Proctor is The Villain (California Lutheran University); one in two (Diversionary Theatre); Red Bike (MOXIE); and

Girlfriend (Diversionary Theatre). You can enjoy more of her work at brookenicolekesler.com

AUDREY KLOSTERMAN, house management, recently graduated from the College of Wooster with a BA in theater and dance and a minor in global media and digital studies with a focus in film studies. She worked in the Ohio Light Opera box office during the 2022–23 school year and is now serving as one of the house managers for the summer season. She is incredibly excited to finally be working with OLO, something she has been wanting to do since her first year at the college when Laura Neill was a part of her ARCH group during orientation. It only took her four years.

KHARLA LANDRAU, assistant lighting designer - lighting designer, is in their first season with the Ohio Light Opera. Lighting designer: H.M.S. Pinafore, Men are Trash, and I’m a Raccoon, Dr. Voynich and her Children, Motherfucker with the Hat, Concord Floral, Absentia, Masquerade. Assistant lighting designer: Everybody, Squeakers, Imaginary Audiences. Lead electrician: Julius Caesar. Lighting designer – lighting apprentice: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2022. Lighting intern: Hamilton: An American Musical: and Peggy Tour. They have a BFA in drama from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. They are currently an MFA lighting design and technology candidate at Ohio University at Athens, OH.

CHYNA L. MAYER, set designer/assistant set designer, is a third-year scenic design graduate student at Indiana University. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BA in theater. She has scenic credits at IU, UARK, and Ohio Light Opera for many shows such as Boeing Boeing, Heathers, Tribes (UARK), The Well of Horniness, Bowling for Beginners, Uncle Play, Natasha Pierre…, and 1970’s College Sex Comedy (IU). Recently she served as scenic designer for Everybody (Branden Jacobs-Jenkins) and 1970’s College Sex Comedy (David Davila). Currently, she is designing H.M.S. Pinafore for Ohio Light Opera’s 2023 season and Cabaret for IU’s 2023-24 season.

SANDY McILVAINE, front of house, returns to OLO as a “seasoned senior” member of the yearround staff. Having joined the company in 1998, she is grateful to have known and worked with our founder, James “Doc” Stuart, as well as many talented and creative people who have made their mark on our company’s history. Thank you to my

dear colleagues, Laura Neill and Michelle Frazier, for your continued support and friendship. Coming to work is a joy.

LYDIA OTTO, front of house, is joining the Ohio Light Opera for her first season. Lydia graduated from Wooster High School in 2022 and is currently attending Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, PA. She is studying public history and plans to work in a museum. She performed in the Wooster Marching, Concert, and Symphonic Band by playing the flute and piccolo. Lydia helped the WHS Drama Club from her sophomore to senior year of high school. Lydia primarily helped with the technical side of shows for Footloose, Mamma Mia! and Clue. She premiered for her first role in The Curious Savage as Lily Belle. Lydia was very active in the fine arts and will continue her passion for music and theater.

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, sound designer, developed the sound degrees at Michigan Technological University and has experience in theater and film sound design, recording, live sound reinforcement, theater directing and devising, sound system consulting, and broadcast sound for sporting events. His photography and soundscape work was featured this year in Egypt at the state department’s U.S. Pavilion at COP27, the annual conference for signatories to the Paris Climate Accords and will be performed at the Prague Quadrennial this summer. He has been invited to be the keynote presenter for an immersive audio conference at Kyoto University of the Arts for his work in immersive and transparent sound in live events, skills that are on showcase here at OLO. And he is continuing work with RIT and UW Stout on video game and VR sound design. Christopher is a past sound commissioner for The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and is currently co-chair of education for the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), as well as the editor of the USITT Teaching Archive.

PATRICK POLSIN, assistant director, is a thirdyear MFA directing candidate at the University of Memphis, where he studies with Jacob Allen. A native of Bremerton, WA, Patrick received his BFA from Central Washington University. This past year at the University of Memphis, Patrick directed Naomi Iizuka’s Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls for the Department of Theatre & Dance, and served as stage director for Jake Heggie’s The Radio Hour with the University Chamber Choir.

Prior to attending graduate school, Patrick spent years in Los Angeles and Portland, OR honing the craft of comedy as a writer and performer. Next year he will continue his foray into lyric theater and direct Into the Woods for the University of Memphis’ Department of Theatre & Dance.

CONNOR PROFITT, technical director, is excited to be returning to OLO for his second summer. His first summer back in 2015, he was carpenter and has since gone on to hone his professional skills with the help of current College of Wooster technical director Mike Schafer. Originally from Leduc, Alberta, Canada, Connor is currently seeking an MFA from the University of Alabama.

SPENCER REESE, choreographer, director, tenor, is over-the-moon to celebrate his tenth season with OLO. Famously being a man who wears many hats (and blazers, and bow ties …), he has worked on more than 50 productions in his Wooster summer home. Last summer he performed one of his dream roles when he put on his Sunday clothes in Hello, Dolly! as Cornelius Hackl. This summer he performs another, climbing the corporate ladder as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Other recent OLO highlights include Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (2019, 2022), Matt in The Fantasticks (2021, 2022), and Danny Churchill in Girl Crazy (2019). He earned a masters of music in stage direction from the Eastman School of Music and a DMA in voice from UConn. When not in Wooster, Spencer is the artistic director of the Connecticut Gilbert and Sullivan Society, staging director for UConn Opera Theatre, and a teaching artist with Goodspeed Musicals. A proud teacher, his students have been seen on local and regional stages throughout New England, as well as at Shakespeare in the Park and NYCC Encores. When not making music, Spencer is an avid crafter—painting, sewing, crochet, woodwork— keep your eyes peeled for him crafting during one of the productions this season.

SUWATANA ROCKLAND, costume designer, is delighted to return to Ohio Light Opera for a second year as a costume designer. Her past design show with OLO was Cinderella. She is currently a resident costume designer, professor, and costume shop supervisor at The College of Wooster. Suwatana is originally from Thailand. She is a former professional dancer, actor, director, choreographer, and designer. Suwatana has worked

on industrials, commercials, television shows, and stage productions. Before moving to Ohio, she worked in Thailand, Colorado, and Arizona. In addition to her full-time employment, she finds time to freelance as a costume designer and guest lecturer for universities and theaters in the United States and Thailand. She holds a master of fine art degree focusing on costume design and technology at Kent State University and is a member of USITT. Her professional credits in Ohio have included Kent State, The Players Guild Theatre, Porthouse Theatre, Beck Center for The Arts, the Ohio Light Opera, Case Western Reserve University, MFA Professional Acting Program, Dobama Theatre, and the Cleveland Playhouse. She is currently designing the costumes for Camelot at the Ohio Light Opera and in collaboration with Dutch director Liesbeth Coltrof for Children Watching Butterflies at the Cleveland Playhouse. www. Plarocklanddesign.com

BRITTANY SHEMUGA, lighting designer, is excited to return to OLO for her seventh season. Her recent designs include the 2022 season’s Hello, Dolly! and The Student Prince and 2019’s Into the Woods. She also designs at various theaters in the Washington, DC area, including for Mosaic Theater of DC and Constellation Theatre. Brittany has also assisted on numerous productions, including Fish in the Dark on Broadway. Originally from Akron, Brittany received her MFA in lighting from the University of Maryland and is the owner of Casey Electrical Contracting.

WILSON SOUTHERLAND, associate music director, is in demand throughout the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He made his conducting debut to high acclaim with Philip Glass’s Les enfants terribles at North Carolina Opera in 2012 and was the principal conductor for Eastman Opera Theater’s production of She Loves Me in 2013.

Wilson recently made his Kodak Hall debut (Rochester, NY) conducting Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. After first appearing as rehearsal pianist at OLO from 2006-08, Wilson has since traveled the world: he served as pianist, coach, assistant conductor, and recitalist at Opera Africa in Pretoria, South Africa, the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, Les Azuriales Opera in France, AIMS Graz in Austria, Si parla, Si canta in Italy, and The Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman. He was one of 24 singer/pianist duos worldwide chosen to compete in the Wigmore Hall International Art Song Competition in London. Stateside, Wilson was a principal coach for Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program, as well as an associate conductor/ pianist at Opera Omaha, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Birmingham, Opera Memphis, Spoleto USA, and the Mark Morris Dance Group. For six years Wilson was the senior coach and primary pianist under Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival, and he went on to accompany the esteemed conductor-violinist in recital at the Kennedy Center. A former faculty member of Vanderbilt University, Wilson was chosen to perform on Juilliard’s Vocal Arts Honors Recital in Alice Tully Hall. He ushered in the 2014-15 season as associate conductor, head coach, and language specialist for La Rondine at The New Israeli Opera, featuring Angela Gheorghiu. In the fall of 2015 he joined the faculty of the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa as the first faculty opera coach in the University’s 184-year history, where among his coaching and performing duties he conducted Sondheim’s A Little Night Music for the UA Opera Theatre. In 2016 Wilson joined the faculty of the Eastman School of Music as assistant professor of opera, where he conducted the revised world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Out of Darkness in 2017 under the composer’s guidance. He has given masterclasses at Vanderbilt University (TN) and Roberts Wesleyan University (NY). He holds degrees in piano from Vanderbilt University and The Juilliard School.

FESTIVAL CAST

MADISON BARRETT, mezzosoprano, is thrilled to be joining Ohio Light Opera as Smitty in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Cybèle in Orpheus in the Underworld. Madison is an Orlando native currently based in the Midwest, and recently graduated with her masters from the University of Wisconsin, where she studied voice with Julia Rottmayer. Recent engagements include Flora in La Traviata, Nancy in Albert Herring, and The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd with UW-Madison Opera, as well as Clara in Edmonia with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Madison is excited to be returning to the University of Wisconsin as a Collins fellow to continue her studies toward a DMA degree. Madison can be seen performing in the future with Middleton Theatre and UW-Madison Opera. Madison is also an avid hiker and is excited to explore the trails of Wooster.

LYDIA DUNLAP, soprano, is thrilled to be making her debut with OLO as Tom in Camelot. In her previous show career, Lydia has enjoyed playing Gracie Shinn in The Music Man with Summer Stage Wooster and joining the Wooster High School Drama club in its productions of Elf and Puffs this year. Lydia is currently a rising freshman at Wooster High School and enjoys running cross country, track, and playing basketball. Lydia would like to thank OLO for giving her this opportunity and her family for being extremely supportive and helpful.

JULIA FEDOR, mezzo-soprano, is delighted to be making her OLO debut as Lucille Early in No, No, Nanette. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Julia earned her BM in vocal performance with an arts leadership certificate. Favorite past roles include Clara in The Light in the Piazza and Ella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Julia owns and operates a private music studio, where she supports musicians of all ages and levels. She is grateful for her role as an educator, but is ecstatic to be back on stage serving sass as Mrs. Early. Julia is beyond thankful for her family, friends, and mentors for their love and guidance.

VINCE GOVER, baritone, is tickled pink to be returning for his fifth season at OLO, this time as Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore, J. B. Biggley in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Merlyn and Pellinore in Camelot, and Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld. Previously at OLO, Vince has appeared as Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance, Lutz in The Student Prince, Henry in The Fantasticks, and the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury. He has performed roles with Sarasota Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, the Bronx Opera, Utopia Opera, and the Victor Herbert Renaissance Project. A native of Clarksville, MD, he has earned BM and MM degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and has studied composition and vocal performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He now lives in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as a performer in opera and musical theater. Also a composer, he is the creative force behind Lend Me a Roll, a hilarious Covidthemed operetta that can be found on YouTube.

LILY GRAHAM, soprano, is pleased to be returning for her second season with OLO as Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld and Winnie in No, No, Nannette. Some of her previous roles include Galatea in Acis and Galatea, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Mrs. Hayes in Susannah, Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Mute in The Fantasticks, and Isabel in The Pirates of Penzance. Lily is originally from Salt Lake City, where she earned her BM at the University of Utah. She is now a graduate student in opera performance at Wichita State University, studying with Alan Held. Aside from singing, Lily has enjoyed over 15 years of dance training in ballet and other dance styles, and is thrilled to combine her love for dance and music on stage this summer.

MARVIN HOLT, baritone, is a Memphis native and excited to be making his debut at Ohio Light Opera. He was most recently seen in UofM’s Sense and Sensibility (John Dashwood/ John Willoughby), Playhouse on the Square’s Scottsboro Boys

(Charlie Weems/Ruby Bates), and UofM’s The Rocky Horror Show (Brad). He would like to thank the entire directing team for giving him this opportunity and his family for pushing him to where he is now.

MEG JOHNSON, soprano, is thrilled to be making her debut at Ohio Light Opera this summer. As a junior studying vocal performance at the University of Utah, Meg has sung as La Maestra delle Novizie in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Pinellino in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mabel in scenes from Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, Mrs. Fezziwig in Leavitt and Buck’s A Christmas Carol, and as a soloist in Mendelssohn’s Psalm 42. With the U of U chamber choir, Meg has sung in large works such as Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. One of her favorite recent roles was Christine in Anthony Buck’s comedic The Phantom of the Opera. Native to California, Meg loves spending her free time in the mountains and working as a sound technician at her favorite community theater. Meg is a student of Julie Wright-Costa.

KOLBY KENDRICK, bassbaritone, is pleased to make his Ohio Light Opera debut. Kolby is a sophomore at Liberty University studying vocal performance under Samantha Miller. Kolby has attended The Schmidt Vocal Institute, where he worked with esteemed professionals such as Craig Terry, J. J. Penna, and Nicole Cabell. Kolby has portrayed Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro and Guglielmo in Così fan Tutte at Liberty University. This summer Kolby was able to attend Opera in the Ozarks to work with professionals such as Louis Menendez, Thomas Cockrell, and Ian Axness. While there, he had the opportunity to play Don Alfonso in Così fan Tutte as well as Fredrik in A Little Night Music. He was also able to study voice with Catherine Cook and Lori Ernest while in the Ozarks. He made his professional debut in Wolfbane Production’s Young Frankenstein. In addition to performing, Kolby was also named a semi-finalist in The American Pops Orchestra’s NextGen Competition. He is currently a young artist at Opera Roanoke under the direction of Steven White. He was able to play Bob in The Old Maid and the Thief with Opera Roanoke and sing its Opera Gems and Messiah concerts.

MAGGIE LANGHORNE, soprano, is overjoyed to be joining OLO for her first in-person season after helping bring a snippet of The Mock Marriage to your homes during the 2020 virtual season. A true “crossover” artist whose experience ranges from contemporary opera to Shakespeare, Maggie has recently performed with Royal Family Productions, Blue Hill Troupe, Scenic City Shakespeare Co., and worked with the College Light Opera throughout her collegiate years. Favorite credits include Amalia in She Loves Me, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel, Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, Casilda in The Gondoliers, and Little Red in Into the Woods Originally from Santa Barbara, CA, Maggie went on to receive her BM from Oberlin Conservatory and now lives with her husband and bearded dragon in New York City.

SARA LUCILLE LAW, soprano, is thrilled to be making her company debut with OLO as Guenevere in Camelot, Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Cupid in Orpheus in the Underworld. For the 2022-23 season, Ms. Law was engaged as the resident soprano in Opera Orlando’s studio artist program, where she whined and got her way as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, and shook some tail feathers as the most glorified princess track in opera as Papagena in The Magic Flute. Select recent roles include dairy enthusiast Amalia Balash in She Loves Me; the winner of London’s “most enviable childhood,” Johanna in Sweeney Todd; and the fastest French-singing smuggler in Seville, Frasquita in Carmen. Ms. Law has been there, done that with Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, Quisisana Resort, Disney, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and MSC Cruises. Sara received her BM in “singing really well: the phantom menace” from New England Conservatory, and her MM in “singing really well: the clone wars” from Mannes School of Music. To read more about Sara, a copy of her artistic resumé can be located in the garbage can on the corner of 500 8th Ave. Alternatively, you can visit her aesthetically pleasing website, www. saralucillelaw.com

OWEN MALONE, tenor, is honored to be joining OLO for his first season this summer as Bill Sanders in Arizona Lady, Ralph Rackstraw (cover) in H.M.S. Pinafore, and ensemble in Camelot, No, No, Nanette, and Orpheus in the Underworld. Some previous credits include The Robber Bridegroom, The Phantom of the Opera, and Brigadoon. A Georgia native, Owen is currently a junior at Young Harris College and a student of Jeff Bauman.

SOPHIA MASTERSON, soprano, is thrilled to be making her OLO debut this summer as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore and more. Previous roles include: Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza and Rapunzel in Into The Woods. Sophia is originally from sunny Sarasota, FL and holds a BFA in vocal performance with a minor in drama from Carnegie Mellon University. She is currently living in New York City, on a mission to find the best bacon, egg, and cheese in the city.

SPIRO MATSOS, tenor, Wooster’s Escoffier, celebrates his 40th season with the Ohio Light Opera. Arizona Lady is his 12th Kálmán production. Spiro has been recorded singing professionally in both his native Greece and in this country. OLO fans have learned to look forward to his carefully crafted comic cameos and to enjoy the food and atmosphere in his restaurant on Liberty Street in downtown Wooster. There the walls are covered with OLO production photographs from seasons past, and the booths are often occupied by company members. Spiro would like to dedicate this season to his family, his OLO family, and audiences. You don’t have to be a superstar, just be a happy star.

JAMES KENON MITCHELL, tenor, is pleased to return to Ohio Light Opera in his second season as Arthur in Camelot, Mr. Twimble in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld. Last year James made his OLO debut as Huckabee in The Fantasticks and Ruder in The Student Prince. James was director of opera theater at West

Virginia University in Morgantown, WV for six years. His favorite roles include Henrik in A Little Night Music, Phil in The Wild Party, and Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher. James holds a master of music in collaborative piano and opera coaching from Westminster Choir College as well as a bachelor’s degree in music theory and a master of music in opera stage directing from the Eastman School of Music.

MATT MUELLER, bass, has appeared with companies in both the United States and abroad, including the Florentine Opera, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Opera Theater, Bluegrass Opera, and Cimarron Opera. Recent performances include leading roles in both new opera and the standard repertoire, including Luzhin in Transgression (Gerald Janacek), The Giant in ICELAND (O-Lan Jones), Antinoo in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, and Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande. Matt looks forward to making his OLO debut this season as he takes on the roles of Lancelot in Camelot and Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore. A native of Detroit, Matt received his master’s in voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music and now resides in New York, with his wife Virginia and a crew of feral cats that loiter outside their building.

JACK MURPHY, tenor,  is thrilled to be making his OLO debut as Orpheus in  Orpheus in the Underworld and Roy Dexter in Arizona Lady. Originally from Neenah, WI, Jack earned his bachelor of music from Lawrence University. He currently lives in NYC and is pursuing a master of music in musical theater vocal performance and vocal pedagogy at NYU Steinhardt. He is a member of the New York Philharmonic Chorus and performed at the David Geffen Hall Opening Gala, which can be seen on PBS’s  Great Performances. Recent role highlights include the title role of  Idomeneo  at NYU, Claude in  Hair  with Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and the Madwoman in  Curlew River  with Lawrence University Opera. When not singing opera and musical theater, Jack frequently performs and tours with several rock bands, including a group he shares with his two younger brothers (appropriately titled, Murphy’s Law). In addition to performing, he works as an adjunct instructor of voice at NYU. Jack is a student of Justin John Moniz. For more information, please visit www.jackfmurphy.com.

NICHOLAS ORTH, tenor, is excited to be making his OLO debut as Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld and Mr. Gatch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Recent performances include Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Bill in A Hand of Bridge, and Anthony in Sweeney Todd. Currently, he is pursuing his MM at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University, where he studies with Marcus DeLoach, and recently graduated with a BM from Millikin University. When not in rehearsal, Nicholas can usually be found searching for a new coffee shop or book store to explore.

MICHELLE PEDERSEN, soprano, is delighted to be returning for her fourth season with the Ohio Light Opera. You may have seen Michelle in last year’s production of Hello, Dolly! as Mrs. Dolly Levi, or as the Stepmother in Cinderella. In previous seasons at OLO, Michelle has enjoyed playing various character roles such as Bloody Mary in South Pacific and Babcock Bellamy in The Fantasticks. Michelle’s stage work not only covers her love of musical theater and operetta but extends to the operatic stage as well. Other recent roles include Angelica in Suor Angelica, Lucy the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La bohème, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. Ms. Pedersen has also been a featured soloist with Salt Lake Choral Artists, Salt Lake Symphony, and the American West Symphony. She holds a BA in both vocal performance and music education from Oregon State University, and an MM in vocal performance from the University of Utah, where she is currently finishing her work on a DMA in vocal performance and stage directing.

CHARLES AUSTIN PIPER, baritone, is pleased to be returning to OLO in the roles of Dick Deadeye in H.M.S Pinafore and Sheriff in Arizona Lady. In his previous season at OLO, Charles played as Cavalry Captain Count Kinsky in The Devil’s Rider, and a member of the chorus in various shows. He has also performed other roles including Paul in If I Were You, Geppetto in The Adventures of Pinocchio, Top in The Tender Land, and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus.

Charles has his BM from Otterbein University and his MM from Kent State University. During his graduate studies he attended the AIMS in Graz program, where he was awarded the Herald Heiberg Liedersanger Preis for outstanding lieder performance. He performs in the Ohio area throughout the year with Cleveland Opera Theater and Nightingale Opera Theater, and performs periodically with the Springfield and Westerville symphony orchestras. He is currently a voice instructor based in Cleveland.

BERGEN PRICE, mezzosoprano, is thrilled to make her OLO debut as Sue Smith in No, No, Nannette, Hedy LaRue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld. Bergen received an MM from Eastman School of Music in voice performance and literature, as well as a BM from Ithaca College in voice performance and music education. Bergen’s versatility as a performer is apparent in the wide range of her collegiate roles, including Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Endimione in La Calisto, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Prince Charmant in Cendrillon, Annio in La clemenza di Tito, and Ino (U/S) in Semele. Bergen is a frequent performer with choral ensembles such as the Opera Philadelphia Chorus, the Eastman Chorale, and the Ithaca College Choir. Performed works include the premiere of Dominick DiOrio’s Solaris: A Choral Symphony in Three Movements in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Britten’s War Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

CHRISTINE TAYLOR PRICE, soprano, earned her masters and artist diploma of opera studies in vocal performance at The Juilliard School. She recently made her Paper Mill Playhouse debut as Baroness Elberfeld and ensemble in The Sound of Music She has performed as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Portland Baroque Orchestra, as well as at Carnegie Hall, Caramoor, and BAM. Christine has participated in summer festivals, including Ravinia, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Wolf Trap, and is a previous semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. While at Juilliard, Christine performed many roles, including Frau Fluth in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Serpetta

in La finta giardiniera, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Other roles include Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Opera in Williamsburg, Governess in The Turn of the Screw with Opera Columbus, and The Rose in The Little Prince with Tulsa Opera. This is Christine’s first summer at OLO.

DAVIAN RAGGIO, tenor, is excited to make his debut as a young artist with OLO. Hailing from the Lone Star State, Davian is eager to hang up his chaps and spurs for a lively summer of music-making in the state made for lovers. When he is not riding his horse or dueling at high noon, Davian is on stage performing both musical theater and opera. Davian’s recent credits include Fabrizio in Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza, La Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen, Shrek in Lindsay-Abaire’s Shrek the Musical, Erster Geharnischter in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Bellerose in Offenbach’s Monsieur et Madame Denis, and the Duke of Dunstable in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience. Davian recently made his European debut, performing the role of Il Contino Belfiore in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera with Opera Seme in Arezzo, Italy. In February, Davian’s team took second prize at Lone Star Songs’ inaugural SongSLAM! competition with an original composition by Breck McGough. Davian is a student of Mark Diamond at Baylor University.

MATTHEW REYNOLDS, baritone, is thrilled to return for his second season with OLO in the roles of Mordred in Camelot, Bud Frump in How to Succeed

in Business Without Really

Trying, Bill Bobstay in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Cavarelli in Arizona Lady. Last year at OLO, he was featured as Captain Tarnitz in The Student Prince and as Roger Huckland in The Mock Marriage. This April, Matthew performed the role of Fiorello and covered Figaro in Opera Neo’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, and in 2021 he played Guglielmo in Opera NexGen’s inaugural production of Così fan tutte. Equally at home on the concert stage, Matthew was the baritone soloist in the 2022 Messiah Festival of the Arts performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Additionally, he has appeared as a soloist in performances of Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and Fauré’s Requiem in D minor, and has performed as a member of the Mercury Singers and the Voces8 United States Scholars. Matthew holds dual

master of music degrees in voice performance and musicology from the University of Oklahoma and is currently based in Houston, where he works as a freelance performer and voice instructor.

COLIN RING, tenor, is thrilled to be making his debut at OLO as Bratt in  How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Algernon Galahad Bentschley in  Arizona Lady.  Prior to OLO, Colin has performed various opera, operetta, and musical theater roles across Europe and the United States, such as Gherardo in  Gianni Schicchi, Harry the Horse in  Guys and Dolls, Macheath in  The Threepenny Opera, and Gastone in La Traviata.  A native of Lake Geneva, WI, Colin will soon be graduating from The University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor of music in musical theater degree.  Colin is a student of John Seesholtz.

BENJAMIN RORABAUGH, tenor, is excited to be making his debut at OLO in the role of Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore. He was most recently based in the Knoxville area, where he taught at Johnson University and sang with Marble City Opera, Knoxville Opera, and the Amadeus Chamber Ensemble. His previous roles include Travis (George Lam’s Heartbreak Express), Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Ralph (H.M.S. Pinafore), and various comprimario roles in The Ballad of Baby Doe. In addition to being a fine vocalist, Ben has also served as a rehearsal and pit pianist for several collegiate and high school musical productions, including Shrek: The Musical, Singin’ in the Rain, Annie Get Your Gun, and most recently, The Lightning Thief. After his summer here at OLO, Ben looks forward to relocating to Houston this fall. Ben holds degrees from the University of Mississippi and Harding University, where he studied music performance and music education, respectively.

NATHAN SELDIN, baritone from Staten Island, NY, is an alumnus of Mannes and Manhattan School of Music. He is thrilled to be making his debut with OLO as Lancelot in Camelot, Mars in Orpheus in the Underworld, and ensemble in No, No, Nanette, How to Succeed

in Business Without Really Trying, and H.M.S. Pinafore. Career highlights include: Gaston in Broadway Theatre of Pitman’s Beauty and the Beast, featured concert soloist in Trident Festival’s Save Ukraine Fundraiser, NYGASP’s H.M.S. Pinafore and The Gondoliers, soloist in the American debut of Last Train to Tomorrow at Lincoln Center, multiple touring concerts around Italy produced by Classic Lyric Arts, and individual solo concerts in local communities. This season Nathan will be performing as Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Penn Square Music Festival. Currently, Nathan is studying under the pedagogical supervision of vocal maestro Michael Paul in New York City.

ALEXANDER SPENCE, tenor, is excited to make his OLO debut as Tom Trainor in No, No, Nanette, Jim Slaughter in Arizona Lady, and Sir Lionel in Camelot. Spence is currently a graduate student at Oklahoma City University, where he is in his villain era: womanizing his way through Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me and malevolently making his Monostatos debut in Die Zauberflöte. He is a student of Courtney Crouse. Other highlights

include the unfortunate/no longer pre-pubescent Chip Tolentino in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, lovable boy next door Arpad in She Loves Me, tea-loving waiter Dallas in Service Provider, favorite comedic quintet El Remendado in Carmen, can’t-shoot-a-nun Joey in Sister Act, resident country bumpkin Bardolfo in Falstaff, father of the year Romboidal in The Island of Tulipitan, and older-than-dirt Vezinet in Il cappello di paglia di Firenze. Alex is a native of Dallas and has a bachelor of music in vocal performance from Texas Christian University.

SADIE SPIVEY, soprano, is thrilled to be returning to OLO for her fourth summer, appearing as Guenevere in Camelot and Nanette in No, No, Nanette. In previous OLO seasons, Sadie was seen as Luisa in The Fantasticks, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Little Red in Into The Woods, and Sieglinde in Music in the Air. This past March, Sadie was named a semifinalist in the International Lotte Lenya Competition, a competition recognizing singer/actors who are dramatically and musically convincing in repertoire ranging from contemporary Broadway

to opera and operetta. Sadie is a recent graduate of the Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program, where she performed the Vixen in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. During her time at Bard, she also appeared as Fleta in Iolanthe, performed alongside Stephanie Blythe in Berlin im Licht: A German Cabaret, and was featured as a soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Part VI with the Albany Symphony. In 2020, Sadie was named an Encouragement Award Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Pittsburgh District). In addition to earning a master’s degree at Bard, she received a bachelor of music in voice performance as well as a bachelor of fine arts in acting at Penn State.

ELIZABETH STASSEN, mezzo-soprano, is delighted to be making her OLO debut as Betty in No, No, Nanette and Minerva in Orpheus in the Underworld. Elizabeth is a rising senior at the University of Connecticut, where she is pursuing a BA in music under the instruction of Constance Rock and a BS in business management. Aside from performing, Elizabeth enjoys long walks on the beach at sunset.

TZYTLE STEINMAN, mezzosoprano, is originally from San Diego. She is so excited to be back with Ohio Light Opera again as Mrs. Cripps (Little Buttercup) in H.M.S. Pinafore, Nelly Nettleton in Arizona Lady, and Venus in Orpheus in the Underworld. She has performed with multiple companies across the United States, including Fargo-Moorhead Opera, San Diego Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and Sarasota Opera. In the 2023-24 season she will be seen as Flora in La

Traviata with Tulsa Opera and Enfant in L’enfant et les sortilèges and Mastrilla in Songbird with Florentine Opera. Other roles include Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Stephano in Roméo et Juliette, and Mercedes in Carmen. She received her MM in voice and opera from Northwestern University and her BM from Boston Conservatory. She has a large background in dance, musical theater, and choreography. Her choreography has been seen in many productions, including Carmen (Opera NEO) and La Cenerentola (Fargo-Moorhead Opera). In 2021, she was a contestant on The Price is Right. When she isn’t singing, Tzytle loves to take her rescue dog, Golde, hiking. @Tzytle

LOUISA WAYCOTT, mezzosoprano, is excited to be making her debut with OLO as Lona Farrell in Arizona Lady, Pauline in No, No, Nanette, and Rosemary in HTSIBWRT. She is a former ski racer hailing from Sun Valley, ID but spent her childhood in Caracas, Venezuela and Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is currently based out of Washington, DC, where she regularly sings with Washington National Opera, Maryland Lyric Opera, and In Series. Favorite past performances have been a red, bedazzled sheep in Candide with Washington National Opera, The Drummer in Emperor of Atlantis with In Series, Madame de la Haltière in Cendrillon with Miami Summer Music Festival, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and the title role in Regina with Maryland Opera Studio, and Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Annapolis Opera. She is a graduate of the Maryland Opera Studio and continues to train with Betsy Bishop and Joy Schreier.

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Jeffrey Anderson Clarinet

Drew Andreatta Percussion

Madeline Arney Harp

Ruilin Chen Violin

Alexander Day Flute

Samanda Engels Horn

Neil Faulkner Percussion

Tom Flowers Bass

Mauricio Franco Clarinet

Ann Gilbert Bass

Emily Grissing Cello

Lauren Hinkle Trumpet

Andrew Hosler Baritone Sax

Grace Nelson

Lev Roshal Violin

Gray Smiley

Spencer Wilson Bassoon

Laura Kellogg Flute

Michelle Kenyon Violin

Isaac Morton Trumpet

FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

JEFFREY ANDERSON, clarinet, is pleased to be returning to the OLO pit orchestra for an eighth season. While serving there, he has played flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto and tenor saxophones, synthesizer, and piano. Jeffrey has been a music instructor at Allen Community College in Iola, KS for six years, where he wears many hats teaching music classes, giving applied lessons, and directing ensembles. Allen presents an annual musical in which Jeffrey serves as music director, most recently tick…tick…BOOM! He is part of a Kansas City-based woodwind quintet called Beaufort Winds. Jeffrey received his DMA in clarinet performance with a cognate in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He received his master’s in clarinet performance from Bowling Green State University and his bachelor’s in music education from Michigan State University. Favorite shows of past OLO seasons include Dream City and the Magic Knight, Ruddigore, and Kiss Me, Kate. jeffreyandersonmusic.com.

DREW ANDREATTA, percussion, is pleased to be playing percussion this season for Orpheus in the Underworld and has recently taught percussion at The College of Wooster and Baldwin Wallace University. He lives in northeastern Ohio, where he maintains a private teaching studio of over 20 students. Drew is interested in creating diverse performance opportunities and has recently presented at the Cuyahoga County Public Library and Southwest General Hospital. Additionally, he performs with Full 90, a traditional Irish band, for which he plays percussion and guitar. He also arranges and performs classical and contemporary works for percussion. He has performed in numerous countries; most recently he premiered an opera for Scotland’s Sound Festival for New Music and a percussion concerto, as soloist, with the Aberdeen Sinfonietta. Drew holds a DMA from the University of Arizona, an MM from UNLV, and a BM from the University of Kentucky.

MADELINE ARNEY, harp, is pleased to be joining OLO for the first time this season. Madeline has served as the principal harpist of the Bowling Green Youth Symphony Orchestra, Western Kentucky University’s Symphony Orchestra, CCM Philharmonia, CCM Concert Orchestra and CCM Wind Ensemble, Binghamton Philharmonic, and Symphony of the

Mountains. From 2018-19, Madeline attended Young Artist’s Harp Seminar, where she worked with harpists Kristi Shade, Katie Andrews, Emily Levin, Katherine Siochi, Angela Shwartzkopf, and Sivan Magen. In 2020, Madeline attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, where she worked with Paula Bressman and Rachel Miller. The following year, she was the orchestral fellow for the Sewanee Summer Music festival. Madeline was also a finalist for the 2022 AHS Marcel Grandjany Competition. Currently, Madeline is enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, studying under the tutelage of Gillian Benet Sella.

RUILIN CHEN, violin, is thrilled to be joining OLO for the first time this summer. A native Chinese, she has performed across the United States and China as soloist and chamber musician. She participated and performed in several music festivals in recent years, including Bowdoin International Music Festival and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival. She has also played with different symphony orchestras across Michigan since last year. Ruilin holds BM and MM degrees in violin performance from Eastman School of Music, under the tutelage of Renée Jolles. Now she is pursuing her DMA degree under Yvonne Lam’s guidance at Michigan State University.

ALEXANDER DAY, flute/piccolo, is a current bachelor student at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Bonita Boyd and Anne Harrow. At Eastman, he keeps busy while performing with numerous ensembles, including the Philharmonia and the Wind Ensemble, and is invited to perform in the “Bach Cantata Series” each semester. He has also performed with Eastman Opera Theatre, most recently playing in its latest production, Florencia en al Amazonas. Alexander also enjoys chamber music and has performed with several groups in venues across Rochester. He is a native of Washington, DC, where he was a graduate of the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program. When he is not playing the flute, you can find him on his favorite hikes, watching his favorite shows, and spending time with friends and family.

SAMANDA ENGELS, horn, is excited to join OLO this summer. She has performed with notable artists and productions, including the Shrine Circus, Wichita Grand Opera, Caroline Campbell, as well as weekly performances in Oklahoma City backing the Grammy Award-winning artist Sandi Patty. She recently traveled to Prague to perform with the Filarmonietta Praga and holds an MM from the University of Oklahoma, where she also served as the graduate teaching assistant for the horn studio. A few of her favorite musicals that she has performed include Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, and Little Women. Outside of performing, Samanda loves hiking and painting, and is the horn instructor for El Sistema Oklahoma.

NEIL FAULKNER, percussion, is a native of the Detroit area and is currently based in northwest Ohio. He is a recent graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he earned both an MM and graduate certificate in percussion performance, studying with Dan Piccolo. During his time at BGSU, Neil served as the graduate assistant for the percussion studio and was a member of the group Landlocked Percussion. Highlights of his time at BGSU include being named a finalist in the graduate concerto competition, and performing Third Coast Percussion’s score to the film Paddle to the Sea. Neil also earned his BM from Oakland University, studying with Dan Maslanka and Mark Stone. As a performer, Neil is a passionate orchestral percussionist, and is equally interested in the marimba as a virtuosic instrument. He is an active educator, serving as a percussion instructor at Maumee High School (Maumee, OH).

TOM FLOWERS, double bass, is thrilled to be returning to the OLO pit orchestra. Originally from Wheeling, WV, he now makes his home in Elyria, OH. When not teaching, he performs with the Akron Symphony, acts as principal bass of the Firelands Symphony, and frequently performs with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and other Ohio orchestras. He has performed with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy and the AIMS orchestra in Graz, Austria. As a tubist he performed with the Walt Disney World All American College Band. His education and performance degrees are from West Virginia and Kent State Universities. His bass teachers include Anthony Knight of The Cleveland Orchestra, Paul Robinson of The Ohio State University, and Walter Coplin of WVU. Tom enjoys international travel and is an enthusiast of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, of which his favorites might be Patience, Ruddigore, and Iolanthe

MAURICIO FRANCO, clarinet, hails from Houston, having performed with members of the National Symphony and Houston Symphony as a regular substitute of various local service orchestras or through his previous summer residency appearances. Select past performances of his have been featured by the International Clarinet Association and Houston Public Media radio broadcast. Mauricio has also performed in master classes featuring musicians J. Lawrie Bloom, Sasha Potiomkin, Alcides Rodriguez, Ben Freimuth, Chad Burrow, and Lin Ma. In previous summers, he has attended or been granted positions for festivals such as Sewanee Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, PRISMA, Atlantic Music Festival, Mostly Modern Festival, and the National Music Festival. His primary teachers were Amanda Witt, Chester Rowell, and Sasha Potiomkin. Outside of performing, Mauricio also enjoys arranging music and running a private teaching studio in the greater Houston area.

ANN GILBERT, double bass, is excited to be returning to the OLO pit orchestra. Originally from Lakewood, OH, she is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Juilliard School of Music, and the University of Akron. When not teaching she performs as principal bass with the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra and the Akron Symphony. She is a member of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Firelands Symphony, and the Lakeside Symphony. She has performed with the Symphonic Orchestra of the State of Mexico, the Oregon Symphony, and the Symphonic Orchestra of Seville, Spain. Her bass teachers include Harry Barnoff and David Perlman of The Cleveland Orchestra and John Schaeffer of the New York Philharmonic. Ann enjoys church music and is the director of music and organist at Rocky River Presbyterian Church.

EMILY GRISSING, cello, is thrilled to be returning for her sixth 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. While other children played in sandboxes, 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 and Greensboro 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, and the National Orchestral Institute. Close to Emily’s heart is sharing music with others through performance, mentoring, and teaching.

LAUREN HINKLE, trumpet, is excited for her first season in the OLO orchestra. Based in Cleveland, she performs with local theaters, most recently finishing a run of Once Upon a Mattress at the Beck Center for the Arts. Lauren’s past shows include The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, Die Fledermaus, and The Tender Land. Outside of the theater, she has performed with ensembles including the Akron Symphonic Winds, Wooster Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Winds, and the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra. As an educator, Lauren teaches private lessons throughout Northeast Ohio, and is an adjunct trumpet instructor at Notre Dame College. She holds a BM from Kent State University and an MM from Cleveland State University, where she was the winner of the 2022 Daniel Rains Solo Competition, performing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. Her primary teachers include Michael Chunn, Jack Brndiar, Jack Sutte, and Amanda Bekeny.

ANDREW HOSLER, baritone saxophone, is excited to join the OLO orchestra for the first time in their performance of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. During the day, Andrew works as the manager of concerts and events at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has performed for Classical Revolution Cleveland, New Music Gathering, KU New Music Guild, New Music Mosaic, Boston New Music Initiative, among others. He has won various prizes in the Cambridge Music Competition, Bach Music Competition, Vivaldi International Music Competition, and BGSU Concerto Competition. Drew is a member of the Cleveland Winds, artistic director for The Experiment, and performs with the Lima Symphony Orchestra. He holds an MM in saxophone performance, MM in chamber music, and graduate certificate in arts entrepreneurship and leadership from the University of Michigan, as well as BM in saxophone performance from Bowling Green State University. Learn more at andrewhosler.com.

MICHELLE KENYON, violin, is thrilled to be joining the OLO company for her first season. Michelle recently finished her undergraduate

degree at Duquesne University in violin performance with a minor in philosophy, under the guidance of Charles and Rachel Stegeman. Michelle plans on pursuing her master’s degree from Duquesne University this fall. After graduating, Michelle plans on pursuing a career as a pit musician.

ISAAC MORTON, trumpet, is pleased to enter his first season with OLO. Isaac begins his senior year this fall at Indiana University under the instruction of John Rommel and Joey Tartell. Recent performances with IU’s opera program include productions of The Magic Flute and Hansel and Gretel. Isaac is fortunate to have worked with conductors such as Arthur Fagan and Thomas Wilkins, performing works such as Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, and Respighi’s Fountains of Rome. A recent premiere of a concerto for trumpet by one of IU’s talented composition students marks a highlight of his collegiate career. Isaac hopes to play in one of the U.S. military’s premier ensembles or a major symphony orchestra.

GRACE NELSON, violin, was born and raised in Cincinnati. She is a junior music education major at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, where she has studied with Barton Samuel Rotberg and Julian Ross. At BW, she is a member of the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra, and has also played in several chamber groups and the BW Opera production The Marriage of Figaro. Grace is thrilled to be joining OLO for its 2023 season.

LUCAS ORTH, cello, is excited to be part of OLO this summer. A native of Cincinnati, he began his undergraduate studies in Toronto at the Glenn Gould School, where he studied with Hans Jørgen Jensen and Andres Diaz. After studying there for three years, Lucas decided to transfer to UC’s College Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Alan Rafferty. Lucas has won prizes in numerous competitions, including Tennessee Cello Workshops Competition, the NFMC’s Mary Alice Cox Award, and most recently, the Matinee Musicale Scholarship Competition. During this past year, he won a seat in the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and also joined the Genèse Quartet. In his spare time, Lucas enjoys hiking and reading novels.

DREW POSTEL, double bass, is excited to be joining OLO for the first year. Before OLO, Drew spent time studying the bass with Paul Robinson and Barry Green at Ohio State University, before

transferring to Duquesne University, where he studied with Aaron White. More recently, Drew has begun learning aspects of bow maintenance and repair in Ashland, OH, with renowned bow maker Rodney Mohr.

CAMERON RANDALL, bass trombone, is a freelance musician and educator based in Chicago. Hailed for his versatility and skills as a doubler, Cameron’s performing career has taken him across the Midwest, having performed with the Evanston, Firelands, Ashland, and Perrysburg Symphonies, and Chicago Wind Symphony, among others, on tenor, bass, and contrabass trombones, tuba, euphonium, and bass trumpet. In recent summers he has attended the Pokorny Seminar, Body Mind Spirit Workshop, and Mostly Modern Festival, where he was a brass fellow. Cameron is currently pursuing a masters in music performance from DePaul University, where he studies with Charlie Vernon, Mark Fisher, and Scott Tegge. He recently completed a BM from the Oberlin Conservatory. A native of Des Moines, Cameron values his family above all else in life. He currently resides in Roscoe Village with his partner, Cait, and two cats, Rory and Percy.

JONAH RICHARDSON, oboe, is excited to be playing his first season with OLO. He is currently pursuing his BM at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studies under Frank Rosenwein. Hailing from Columbus, Jonah began his oboe journey in his middle school’s symphonic band. Since then, he has fallen in love with the oboe and began pursuing it as a career from a young age. He attended Interlochen Arts Academy during his high school years, where he worked diligently to hone his skills and expand his knowledge of the classical music world. Excluding his work with OLO, Jonah is working at a bookstore this summer to help support himself financially through the upcoming school year.

LEV ROSHAL, violin, is excited to be returning for his second season with OLO. Having recently received masters degrees in violin performance and music theory from Indiana University, he will be starting his DM in violin performance and Ph.D. in music theory at IU this coming fall. Also in the fall, Lev will be starting his new role as a full-time violinist with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has given performances across the United States. As a music theorist, he most recently presented his paper on hypermeter in Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin at the Rocky Mountains Society

for Music Theory conference earlier this year. In addition to his musical accomplishments, Lev has made several contributions to the field of bioinformatics, having co-authored three papers in respected peer-reviewed journals, the most recent of which was published by the Nature group this past spring.

GRAY SMILEY, horn, was born in Greenville, NC. Gray just completed a master’s degree at Indiana University and will begin doctoral study at James Madison University in August. In 2022, Gray spent the summer in Sicily, where he played operas by Verdi and Puccini and developed a deep interest in the genre. Having been booed back across the Atlantic, he is now delighted to play his first season with the Ohio Light Opera. In addition to performance, Gray is also passionate about bringing people together through the arts and ensuring that all potential audience members can make meaningful connections with the works performed.

GER VANG, oboe, is delighted to begin his premiere season with OLO. Ger completed an MM in multiple woodwinds at University of North Carolina–Greensboro and currently resides in Greensboro, NC. Recently, he has performed the reed books from Once on This Island, The Spongebob Musical, and Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Piedmont Triad area. He will begin his DMA in the fall of 2023 with Courtney Miller. When he is not working at the reed desk making reeds or sharpening knives, Ger likes to go on walks with his cats Tiny and Doot.

ABREAL WHITMAN, violin, recently graduated from the Eastman School of Music, where she was studying with Juliana Athayde. Originally from Maine, Whitman has performed with various orchestras, including: the Mozart Mentors, Augusta Symphony, Junior Repertory Orchestra, Repertory Orchestra, and Boston Youth Symphony. In high school, she attended Idyllwild Arts Academy, where she studied with Todor Pelev. Junior year, she was chosen as a summer admissions intern and spent the summer in Idyllwild, CA helping recruit musicians for the academy. During her senior year at Eastman, Whitman won a position as a substitute in the New World Symphony. She spent last summer at the National Orchestral Institute. This summer, she is excited to join the Ohio Light Opera festival. In the fall, Whitman will be attending the LSU School of Music to study with Espen Lilleslatten for her master’s. She has been awarded a 20-hour assistantship from the school.

LEAH WIDMAIER, viola, is excited to be joining OLO for her first season. Hailing from Chicago, Leah currently attends the Cleveland Institute of Music, where her primary teachers are Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey. Leah’s previous pit orchestra experience includes Interlochen Arts Academy productions of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Sweeney Todd, as well as a CIM production of Cendrillon. Leah enjoys playing multiple genres of music and recently participated in the Klezmer Music Ensemble at Case Western Reserve University. Her musical heroes include Hilary Hahn, Chris Thile, and Dolly Parton.

SPENCER WILSON, bassoon, is thrilled to join the Ohio Light Opera for his fifth season. A Virginian by birth, Spencer has lived the past seven years in Dallas, working as a gigging musician, teacher, and reed maker. As a performer, he has played numerous times with the Dallas Winds and

the Rapides Symphony as a principal musician. For his work as an educator, Spencer maintains a studio spanning across five districts in southern Dallas, as well as serving as adjunct professor of bassoon for Dallas College. Beyond these duties, he also serves as a mentor for the Dallas Winds Honor Band and has been a featured presenter for University of Texas Arlington’s Double Reed Day and All-State Bassoon Intensive programs. Spencer is a graduate of James Madison University and of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University as an artistic excellence fellow, studying under Susan Barber and William Ludwig, respectively. Additionally he has learned and performed as a fellow for the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival. Spencer is very much looking forward to a summer of performing great shows, escaping the Texas heat, and enjoying all that Wooster has to offer.

TECHNICAL AND FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM

SCENE SHOP AND STAGE CREW

ALLIANCE AKINS, scene shop foreman, is excited to be back at OLO for her third season. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, and definitely not an under-caffeinated rabbit in a human suit, Alliance has been using her BA to construct various haunted houses in Oklahoma and design a variety of renaissance festival costumes for the Castle of Muskogee. While she has been exploring different interests and living an exciting life, she is always excited to return to the wild world of theater. Ohio Light Opera will always have a special place in her heart, and she is excited and ready for yet another year.

CLAIRE ALDERFER, run crew, comes from Columbus, IN and is excited for their first season with the Ohio Light Opera. Claire is a rising senior at The College of Wooster (COW), majoring in theater and dance with minors in education and music. During the school year, she serves as the COW Dance Company stage manager and works in the Freedlander scene and electric shop. She previously interned at Cortland Repertory Theatre in Cortland, NY as a scenic carpenter, building shows such as Hair, Murder on the Orient Express, and Kiss Me, Kate. Claire recently attended the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival as head electrician and light board operator for the invited production CAGED, written and directed by Jimmy Noriega. She is also proud to have stage-managed the College’s first musical produced after the pandemic, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, directed by seasoned OLO veteran Sarah Best.

KATIE AYER, crew, is ecstatic to join the OLO team for the first time this summer. They have worked on shows like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, as a stage manager. As an assistant stage manager, they have worked on shows such as Elf the Musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and The Importance of Being Earnest. They also work as a carpenter and have helped build sets for shows like Elf the Musical, Deathtrap, and American Fast. Also recently they have dipped their toes into election work on Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. They are excited to work with so many talented people and hope to work with OLO more in the future.

KATHALEEN BURLEY, carpenter, is excited for her first year working at OLO. She is from Sterling Heights, MI and is a student at University of New Mexico. Kathaleen has been a painter and carpenter for 18 shows over the past five years, including Hairspray, Curtains The Musical, Spongebob Squarepants the Musical, Mamma Mia!, and Frankenstein. Kathaleen was also the assistant scenic designer, assistant technical director, and sound designer for Mamma Mia! Kathaleen is very excited to learn and increase her experience during this summer.

KATHERINE BURNS, scenic artist, is thrilled to be painting with OLO for her second season. Katherine is a recent University of South Florida graduate and has been utilizing her theater arts degree by working as an electrician under IATSE, doing lighting design and freelance scenic painting. Katherine studied under Daniel Hobbs, Elizabeth Bourgeois, and Wren Beers during her time at USF. She is looking forward to furthering her theater career and making connections around the country. She lives by the words, “hard work beats talent any day if talent doesn’t work hard.”

JAYDEN DUDLEY, stage manager, is a senior at the University of Utah for a BFA in stage management. She has loved working with the U Department of Theatre on shows like The Sweet Science of Bruising (APM, Babcock Theatre), Somewhere: A Primer for the End of Days (SM, Studio 115), a New Work Play; LIMINAL (1st ASM, Studio 115), and Naked Mole Rats Get Dressed (ASM, Babcock Theatre). Some outside work also includes The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Intern at Utah Opera, Capital Theatre), La Bohème (SM, Italy Traveling Venues), Fate? (SM, Alliance Theatre), Sweeney Todd (ASM, Kingsbury Hall). Jayden has also worked as a dresser for Pioneer Theatre on their 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons for Hello, Dolly!, Something Rotten, Elf the Musical, Shucked, A Christmas Story Musical, and Putting It Together.

JULIAN GRIMES, carpenter, is happy to be starting their first season as part of the shop crew for Ohio Light Opera. Previously, Julian has worked on the sets for Wooster Community Theater’s production of The Music Man, and The College of Wooster’s productions of Caged,

Trifles, and Alicia and the Real Wonderland. Julian is a Wooster local, graduating from Wooster High School, and is now a rising junior at The College of Wooster.

ALISON HARVEY, assistant stage manager, is excited to be making her professional debut at OLO. She is a student at Albion College in Albion, MI where she will graduate in May 2024. In her college career thus far, she has stage-managed The Servant of Two Masters and Eurydice and assistant-stage-managed Romeo and Juliet. She is also the stage manager for Albion’s 2023 fall production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Having been fortunate enough to grow up a block from the regional theater Tibbits Opera House, Alison spent her high school summers volunteering as a spotlight operator or member of run crew for Tibbits Professional Summer Theatre. She also was the stage manager for Tibbits Young Audiences, a theater group of 4th-8th grade students that put on a play in the fall and musical in the spring.

HANNAH LoGIUDICE, run crew, recently graduated from Wooster High School, where she was the student stage manager for seven productions, including Footloose, Mamma Mia!, and Elf: The Musical. She has also completed two summers with the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute (Hilton Head Island, SC), where she served as a fly rail operator for Hello, Dolly! and The Music Man. In the fall she will attend Syracuse University to pursue a BFA in theater design and technology.

COSTUMES AND WARDROBE

WHITLEY ADAMS, wardrobe crew, is a recent graduate of Auburn University, where they earned a BFA in theater performance. Previous tech credits include A Doll’s House as wardrobe crew and Spring Awakening as assistant wardrobe supervisor, and Detroit ’67, Pippin, and Twelfth Night as wig master, for which she often made her own wigs in addition to other actors’. Whitley is very excited about their first season with OLO.

RYAN CORBETT, costume shop manager, is very excited to be returning to OLO after her 2019 season. Post pandemic she has been a costume designer at Texas Shakespeare Festival, as well as making a return appearance as the

AMANDA PORDON, assistant stage manager, is taking part in her first season with OLO. She is currently studying to become a stage manager at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. She has stage-managed multiple shows, such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, She Kills Monsters, and Twelfth Night. This winter, Amanda was a finalist for the KCACTF Region 3 stage management fellowship.

MATTIE ROOS, painter, is happy to be returning to OLO for the second summer in a row. Mattie is a senior at the University of New Mexico, and will be graduating this fall with a BFA in scenic design. The last show Mattie designed was Brain People by Jose Rivera.

JORDAN WIGGINTON, carpenter, is excited to be working with OLO for the first time this season. Jordan is still new to the field and has worked on several projects at The University of Memphis, including The Rocky Horror Show, Starting Here, Starting Now, and Sense and Sensibility. Jordan is a military veteran from Murfreesboro, TN and is currently studying diligently as a performance major at The University of Memphis.

ANNE PLUMMER, carpenter, just completed a year-long welding and machining course while studying art at Finlandia University. She was also team captain and driver for FIRST Robotics team 857, which was ranked 35th in Michigan and 35th in their division at the FIRST Robotics world championship.

costume designer of her alma mater, Wittenberg University. While not in the theater, she runs a small Etsy shop selling her homemade costume pieces.

JORDINIA DENSON, wardrobe crew, is thrilled to begin her first season on wardrobe with OLO. Previously, Jordinia has worked wardrobe on Pippin, Into the Woods, and The Wolves at Auburn University. Here, she earned a BFA in musical theater and performed as Lank in Detroit ’67, Erntz in Spring Awakening, and assistantdirected Twelfth Night, Or What You Will, directed by Andrew Schwartz.

KATELIN KAPLAN, stitcher, born in Pensacola, recently graduated from the University of South Florida with her bachelor’s in theater arts with a concentration in costumes. She first got into costuming with hobbies like cosplay and went to university to perfect her craft. During her time in college, she worked on many notable projects such as Little Women: The Musical, and multiple dance shows. Now after graduating, she is ready to face the world with her skills and mindset. This will be her first year at Ohio Light Opera, and she is eager to begin working with the talented team to bring her creative talents and unique perspective to their productions.

RACHEL LUNEKE, stitcher/wardrobe, is thrilled to be joining OLO for her first season. She recently finished her freshman year at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she is earning a BFA in costume design and technology. Having been involved in theater for eight years, Rachel has most recently worked as costume designer for Spiritual Twist Productions’ Jane Eyre and on set run crew for CCM’s productions of A Dream Play and Dance Works. In her spare time, Rachel loves to read, hike, and hang out with her cat Sully. She dreams of backpacking Europe someday and is always on the lookout for a good ice cream shop.

GRACIE SHREVE, assistant to the costume designer, looks forward to her first season with OLO, where her love of fantasy will meet her passion for costuming in Camelot. A student at The College of Wooster, Gracie has just received her degree in music production—a program she aided in founding—and will return next year for her degree in theater and dance. She is a

College’s production of Alicia from The Real in Wonderland. Gracie sends her gratitude to her professor and mentor, Suwatana Rockland, as they design their way through another show together.

SYDNEY “SYD” LONDON SMITH, assistant wigs/stitcher, is excited to be a part of OLO this season. They are currently a senior BFA student at Missouri State University (MSU) in Springfield, MO. Some of their latest work includes wig and makeup designer for Dreamland (MSU) (collegiate premiere) and She Kills Monsters (MSU) (Vickie’s Award Winner), and they recently took their first step into film as the lead makeup artist for the short film Curtains. Syd works in the costume shop during the school year. When not in the shop or busy with classes, you can find Syd strolling in the woods, curling up with a good fantasy novel, or playing D&D with their long-time friends. Instagram: @sydneylondonsmith.

KALEIGH WHITE, head stitcher, is excited to be here for her first season with OLO. She graduated from Allegheny College in 2022 with a BA in theater and marketing informatics. She worked in her college’s costume shop for four years, working on such shows as Urinetown, In the Next Room, Sweat, Bourbon at the Border, and She Kills Monsters. For her baccalaureate thesis, she analyzed Google search data relating to Hamilton: An American Musical and heavily researched the history of American musicals on Broadway, as well as how musicals are marketed in today’s world. Last summer, she worked at Cedar Point as a head dresser, and remained there through the fall as a team lead, overseeing haunted house costumes for HalloWeekends scare actors. She hails from Linesville, PA, where she lives with her mother, grandmother, sister, and

ETHAN MANN, props artisan, is excited to be joining the technical team at OLO. He was born and raised here in Wooster before attending college at Ohio Northern University. There he received a BFA in musical theater and a secondary academic degree in applied music. His previous technical work includes stage management for Cedar Point’s interactive boat ride experience, Snake River Expedition, directing and operating the camera for short films with 0501 Productions, and working on set construction in ONU’s scene shop.

MOIRA SEGER, props artisan, is excited to be working their first season at OLO. They have

ELECTRICS & SOUND

RAINEY ALEXIEV, sound assistant, is a student of sound design hailing from Michigan Technological University. Originally a native of Grand Rapids, MI, they have worked on the load crew for multiple productions at the Rosza Center for Performing Arts, including the national Broadway tour of Hairspray. They are excited to start their first summer season at OLO, assisting in the world of audio technology and live mixing.

ELLIOTT CARNELL, assistant technical director, is happy to be joining the team at OLO for the first time. Elliott received his BFA in theater technology from Baylor University and is in his third year of obtaining an MFA in technical direction at Indiana University. Recent credits of his include technical director for The Winter’s Tale and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and assistant technical director for Something Rotten and the 2022 season at Opera in the Ozarks.

ANGIE GECOSKY, sound assistant, is excited to be part of the summer season at OLO. She is a third-year sound design major at Michigan Technological University. During her most recent production, she worked as a sound designer for a staged reading of Rossum’s Universal Robots.

previously worked as a props artisan at the College-Conservatory of Music for its productions of Frankenstein and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. They have also worked as a scenic painter for CCM’s productions of Fellow Travelers and Spring Awakening. A Cincinnati native, Moira is currently pursuing their BFA in stage design, props, and scenic art at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In 2022, they received a Silver Key for their sculptural work as part of the regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. One of their favorite ways to spend their free time is to explore different art mediums such as stained glass, wire, dice making, and painting.

She hopes the audience has a wonderful time and enjoys the shows of this season.

LANA JEFFCOAT, master electrician, is thrilled to be spending her first summer here working with OLO. She just wrapped up production as the lighting designer on The Revolutionists and master electrician for The Heidi Chronicles at Lamar University. Lana has spent the past three years working as a student assistant at Lamar and the past two years working with IATSE Local #183. In spring of 2024, she will graduate with a bachelor of science in theater and dance with an emphasis in technical theater. Lana is currently a color guard member of The Showcase of Southeast Texas, and she is a born and raised Texan.

ROBERT PFOST, general electrician, is thrilled to join OLO for the first time this season. Given the professional name “Bobert” by his colleagues, Robert has been working technical theater since high school at the Wesley Chapel PAC. He has also designed lights for True West in Plant City, FL. When he isn’t working, he likes to play DnD and video games with his friends. Robert plans to further his technical skills around the country and finally learn what button does what.

NINA ANDERSON, box office assistant, is a rising junior at The College of Wooster, where she is pursuing BAs in both Russian studies and religious studies with a minor in music. She plays tuba in the Wooster symphonic band and works as an usher during the school year. Nina is thrilled to contribute to the experience of audience members in the very place where she, herself, fell in love with light opera.

MORGAN CLARE CARSON, housing manager, recently graduated from The College of Wooster with a BA as a political science major. Morgan focused her I.S. research on studying the relationship between gender and congressional voting behavior. Morgan spent her time at the college working with the C.O.W Dance Company, choreographing and dancing for the past four years. This is her first year with OLO, and she is super excited to continue her work in the arts post-grad.

EMMA CHARLTON, box office assistant, is excited to work with OLO this summer. In the past, she has appeared on stage as well as backstage at Ritz Theatre in Tiffin, OH, and Heidelberg University’s Children’s & Teen Theater. A native of Tiffin, OH, Emma has just completed her first year at The College of Wooster, majoring in early education and studio art.

BETHANY MARTY, house manager, is beyond excited to join OLO for her first festival season. She has been an active participant in the performing arts since childhood. She previously performed with several local theatrical and musical organizations, including the Akron Symphony Chorus, where she worked with notable professionals such as conductor Benjamin Zander and Video Games Live producer Tommy Tallarico. A self-taught seamstress, crafter, and make-up artistry aficionado, Bethany studied operatic voice performance at Baldwin Wallace University.

THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER

A proud history with an international reputation for excellence

The College of Wooster is the nation’s premier college for mentored undergraduate research and the most internationalized campus in Ohio.

Since 2002, U.S. News has asked college presidents, chief academic officers, and deans which colleges provide the best undergraduate research opportunities and senior capstone experiences. Only two have made both lists every year: Wooster and Princeton.

Wooster offers an excellent, comprehensive liberal arts education in a spirited residential setting, culminating in every student creating new knowledge through a rigorous, in-depth project of inquiry or creative expression. Working in partnership with a faculty mentor to conceive, organize, and complete a significant project on a topic of the student’s own choosing, every Wooster graduate develops abilities valued by employers and graduate schools alike: initiative, collaboration, self-confidence, independent judgment, creative problem solving, and strong written and oral communication skills.

Wooster is a vibrant, diverse, unpretentious community of learners with a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students can be

themselves at Wooster, discover and pursue their passions, connect learning in the classroom to the real world through paid internships, research fellowships, and other experiential opportunities, and forge lifelong bonds with faculty, coaches, and staff.

New York Times columnist Ron Lieber praises Wooster for its exceptional combination of quality faculty, affordability, and undergraduate research in his new book, The Price You Pay for College. 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 diversity and inclusion all play an important role in a Wooster student’s life.

Is Proud to Support the Arts

History

History

Our History

The Olde Jaol facility was built in 1865, and was claimed to be the finest sheriff facility of its kind. In 1977 the Wayne County Sheriff’s department was relocated across the street to a new facility. Subsequently, the old jail was registered as a historical landmark in 1980 and in 1995 The Olde Jaol Restaurant was given life. We have an excellent reputation for quality and service.

The Olde Jaol facility was built in 1865, and was In 1977 the Wayne County Sheriff’s department

Olde Jaol facility was built in 1865, and was claimed to be the finest sheriff

Olde Jaol facility was built in 1865, and was claimed to be the finest sheriff facility

Subsequently, the old jail was registered as a historical Jaol Restaurant was given life. We have an excellent

1977 the Wayne County Sheriff’s department was relocated across the street

1977 the Wayne County Sheriff’s department

relocated across

Subsequently, the old jail was registered as a historical landmark in 1980 and in Restaurant was given life. We have an excellent reputation for quality and

street to Subsequently, the old jail was registered as a historical landmark in 1980 and in 1995 Restaurant was given life. We have an excellent reputation for quality and service.

DINING, ACCOMMODATIONS & SHOPPING

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

8 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

43 COMPLETE RECORDINGS AVAILABLE ON CD

Tomás Bretón

La Verbena de la Paloma

Reginald De Koven

Robin Hood

Rudolf Friml

The Vagabond King • The Firefly

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

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

André Messager

Véronique

Lionel Monckton

The Arcadians

Jacques Offenbach

The Brigands • Bluebeard

Sigmund Romberg

Maytime • Blossom Time

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.

2023 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Over the last 44 years, the staff at The College of Wooster has been instrumental in Ohio Light Opera’s success. Without their enthusiasm and support of our endeavors, the Company would not function as seamlessly as it does. The “in kind” services and “hidden assets” over the years have made it possible for OLO to exist as a unique part of the educational mission at Wooster. We acknowledge them with grateful hearts for their support and assistance.

HEARTFELT THANKS go out to:

Ben Small, Gail Smith, and John Schambach, for your tireless work on behalf of the company all year around.

Michael and Nan Miller for your never-ending commitment to the company.

Spiro Matsos for being our #1 patron and supporter.

Staff of the College of Wooster for 44 years of supporting the OLO company.

Ron Holtman for your advice and hard work on behalf of the company.

Sandy McIlvaine, for your tireless work with and in support of OLO for so many years.

Michael Borowitz, for work on the orchestra parts for No, No, Nanette.

Andrea Traubner for allowing us to utilize Richard’s Orpheus in the Underworld translation.

Christopher Plummer for his research on the sound enhancement.

Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin (Eric Colleary, curator).

Eastman Opera Theatre.

COMPLETE REPERTOIRE 1979-2023

THE OHIO LIGHT OPERA S STEVEN A. DAIGLE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Richard Adler & Jerry Ross

The Pajama Game ’18

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

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

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

William Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan

The Gondoliers ’79, ’82, ’85, ’88, ’92, ’96, ’01, ’06, ’13

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

Patience............ ’80, ’83, ’86, ’91, ’97, ’04, ’10

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

Reynaldo Hahn

Ciboulette ................................................ ’90

Victor Herbert

Naughty Marietta ............................. ’89, ’00

Eileen ....................................................... ’97

The Red Mill ............................................ ’01

Sweethearts ’02

Mlle. Modiste ........................................... ’09

The Fortune Teller.................................... ’11

Dream City and The Magic Knight ............. ’14

The Lady of the Slipper

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

My Fair Lady .................................... ’03, ’14

Frank Loesser

Guys and Dolls ’12

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

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

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

Sigmund

Carl Zeller

Der Vogelhändler ......................... ’93, ’94, ’07

OHIO LIGHT OPERA 2023 PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

★

OLO 2023 FESTIVAL SPECIAL EVENTS

The Ohio Light Opera will be providing its patrons and company members with four days of special events during the 2023 festival season. From July 19th to July 22nd, OLO will be featuring lectures and video presentations—all celebrating our 44th season and unique mission. In the true spirit of a festival, these extra events make a wonderful addition to a week during which patrons can experience all six shows. These free special events are held in Lean Lecture Room, in Wishart Hall adjacent to Freedlander Theatre.

JULY 20-22 (1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.):

LECTURES

OLO’s traditional slate of Friday and Saturday evening pre-performance lectures will be expanded—during this three-day period— to include talks on all six 2023 productions. Company members will provide both historical insights and their own experiences in bringing these show gems to life on stage.

JULY 4 – INDEPENDENCE DAY POPS

CONCERT 7-8 p.m.

The concert features the full OLO orchestra and cast of singers, and is presented on the square in downtown Wooster. Join us for the 21st annual concert, which is free, open to the community, and presented in partnership with Main Street Wooster. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy!

JULY 19 (7:30 p.m.): OPERETTA MANIA XIV

See your favorite operetta and musical theater stars in rare film clips from around the world. Free popcorn and twizzlers!

JULY 20 (9:15 a.m.): SPECIAL FILM

PRESENTATION

Without giving away too much, this full-length feature film relates to one of the six shows in OLO’s 2023 repertoire.

JULY 5 – KIDS DAY 1-2 p.m.

Meet in Lean Lecture Room (adjacent to Freedlander Theatre, downstairs) for H.M.S. Pinafore day! You can create a craft, enjoy a small treat, and get a backstage tour prior to the performance of H.M.S. Pinafore. Don’t miss out!

Annie Get Your Gun, 2016

IN THE HEART OF OUR THRIVING DOWNTOWN SCENE, YOU CAN ENVISION IT—A SMALL, BUSTLING INDEPENDENT THEATER ON THE CORNER OF SOUTH AND MARKET STREETS. A BEAUTIFUL AND SOCIAL SPACE, THE LYRIC WILL BE ANOTHER DRAW TO DOWNTOWN WOOSTER.

TICKET INFORMATION & PRICES

Season Subscriptions: Subscribe for the Season! Choose four, five, or six performances at a discount from individual ticket prices.

Individual Ticket Pricing

Single Tickets $59

Students (ages: 16-23) .................................... $20

Children (ages: 3-15) $10

Subscription Rates (Price Per Ticket)

4 Different Performances $57

5 Different Performances $56

6 Different Performances $54

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 11-May 14, 2023:

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 15-July 30, 2023:

Freedlander Theatre

329 East University Street Wooster, OH 44691

Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday (beginning June 17) 12 noon-4:30 p.m. Sunday (beginning July 9) .............. 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 2,000 people saw Ohio Light Opera performances with our group discount plan.

20-46 people $56 per ticket

47-100 people $54 per ticket

Put together a group of people and come to Wooster for an afternoon or evening of operetta—a joy for all at wonderful savings! Call the Box Office at 330.263.2345 or 330.263.2329 to order tickets for your group. Our group sales coordinator will be glad to assist you with your plans.

Ticket Exchanges: You have the privilege of exchanging tickets, subject to availability, within the 2023 season.

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 $3.00 PER TICKET charge for exchanges. No other exchanges are possible.

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 theatre 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, latearriving 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 theatre. 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 Friday and Saturday Evenings at 6:30 p.m.: Enhance your enjoyment of the evening’s performance by learning lesserknown facts about the show’s history and tips to recognize the unique special pleasures of each show. We feature lecturers seasoned in the experience and study of operetta. No reservations are necessary. Lectures begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. and are held in the Lean Lecture Room, down the hall from Freedlander Theatre lobby. Check for signs in the lobby for the location of these informative and free gatherings!

God Save The KinG

In keeping with the tradition established at the Savoy Theatre in London, we will sing God Save the King before each Gilbert & Sullivan performance.

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

King Charles III