Skip to Content

The History of The Ohio Light Opera

Show Photographs

The College of Wooster had a beautiful new theatre, and James Stuart was searching for an additional venue for his Kent State Light Opera, which had been performing at several Northeast Ohio locations since 1968. In 1976, Professor of Speech Stanley Schutz invited Stuart's company to perform in Freedlander Theatre, a visit that led to a return engagement the following summer as part of Wooster's Alumni College. Administrative changes at Kent State resulted in the demise of Stuart's company in 1978. Frank Knorr, then the College's director of alumni relations, drafted a proposal to establish a new company at Wooster, received a green light from President Henry Copeland, and met with Stuart, who was delighted that the college would provide a permanent home and secure support. A match was made, and Ohio Light Opera began with a five-week season in 1979. Knorr served as the company's producer from 1979 to 1983. Twenty-five years later, this "summer jewel" - as the college's president, R. Stanton Hales, calls it - presents seven or eight productions in full repertory, in a nine-week season that attracts more than 22,000 patrons annually.

John Johnston, the College's attorney, gave invaluable advice and support, and another Wooster alumnus, Norman Wiebusch, head of Cleveland advertising agency, played a major role in promotion and insisted on a name that would identify the company as a robust and professional one. Hence, The Ohio Light Opera: Resident Professional Company of The College of Wooster.

The Ohio Light Opera has been owned and operated since its inception by the College of Wooster, which provides financial support, housing and meals for company members, a variety of campus services, and administrative leadership. The early years also benefited from the work of many local volunteers. Boyd Mackus, who first sang with Ohio Light Opera in 1983, pays tribute to "the extremely important support" of the college, and Associate Music Director Steve Byess observes that the campus helps create a family feeling for the company.

Henry Copeland helped to create a context at the College in which the Company could thrive. His recognition of James Stuart as "a rare talent" and the decision to offer Stuart carte blanche to pursue his artistic vision contributed to the company's growing national and international reputation. Bonnie Havholm contributed to the OLO's steady growth as Company Manager / Producer from 1983-1997. Laura McGraw Neill has been in that position since 1997.

President Hales, Copeland's successor, is proud that such a small liberal arts college can mount such a complex and "astonishingly vibrant" operation. One of the company's most ardent fans, he lauds its "supreme talents" and observes that elder members of the audience in post-performance encounters with the young professionals tend to view them proudly as sons and daughters.

"There wouldn't be a company without James Stuart," Mackus says. "He has a terrific ability to cast well and to get people to work together." Byess adds that Stuart chose shows he knew he could do well and laid a great foundation. The high standards of excellence established at the outset are reflected in Music Director J. Lynn Thompson's observation that the orchestra members "have a sense of pride in being able to play well in every performance in a demanding season" of rotating repertory.

Steven Daigle, artistic director since May 1999 and a protégé of Stuart, winnows his cast of singers from auditions held in cities across the country. The auditions attract hundreds of aspirants. In making his choices, he looks for truth in performance and beyond technical accomplishment for the readiness to alternate between leading roles and service in the chorus. "There is no room for divas," he declares. The Company's mission, Daigle says, is "to promote, produce, and preserve the best operettas ever written, and to do them in traditional settings." This has meant drawing on large store of the 19th and 20th century operettas from England, Austria, Germany, France, Spain, and the United States - some of them rarely if ever performed professionally in this country, all of them sources of ingratiating melody. The decision to add Broadway musicals to the repertory beginning in 2000 Daigle sees as a feature to the company's evolution. After two seasons devoted exclusively to Gilbert and Sullivan, the company began its exploration of Continental works with Strauss' A Night in Venice in 1981. 1981 was also a pivotal year that saw the introduction of an orchestra, which in turn eliminated the need for a unit set to conceal the onstage piano and liberated the talents of scene designers.

For the future, Daigle seeks to sustain the Company's high standards and to broaden the boundaries of the audience. With a tradition of excellence buttressed by the college's support, the abundant talents of young professional singers and instrumentalists, imaginative artistic leadership, and the enthusiasm and generosity of patrons, Ohio Light Opera celebrates its continued work by guaranteeing that this "summer jewel" will continue to sparkle.

written by Raymond McCall