Performers from around the nation come together to showcase their talent through songs, spoken dialogues, and dances at the Ohio Light Opera. The summer season will feature six iconic musical theater favorites alongside a more unusual repertoire.
Although most operas are in a foreign language such as Italian, Ohio Light Opera is performed in English. Thus making them enjoyable for the whole family.
Light Opera is a great introduction into the opera scene. It’s shorter in terms of the length of performance, orchestral size, and music giving you the perfect representation.
The summer season will include the following shows from June 10 – July 30 located at the College of Wooster’s Freedlander Theatre.
- Camelot – 1960, based on the novel The Once and Future King – King Arthur, instills in a young boy the hopes and ideals of a once enchanted kingdom, where he had promoted justice and civility over battle and greed.
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – 1961– is a breath of Broadway fresh air. Forgoing the formulaic boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl plotline, it tells the story of a young window washer.
- No, No, Nanette – 1925 – the perfect musical comedy. Experience this show for the first time anywhere in decades, in its original 1920s orchestration.
- H.M.S. Pinafore – 1878 – where else can one find a First Lord of the Admiralty who has never seen a ship, a seafaring captain who gets seasick, or a nursemaid who can’t tell one baby from another?
- Arizona Lady – 1954 – a signing cowboy…the Kentucky Derby…an Arizona ranch…a border dispute…a jealous sheriff.
- Orpheus in the Underworld – 1858 – Orpheus and his wife Eurydice can’t stand each other. He has his eye on the nymph Chloe while she has fallen for the shepherd Aristaeus.
For further details about each performance, visit Ohio Light Opera’s 2023 Summer Festival Season online brochure, which showcases a more in-depth look into each show.
Don’t miss your chance to see one or more of these spectacular performances. You will find them enjoyable, entertaining, and easy-to-follow. Sit back and immerse yourself in the breathtaking settings, costumes, and music. Or you may experience them from your home. Visit ohiolightopera.org for showtimes and ticket information.
Wooster, Ohio, is about community and has become a destination for visitors. Plan a visit and enjoy shows, restaurants, and quaint shops throughout the downtown area.
Ohio Light Opera’s 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.
