Triumphant return — Ohio Light Opera back this summer
The Ohio Light Opera, resident professional company of The College of Wooster, has been providing entertainment for more than 40 years, and this year it’s taking steps toward returning to normal after COVID-19.
If there’s anything that’s synonymous with Wayne County in the summer, it’s the Ohio Light Opera.
The Ohio Light Opera, resident professional company of The College of Wooster, has been providing entertainment for more than 40 years, and this year it’s taking steps toward returning to normal after COVID-19.
After last year when the coronavirus pandemic forced the company to perform a limited virtual season only via its website and YouTube, this summer marks a season that will still be different to some extent but will be creatively expanded from last year.
“Last year forced us to adapt,” said Laura Neill, executive director. “The one thing we maybe didn’t expect was realizing just how very important we were to people.”
Neill said the OLO provides more than artistry; it lends an emotional experience to its audience. “People plan their summers around it, vacationing and attending from all over the country,” she said. “I think it just makes people feel good.”
Neill said she thinks after last year OLO will continue to have an online presence — last year’s online performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Ruddigore” got thousands of hits and is still up — but she said the company is more than excited to be able to introduce a combination of online and in-person performances this summer.
As part of the summer lineup, between July 10 and 24 “Trial by Jury” and “The Fantasticks” will be performed outdoors at the Wayne Center for the Arts, “The Musical Magic of OLO” will headline a Second Saturday event on July 10, two cabaret-style events will be performed in collaboration with downtown merchants, and this year’s virtual productions of “The Daring of Diane” and “Operetta: Rare and Well Done” will be performed and live streamed from The College of Wooster’s Freedlander Theatre, albeit without an in-person audience in conformance with the college’s COVID-19 safety protocols.
The OLO traditionally is a company of 130, which includes 40 cast members, 40 production staff, 32 orchestra, and the rest front of house and administration. This year it’s a much smaller troupe of 12 singers and 12 production and artistic staff. The cast includes those who were there in 2020.
Shannon Waller, executive director of Main Street Wooster Inc., said her organization was thrilled to work with OLO to bring entertainment to downtown.
“The partnership has been very creative. It helps OLO broaden its audience locally, and we’re very excited to showcase them in several downtown events. We think it will bring back some of the OLO faithful,” Waller said.
The OLO’s impact is not just cultural. The Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the OLO generates nearly $5 million for the local economy each year.
“OLO has always been a local organization, supported in the very beginning by Wooster and Wayne County’s devoted citizens. The company truly appreciates the way in which Main Street Wooster, the Visitors Bureau and our other partners are so open to these collaborations, fueling tourism and the economy. The virus preventing our community from being out and about in 2020 has energized many of us for the summer of 2021,” Neill said.
Because 75% of OLO’s budget is from ticket sales starting the November prior to the season, this year’s plans required a leap of faith, according to Neill.
“I think our confidence came partly from how well we were able to adjust last year and just the fact that we knew how much we all were yearning for any semblance of a sense of normalcy,” Neill said.
Neill said a partnership with the Wayne Center for the Arts was integral to the plan for the summer.
“We could never be making this happen without the support of James Fox (WCA executive director),” she said. “We realized that together, after all, we have the same mission, which is to enhance the cultural identity within our community. We have so many opportunities for a small city.”
The performances at the arts center will be ticketed events on the front lawn. Neill said with the recent renovations to the center’s auditorium, the performances can be moved indoors in the event of inclement weather. Tickets are $20.
Cabaret-style performances will be held at the City Square Steakhouse and St. Paul Hotel/Grigio Wine and Cocktail Bar, both in downtown Wooster.
“These settings will be more intimate with artists performing songs from their own repertoires as well as other musical favorites,” Neill said.
The OLO box office is open, but tickets are limited and available at 330-263-2345 and on the OLO website at www.ohiolightopera@wooster.edu.
Rhonda Edgerton can be emailed at wooedge@gmail.com.