Company Archive

A Short History of The Ohio Light Opera
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.