As you can imagine, a production of this size requires the work of many dedicated individuals. In addition to our actors and musicians, an array of talented people contributes to every part of the production process. Among the most remarkable are our understudies, who learn their roles with the understanding that they may never have the opportunity to perform them. Nevertheless, they work tirelessly, remain prepared, and help fill every gap along the way.
Jersey Shore Light Opera began as an idea: a way to work with family members and colleagues in the business while producing operetta, English opera, and Golden Age musicals. That idea had likely been forming for decades, but it came clearly into focus two years ago as I sat on a porch in eastern Ohio reading a book titled "How to Start Your Own Theatre Company." Having just seen multiple productions by the Ohio Light Opera, the thought of bringing this genre to the Jersey Shore began to take shape.
Since then, we have worked through the many demanding steps involved in starting a nonprofit theater company: incorporation, charitable qualification, business licensing, show selection, auditions, hiring actors, musicians, and staff, securing rehearsal space, finding a performance venue, and obtaining start-up financing. Each step presented its own challenges—some small, and some that seemed nearly impossible to overcome.
Happily, solutions were found through the efforts of talented and dedicated people, and, I believe, through Divine intervention.
What you will see tonight is the result of the hard work of dozens of gifted artists—young and mature, experienced performers and raw beginners alike—each of whom has grown throughout this process. They are sharing their God-given talents with our audience and with the Jersey Shore community, and I am deeply grateful for their generosity.
We are a nonprofit theater company, and our intent is to present light opera on a regular basis—one production each season, provided we can secure the necessary theater space. I chose the nonprofit model because this company belongs to the public, to its staff, and to its performers. We are veteran-run and operated, and many of our actors and musicians are military veterans. I am excited and grateful to take this journey with them, and I feel blessed to serve as Executive Director.
It would be remiss of me not to recognize the gracious and hospitable staff and crew of the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts. They have been generous in allowing us to rent the facility, assisting with set construction, lighting design, marketing, and staffing, and treating us as true partners throughout the process. My hope is that we will have the opportunity to continue working with them in the future.
Finally, I would like to offer a sincere hat tip to my production team and to the many places where I have performed, conducted, and experienced Gilbert and Sullivan productions, including New York City Opera, the Stratford Festival, the Sydney Opera House, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and, finally, the Light Opera of Manhattan, where I learned the genre from masters such as Raymond Allen, Jerry Gotham, Todd Ellison, and founder William Mount-Burke.
