Greenville Light Opera Works

The Greenville Light Opera Works (GLOW) is a non-profit professional opera, operetta and musical theatre company in Greenville, South Carolina. In 2013, the company began operating under the name Glow Lyric Theatre.

Description

Glow Lyric Theatre is a professional non-profit (501C3) performing arts organization.^[1] In 2013, Glow moved permanently to a Summer Festival season, producing shows in repertory during the month of July and August. They then added a Winter/Spring "Raising Voices" series to be performed at various venues in Greenville, SC. All productions are fully staged with orchestra or band (for musical theatre).^[2] Glow is a member of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) and is an associate member of Opera America.^[3]

History

Glow Lyric Theatre was founded in 2009 by opera singer, conductor, and music professor at Presbyterian College, Dr. Christian Elser, and musical theatre actress and stage director Ms. Jenna Tamisiea. Glow’s inaugural production of Mozart's "The Impresario" in April 2010 took place at the Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, South Carolina before the residency at Centre Stage Theatre was announced in the fall of 2010. Glow was in residence at Centre Stage until fall 2013. In the summer of 2013 Glow announced their formal move to the Peace Center's Gunter Theatre for the 2014 Summer Festival, and the Younts Center for Performing Arts for their new Chamber Opera Series.^[4][5] Glow has since flourished, producing a Raising Voices Series every spring of two to three concert performances, and as fully produced three show Summer Festival Season, at the Kroc Center Fred Collins Performing Arts Stage.^[6][7]

In the spring of 2012, Greenville Light Opera Works opened the Glow School of Music & Drama, a community music school dedicated to musical theatre education for children. The Ryan Allen Apprentice Artist Program was initiated in 2013 (GAAP). This young artist program gives four young pre-professional singers the chance to perform and cover roles in the Glow Festival Season, as well as receive stage training and master classes in opera and musical theatre.^[8]

Performances

• 2010 (half season): The Impresario (Mozart),^[9] GLOW Goes to the Opry!
• 2010-2011 season: Trial by Jury (Glibert & Sullivan),^[10] Rodgers & Hart: Songs in the Key of Love, Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss, II)^[11][12]
• 2011-2012 season: The Mikado (Gilbert & Sullivan),^[13][14] Rock Opera!,^[8] Don Pasquale (Donizetti)^[15]
• 2013 (festival season): Jesus Christ Superstar (Lloyd-Webber & Rice), The Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert & Sullivan).
• 2013-14 Chamber Opera Series: "Amahl & the Night Visitors" (Menotti), "La Tragédie de Carmen" (Bizet/Brook)
• 2014 Festival Season: "La Bohème" (Puccini) and "Rent" (Larson)
• 2015 Festival Season: "The Wiz" (Smalls) and "The Hot Mikado" (Bell/Bowman)
• 2016 Festival Season: "Roméo et Juliette" (Gounod) and "West Side Story" (Bernstein)
• 2017 Festival Season: "Hair" (Ragni, Rado & McDermott), Crucible (Ward), Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan)
• 2018 Festival Season: "In the Heights" (Manuel Linn-Maranda), HMS Pinafore (Gilbert & Sullivan), Fidelio (Beethoven)
• 2019 Festival Season: "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (Carol Hall), "My Fair Lady" (Lerner & Loewe), "Carmen" (Bizet)
• 2020 Festival Season**: "Aida" (Elton John & Tim Rice), "Showboat" (Hammerstein & Kern), "Tosca" (Puccini) **This Season was cancelled due to COVID
• 2021 Festival Season: "Rock Opera," "Passione," "The Jenna & Christian Show"
• 2022 Festival Season: "AIDA," "Stinney: An American Execution" "Classic Broadway"

See also

• Greenville Symphony Orchestra
• Peace Center

References

1. . Metropolitan Arts Council. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
2. "Greenville Light Opera Works". Centre Stage. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
3. . National Opera Center - OPERA America. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
4. Paul Hyde (August 31, 2010). "Opera GLOWs in Greenville". Talk Greenville Magazine. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
5. "Dr. Christian Elser". Presbyterian College. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
6. "Events". Simpsonville Arts Foundation. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
7. "Greenville Light Opera Works Official Website". Retrieved August 31, 2012.
8. Wes Gilliam (February 2012). "Incoming Transmissions: Greenville Light Opera Works". We Art the Upstate. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
9. April Morris (August 31, 2010). "A Little Lighter Music". G-The Magazine of Greenville. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
10. Matt Wake (May 4, 2011). "The opera of your eye". MetroMix Greenville. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
11. Jack Roper & Kimberley Kelly (December 29, 2011). "Greenville Light Opera Works and Keri D Magazine (TV interview)". Your Carolina with Jack & Kimberley. WSPA ABC. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
12. Paul Hyde (May 7, 2011). "Review: GLOW's 'Die Fledermaus' bubbles over with talent". MetroMix Greenville. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
13. Paul Hyde (September 10, 2011). "Review: Greenville Light Opera Works' 'Mikado' charms". MetroMix Greenville. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
14. Jack Roper & Kimberley Kelly (September 2, 2011). "GLOW (TV interview)". Your Carolina with Jack & Kimberley. WSPA ABC. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
15. Myra Ruiz (March 11, 2010). "Glowing In The Spotlight; Rock Opera Part 2 (TV interview)". WYFF NBC 4. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2012.