THE VILLAGE LIGHT OPERA
GROUP, LTD.
Founded in 1935 by a talented group of medical doctors, The
Village Light Opera Group, Ltd. (VLOG) is today a recognized staple
of New York City's cultural life.
Although formed by Allen and Elizabeth Hinckley to offer Gilbert
& Sullivan classics to the Greenwich Village community, VLOG
has since greatly expanded both its repertoire and its audience.
Now Broadway hits such as The Music Man and The Most Happy Fella,
and light opera classics like The Desert Song and The Merry Widow,
are performed along with Gilbert & Sullivan's offerings at
the 800-seat Haft Auditorium of the Fashion Institute of Technology.
With its professional, full-sized orchestra led by Emmy award-winning
Music Director Ronald Noll, each of VLOG's twice-annual shows
is a highly polished production incorporating anywhere from 40
to 60-plus cast members.
In the summer of 1976, VLOG joined forces with London's Philbeach
Society, a London-based amateur theatre company, and the British
American Light Opera Exchange (BALOE) was born. BALOE shows are
produced every six years during the summer and alternate between
London and New York, giving each company a chance to travel.
In 1960, VLOG celebrated its Silver Jubilee and also performed for the first
time at F.I.T, which has since become the group's performing home. In March
1985, VLOG marked its 50th Anniversary with a special Golden Jubilee Celebration
chaired by longtime supporter Isaac Asimov.
Today, VLOG boasts a paid membership of more than 200 and an annual budget of
several hundred thousand dollars! The professionalism of VLOG performance may
surprise some audiences, considering that the majority of its cast and crew
hold `regular' nine-to-five jobs, although a number of its alumni have gone
on to successful careers in the performing arts. VLOG remains overwhelmingly
a volunteer organization: all members serve multiple capacities, whether by
building sets, making costumes, or working on publicity, ticket sales, or marketing.
For the members of the Village Light Opera Group, each production is truly a
labor of love.