{"id":486,"date":"2020-12-01T12:24:54","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T17:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/?p=486"},"modified":"2021-12-27T03:25:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T08:25:29","slug":"village-light-opera-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/village-light-opera-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Village Light Opera Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

VLOG\u2014Village Light Opera Group<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gilbert & Sullivan\u2019s \u201cHail Poetry!\u201d is this group\u2019s theme song!\u00a0 Technically a community operetta group, which for many years produced two Broadway style productions a year, with a 28-member professional orchestra at the Fashion Institute Theater–20 blocks South of Broadway. Largely due to their Resident Music Director & Conductor, Ronald W. Noll, this group has been critically acclaimed by many professional critics\u2014as well as their huge audiences. The group started in 1936, as a G&S group, formed by wives & husbands of then Met singers; as of 1971, in addition, the group began offering other European and American operettas.\u00a0 Later, as younger members joined, the group happily added musical comedies to its format.<\/p>\n

Members audition and are cast in roles or ensemble onstage and must also commit to an offstage position (costumes, sets, publicity, etc.)\u2014and there are lots of parties and aftershows\u2014lots!\u2014at favorite watering holes or someone\u2019s house or apartment (hopefully catered by excellent performer & chef Patty Shea!).<\/p>\n

For many years VLOG was a wonderful venue for professionals and newcomers, who also enjoyed the communal aspect, to be seen and heard in a fantastic showcase–many of us got many jobs when our arts were seen in VLOG productions. Two wonderful performers who started with this group: Martha Thigpen (later a fabulous \u201cTosca\u201d & other City Opera leads at Lincoln Center) & Mark Beudert (“Pirates” in the Park & on Broadway, and a successful international opera career).\u00a0 In addition, Ron & his talented wife Sara-Ann Noll\u2019s daughter, Christy, I\u2019ve had the delight and priviledge to watch grow from a VLOG kid to a very amazing, talented and popular performer herself:\u00a0 Christianne Noll.<\/p>\n

BK & VLOG<\/strong><\/p>\n

This group\u2014and the incredible variety of members (individuals and families) I\u2019ve met through the years are important to me on so many levels.\u00a0 Number One: They love to offer really fun shows of the highest quality (many of our productions were compared by critics to Broadway shows); Number Two:\u00a0 They love to have a good time!\u2014on and off stage!\u00a0 This group, more than any I\u2019ve known, truly upholds the word \u201camateur\u201d to its literal meaning:\u00a0 \u201cone who does what he\/she loves\u201d.\u00a0 VLOG is like a giant extended family\u2014the members are really there for each other\u2014through fun times and rough times, truly in sickness and in health\u2014for me they are one of my most loved extended families.<\/p>\n

I stage directed 25 VLOG & 3 BALOE (British-American Light Opera Exchange) shows & choreographed all but one.\u00a0 I had the priviledge of working with fantastic musical director and conductor Ronald W. Noll, also my caring, delightful friend, for all VLOG and one of the BALOE shows.\u00a0 I also directed three separate performances of my \u201cCantata For Good Friday\u201d\u2014gifts to our rehearsal\/building host, First Presbyterian Church, NYC.<\/p>\n

The biggest honor this group afforded me was inviting me to be an Honorary Life Member (regular members of outstanding service were honored as \u201cLife Members\u201d; paid staff could only be \u201cHonorary Life Members\u201d (like Ron Noll & Barbara Sabel).<\/p>\n

In another Highlight:\u00a0 BK WILDHORSE: CELEBRATION, you can hear a sonnet I wrote to honor my relationship with VLOG, delightfully performed by Jon Carriel (time # 1:09:58).<\/p>\n

Below is a list of the shows I\u2019ve had the honor to captain with VLOG\u2014and each one has its own entry in \u201cMapping The Legacy\u201d\u2014a cornucopia of memories too big for one Highlight!<\/p>\n

1971\u2014Gilbert & Sullivan\u2019s “WESTERN TRIAL BY JURY” & “THE SORCEROR”<\/p>\n

1972\u2014Edward German\u2019s \u201cTOM JONES\u201d<\/p>\n

1973\u2014Offenbach\u2019s \u201cLA BELLE HELENE\u201d<\/p>\n

1974\u2014Koch\u2019s \u201cCANTATA FOR GOOD FRIDAY\u201d<\/p>\n

1974\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cYEOMEN OF THE GUARD\u201d\u2014as a tragic opera<\/p>\n

1975\u2014Koch\u2019s \u201cCANTATA FOR GOOD FRIDAY\u201d<\/p>\n

1975\u2014Lehar\u2019s \u201cTHE MERRY WIDOW\u201d<\/p>\n

1975\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cRUDDIGORE\u201d<\/p>\n

1976\u2014Koch\u2019s \u201cCANTATA FOR GOOD FRIDAY\u201d<\/p>\n

1976\u2014Romberg\/Hammerstein\u2019s \u2018THE NEW MOON\u201d<\/p>\n

1976\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cWESTERN TRIAL BY JURY\u201d (BALOE in London)<\/p>\n

1976\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cUTOPIA, LTD.\u201d<\/p>\n

1977\u2014Offenbach\u2019s \u201cLA VIE PARIESIENNE\u201d<\/p>\n

1977\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cFAIRY-TALE PINAFORE\u201d (BALOE in New York City)<\/p>\n

1977\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cTHE MIKADO\u201d<\/p>\n

1978\u2014Romberg\/Hammerstein\u2019s \u201cTHE DESERT SONG\u201d<\/p>\n

1978\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cPATIENCE\u201d<\/p>\n

1980\u2014Offenbach\u2019s \u201cTHE GRAND DUCHESS OF GEROLSTEIN\u201d<\/p>\n

1983\u2014Wright&Forrest\u2019s \u201cSONG OF NORWAY\u201d<\/p>\n

1983\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cTHE GONDOLIERS\u201d<\/p>\n

1989\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cU.S.S. PINAFORE\u201d<\/p>\n

1990\u2014Wright&Forrest\u2019s \u201cKISMET\u201d<\/p>\n

1995\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cYEOMEN OF THE GUARD\u201d\u2014as a musical drama<\/p>\n

1996\u2014Harnick&Bock\u2019s \u201cFIORELLO\u201d<\/p>\n

1996\u2014\u201cA SALUTE TO BARBARA SABEL\u201d (Artistic Director)–a celebration of the Art of incredible costume designer & person Barbara Munday Sabel\u2014longtime VLOG member<\/p>\n

1997\u2014Comden,Greene&Styne\u2019s \u201cBELLS ARE RINGING\u201d<\/p>\n

1997\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cRUDDYGORE\u201d<\/p>\n

1998\u2014Berlin\u2019s \u201cCALL ME MADAM\u201d<\/p>\n

1999\u2014Lerner&Loewe\u2019s \u201cBRIGADOON\u201d<\/p>\n

2000\u2014Loesser\u2019s \u201cHOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

2001\u2014G&S\u2019s \u201cTHE GONDOLIERS\u201d (BALOE in London)<\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VLOG\u2014Village Light Opera Group Gilbert & Sullivan\u2019s \u201cHail Poetry!\u201d is this group\u2019s theme song!\u00a0 Technically a community operetta group, which for many years produced two Broadway style productions a year, with a 28-member professional orchestra at the Fashion Institute Theater–20 blocks South of Broadway. Largely due to their Resident Music Director & Conductor, Ronald W. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":227,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-highlight"],"metadata":{"_edit_last":["227"],"_wpac_members_redirect_to":[""],"_wpac_show_in_search":["0"],"_wpac_show_excerpt_in_search":["0"],"_wpac_nonmembers_redirect_to":[""],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"_wp_old_date":["2021-01-11","2020-11-01"],"_edit_lock":["1640593399:227"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"]},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/227"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/kochbill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}