Lyric opera san diego
Encyclopedia
Lyric Opera San Diego is a San Diego, California
based theatre company specialising in Comic opera
, Operetta
, and Musical theatre
. The company was founded in 1979, primarily for the purpose of performing Gilbert and Sullivan
operettas. At the time it was known as the San Diego Gilbert and Sullivan Company. The focus of the company changed in 1990, when Leon Natker was hired as General Director, and the company was renamed San Diego Comic Opera. The mission was revised: “To provide a regional model for the production of Comic Opera, Operetta, and Musical Theater that develops new generations of artists and audiences by producing a season of fully mounted productions and education programs.”
, song revue
programs, comic operas, and operetta
s. All productions are in English
.
The company has also seen an increase in ticket sales and the number of community sponsors. The average percentage of seats sold per performance has increased from 40 percent in 1990, to 93 percent in 1997, a level of sales it has maintained since.
Leon Natker remains as Lyric Opera San Diego's General Director and the artistic director is J. Sherwood "Jack" Montgomery. The company is a member of Opera America
, the national organization for opera companies. Driven by their commitment to find and develop new talent, the company has helped launch the careers of several young San Diego artists, of whom many are now performing on national and international stages.
In summer 2006 Lyric Opera San Diego launched its Summer Academy, created to train middle and high school students in the arts of the stage, including acting
, singing
, dancing and theatre production
.
Theatre, located at 2891 University Avenue. Originally built in 1928, this once-thriving movie theater 1,200 seat movie theater closed in 1989. After lying vacant for more than 15 years, the North Park community and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego were undertaking a revitalization campaign for the community. The centerpiece of their plan was the restoration of the North Park Theatre as an 800-seat live performance venue. A 390-space parking garage was also built to accommodate the increased traffic.
Entering into a partnership with developer Bud Fischer, the company embarked on a two-year fundraising campaign to raise $8 million toward the renovation of the theater. In 2003 the final name change was effected and the company became Lyric Opera San Diego, to better reflect its goals, its accomplishments, and its future plans. The fully renovated, state-of-the-art theater opened in October 2005 as The Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre, with Lyric Opera San Diego as its managing tenant. This made the company one of only twelve opera companies in the United States that own or operate their own venues, and the only one in California. However, mortgage and other costs proved such a strain on the company that it considered filing for bankruptcy in 2010. Lyric Opera put the property up for sale in January 2011, with a lease-back arrangement so the company could continue performing there.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
based theatre company specialising in Comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
, Operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, and Musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
. The company was founded in 1979, primarily for the purpose of performing Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
operettas. At the time it was known as the San Diego Gilbert and Sullivan Company. The focus of the company changed in 1990, when Leon Natker was hired as General Director, and the company was renamed San Diego Comic Opera. The mission was revised: “To provide a regional model for the production of Comic Opera, Operetta, and Musical Theater that develops new generations of artists and audiences by producing a season of fully mounted productions and education programs.”
Current status
In the years following, the company has completed 14 of 15 seasons in the black, while increasing its annual budget from $96,000 to more than $800,000. It has expanded its repertoire from Gilbert and Sullivan to include musical theatreMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, song revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
programs, comic operas, and operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s. All productions are in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
The company has also seen an increase in ticket sales and the number of community sponsors. The average percentage of seats sold per performance has increased from 40 percent in 1990, to 93 percent in 1997, a level of sales it has maintained since.
Leon Natker remains as Lyric Opera San Diego's General Director and the artistic director is J. Sherwood "Jack" Montgomery. The company is a member of Opera America
Opera America
Opera America, officially OPERA America, is a service organization in North America promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera...
, the national organization for opera companies. Driven by their commitment to find and develop new talent, the company has helped launch the careers of several young San Diego artists, of whom many are now performing on national and international stages.
In summer 2006 Lyric Opera San Diego launched its Summer Academy, created to train middle and high school students in the arts of the stage, including acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, dancing and theatre production
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
.
North Park Theatre restoration
In 2001 the company was offered the opportunity to take part in the restoration of the historic North ParkNorth Park, San Diego, California
North Park is a neighborhood in San Diego, California, USA. It is situated to the northeast of Balboa Park, bounded on the north by the canyons overlooking Mission Valley, on the south by Switzer Canyon and the South Park neighborhood, on the east by Interstate 805 and City Heights, and on the...
Theatre, located at 2891 University Avenue. Originally built in 1928, this once-thriving movie theater 1,200 seat movie theater closed in 1989. After lying vacant for more than 15 years, the North Park community and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego were undertaking a revitalization campaign for the community. The centerpiece of their plan was the restoration of the North Park Theatre as an 800-seat live performance venue. A 390-space parking garage was also built to accommodate the increased traffic.
Entering into a partnership with developer Bud Fischer, the company embarked on a two-year fundraising campaign to raise $8 million toward the renovation of the theater. In 2003 the final name change was effected and the company became Lyric Opera San Diego, to better reflect its goals, its accomplishments, and its future plans. The fully renovated, state-of-the-art theater opened in October 2005 as The Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre, with Lyric Opera San Diego as its managing tenant. This made the company one of only twelve opera companies in the United States that own or operate their own venues, and the only one in California. However, mortgage and other costs proved such a strain on the company that it considered filing for bankruptcy in 2010. Lyric Opera put the property up for sale in January 2011, with a lease-back arrangement so the company could continue performing there.