Along with LOONY, the following 12 performing arts organizations, 9 professional and 3 community-based, all made it through the pandemic and are back out there, once again producing quality opera and theater for our enjoyment. They all offered tickets to recent performances for a LOONY raffle in 2023 and eagerly endorsed the idea that we are all stronger for supporting each other. We want our audiences to know about other performing arts organizations. Here are some of the best.
Amore Opera is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization based in New York City, dedicated to producing high-quality opera in intimate settings and cultivating the next generation of opera aficionados. Since its founding in 2009, Amore Opera has been featured in the NYTimes, Opera News, Broadway World, Classical Singer and other publications for its performances of little-known operas. Our most recent Covid come-back production of La Boheme has won critic praises while being true to its traditional Italian roots while bending gender norms. Please visit amoreopera.org for more information on upcoming events.
Bronx Opera founded in 1967, is one of only two NYC opera companies to have produced each year since they were founded. Their work is focused in two primary areas: mainstage productions (performed with orchestra and chorus, fully staged and costumed) and their work and presentations throughout The Bronx. BxO performs at the Lovinger Theatre on Lehman College’s tree-lined campus in the north Bronx, and works with community, youth, and senior centers all over the borough. For information, email BxO at BronxOpera@gmail.com, or check them out at BronxOpera.org.
The Blue Hill Troupe, celebrating its Centennial in 2024, brings high-quality theater to New York City audiences while raising money for NYC charities, over 9M dollars (adjusted for inflation) since its founding in 1924. Troupers produce two full theatrical productions a year: a Broadway musical and a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, along with a winter concert series. The group has twice performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, and was featured for many years in the Met Museum concert series. BHT has been profiled on CBS Sunday Morning and the MetroArts/Thirteen performance series. bht.org
Chelsea Opera is a professional opera company producing fully-staged operas with chamber orchestra, concerts, and other musical endeavors. Founded in 2004, Chelsea Opera serves many constituencies: singers/instrumentalists, opera enthusiasts, and fans of other music genres, presented in New York City and Central New York venues. For singers/instrumentalists, Chelsea Opera has given hundreds of artists an opportunity to perform and hone their craft in a supportive, professional setting. Our audiences experience high quality productions of new and classic repertoire in intimate settings at an affordable price. Chelseaopera.org.
New Camerata Opera is a professional opera company based here in New York City. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization entering its 8th season, NCO has established itself as a producer of immersive, innovative and award winning productions committed to fostering opera’s new audiences. From main stage productions, to children’s opera to filmed opera, our offerings include something for everyone. Please visit www.NewCamerataOpera.org to read more about our exciting projects!
Now in its forty-ninth year of operation, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) is America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory ensemble. Under the dynamic leadership of Artistic Director Albert Bergeret, who has been hailed as “the leading custodian of the G&S classics” by New York Magazine, NYGASP has created its own special niche in the cultural mosaic of New York City and the nation. Since its founding in 1974, the company has presented over 2,500 performances of the G&S masterpieces throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K., captivating audiences of all ages. nygasp.org
Out of the Box - Breathing new life into theater works that have lived a long time is only one part of the equation for the Out of the Box Theatre Company. The other part is allowing actors who have lived a long time to bring the passions and talents gained by their unique experience to roles they may never have had a chance to play before. www.outoftheboxtheatre.com
The St. Bart’s Players, founded in 1927, is one of the longest-running, non-profit community theater group in New York City. For 96 years, the Players has been dedicated to presenting high-quality theater at affordable prices. According to The New York Times, the group has enjoyed a long tradition of “consistently achieving professional caliber [theater].” If you are interested in performing on stage, working behind the scenes or meeting new people who share common interests in theater, this is the group for you! Visit stbartsplayers.org for more information.
Theater 2020 is the only professional Actors’ Equity theater based in Brooklyn Heights. A member of Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, they are the only theater company in the Brooklyn Heights/Downtown Brooklyn/DUMBO area that annually presents professional AEA productions of both musical revivals and Shakespeare plays, both indoors at extremely reasonable cost and outdoors, free at local parks. They partner with the Brooklyn Public Library, presenting free readings, and with local venue,s presenting free and pay-what-you-can concerts. Since their first production in 2011, they have produced 10 musicals, 10 Shakespeare plays and dozens of readings and concerts. www.theater2020.com
Utopia Opera was founded in 2011. Striving to present the most entertainingly rich operatic performances possible (for audiences and performers alike) while also maintaining a high standard of musical integrity, Utopia Opera has established itself as a young and vibrant addition to New York City’s vast operatic landscape, and was featured in the cover story of the August 2016 edition of Opera News as one of the “game-changers” in New York’s indie opera scene. utopiaopera.org
Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! (VHRP LIVE!), a NYC-based company, consists of roughly 40 actors, a four person creative team and a salon-sized union orchestra, the New Victor Herbert Orchestra. Entering its 10th season, the company has produced 30 Herbert events, including The Princess Pat, The Enchantress, Eileen, Naughty Marietta, The Red Mill, Sweethearts, The Only Girl, Mlle. Modiste, The Fortune Teller, The Serenade. Herbert champion/researcher Alyce Mott is the founding Artistic Director, librettist—creating/reworking for today’s audiences 24 Herbert librettos and 6 themed concerts of Herbert songs—and resident Stage Director of 27 of the VHRP LIVE! Events. Founding Music Director/Conductor Michael Thomas, resident Choreographer Christine Hall and resident pianist William Hicks round out the creative team. vhrplive.org
Village Light Opera Group (VLOG) was founded in 1935 as a non-profit organization (the Sulliberts) to bring New Yorkers together via an appreciation for the roots of the modern musical. Our all-volunteer membership spans generations, professions and walks of life; In 1937, the renamed Village Light Opera Group came of age as the premier producer of Gilbert & Sullivan operas in NYC. VLOG honors its heritage by reviving and reimagining operettas, Golden Age musicals and modern theatre classics. The goal: fostering appreciation of the musical arts, modernizing musical theatre themes, equitable representation reflecting the diversity of NYC, and reviving lesser-known works to elevate underrepresented artists. Through concerts, cabarets, full-scale operettas and musicals, members hone performing, producing and creative skills while making high-quality amateur theatre community-accessible. vlog.org