The Montclair Operetta Club, Inc. Presents Montclair Operetta Club History
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The Montclair Operetta Club, Inc. presents Montclair Operetta Club History Founded in 199 25 and incorporated in 1 34 as the Montclair Operetta Club, M.O.C. has one of the oldest and richest histories of any community theater. In fact, it is the oldest continuously operating theatrical organization of its kind in the United States. It began when some members of the Union Congregational Church in Upper Montclair decided to stage an operetta--Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience. The pro- duction was exceptionally well received, and the seeds were planted. Initially the works of Gilbert and Sullivan were exclusively presented, but in 199 2 the repertoire was expanded to include other favorites of the day. In 19 36, the club hired its first professional performer to sing opposite the rather formidable voice of member Helen Zingg. In 198 53 we broke our 2 -year tradition of operettas and presented our first Broad- way musical, Brigadoon. Since that time we have presented a wide range of Broad- way shows from classics such as Kismet to the very modern such as In the Heights. Professional directors, choreographers, musical directors, and designers are hired for M.O.C. productions. The talents and standards of these professionals combined with the skills and dedication of all the volunteers involved in our productions places the club in a uniq ue category among community theaters. Today nearly 3,000 people attend M.O.C.’s two mainstage productions annually and enjoy the fruits of over three-quarters of a century of experience, dedication and love of musical theater. Archive Photo: The Great Waltz—Spring 1956 Montclair Operetta Club, Inc. M.O.C. Musical Theatre The Mel-O-Chords Founded 1925 ~ Incorporated 1934 Studio: 494 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, N.J. 07043 (973) 744 - 3133 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ~ELECTED OFFICERS~ RICHARD P. O’CONNOR, President JULIE ARTS, Vice-President CARL SCHMIDT, Treasurer CRISTA TRIPPODI-MURPHY, Secretary ~GOVERNORS~ Mac King Joseph A. M. Ricci Marian McGinty John J. Seidl Martha Thalheimer Marco A. Thompson ~Appointees and Managers~ Julie Arts Martha Thalheimer Emily Ewing Rosa Lantigua Kathi Iannacone Janet Sales Charles Riley Marian McGinty The Montclair Operetta Club, Inc, M.O.C. Musical Theatre & The Mel-O-Chords are a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization performing primarily at the Westminster Arts Center at the corner of Franklin & Fremont Streets, Bloomfield, NJ THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Yes, everything is beautiful at the ballet. This has been in my head most of the morn- ing as I work on this program. It is a great line, but also, innocent. It is, I hope always your impression when you leave one of our shows. I will probably take some of that innocence away by the end of this message. I sincerely hope, not all, when you go to the theatre, innocence is a good thing. it makes it magical, it makes it an event. My favorite shows (and the ones I think personally are triumphs) are the ones where I stop noticing lighting, sound, scenery, and am transported. I hope that M.O.C. has been providing this for you, our audiences, successfully as we embark on our 92nd season with this our ONE HUNDRED-EIGHTY-THIRD production of A Chorus Line. So many of you have read these missives, over and over again, it’s not easy to be origi- nal when you keep saying the same thing, but in at least trying to mix it up, I go now, out of my “normal” order. First, is a heart-felt thank-you to you, our patron, for without you, there would be little reason to do this thing we do. Following that (and it may be a tie), I would be just wrong to not thank our Treasurer, Carl Schmidt. Not only does he step into the breech caused by my frequent out-of- state-ness, but he does it with grace and patience that goes well beyond anything I could ever muster. As I don’t have children of my own, I award him my first born nephew as thanks. He truly does not know the depth of my gratitude where M.O.C. is concerned. I also need to thank, and these are in no particular order, Nick, Felicity, David Alexan- der, Bob, Gonzo, Nik, Martha and every person whose name appears in this program. (especially the first column of P.13.) They are a dedicated bunch, and I cannot imagine a more dedicated group of people for the arts. They are tireless! Now, to take away a bit of that innocence. Beyond the myriad of people who give of their time and skill, this undertaking requires a substantial amount of money. If the theatre isn’t full at the top of act one, well, we probably aren’t really making any. Our reliance is on your generosity as a patron and supporter of the arts. Won’t you please make a contribution of any size to our continued operations? At every juncture with this production, The Executive committee, Carl, and I discussed costs, and frequently “Can we afford this?” There is nothing beyond a great deal of skill and talent that did not have a price tag attached. We are not out to “make money” but it would be nice to satisfy the costs of production. Won’t you PLEASE help us. Please know, not doing this is something we can’t think too much about, and with a most conservative pro- cess, we start out ‘knowing’ that a show will, likely be, well, not positive for the cash flow, but we still do it. Someone MUST (and we aren’t alone) bring the arts to the people consistently. So again, our goal is to never stop, but we need your financial help to achieve it. Now, again, I thank you for coming, and also for reading my ramble above. I hope that it struck a chord for you, but, more importantly, I hope you are happy to be with us this evening and that if you enjoy the show, you tell everyone you know! Now, the best part, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show! Richard P. O'Connor President, 2008-2017 ~Production Staff~ Production Administration & Stage Management ....................................................... Felicity Selby Assistant Stage Manager ............................................................................................. Christopher Svetik Intern Associate Stage Manager ................................................................................... David Alexander Lighting Designer ........................................................................................................................ Nik Marmo Electricians ..................................................................................................................... Nicholas Von Hagel Production Concept Execution ........................................................................................... Carl Schmidt Set Construction .................... Brittany Cool, John Hoffmann, Mac King, Martha Thalheimer Sound Designer, Engineering .................................................................................. Nicholas Von Hagel Light Board Op ............................................................................................................................ Nik Marmo Postcard Graphics ...................................................................................................................... Kylie Francis Original Costume Design ......................................................................................... Theoni V. Aldredge Costumes Provided by .................................................................. JMR Costume Designs, Reno, NV Costumes Coordinated and Supervised ........................................ Dan Schulz, On-Cue Costumes Transportation (Costumes) ........................................................................................................... Mac King Front of House Operations ..................................................................................................... Betty Resch Box Office Operations .............................................................. Carl R. Schmidt, Martha Thalheimer Group Sales ......................................................................................................................... Marian McGinty Publicity and Press ........................................................................................... Crista Murphy, Julie Arts Production and Rehearsal Photography ........................................................................... Carl Schmidt Program .......................................................................................... Carl R. Schmidt, Richard O’Connor Campaign (giving) Coordinator ......................................................... Martha Thalheimer, Julie Arts Shows Selection ........................................................................................ Bob Cline, Gonzalo Valencia, The Board and Executive Committee Nominating Committee ........................................................................... Julie Arts, Marian McGinty, Kathy Mierisch, Susan Ryall, Nick Von Hagel and Katie Zinsmeister Facilities (Building Committee) ................................... Charles Riley, Mac King, Nick Von Hagel Ambassadors To 4th Wall Theatre .......................................................................................... Martha Thalheimer To Westminster Arts ..................................................................................... Nicholas Von Hagel To Studio Players and Essex Youth Theatre ............................................................... Janet Sales Westminster Arts Technical Staff ................................................ Kenneth Lamons, Ville Heikkilae THANKS TO ALL WHO MADE THIS SHOW POSSIBLE Please support our endeavors as generously