our mission
Light Opera of Portland seeks to spread joy and artistic excellence throughout the Portland metro area and beyond. Using our philosophy of “Absurdity Done In Complete Sincerity,” we present high quality comic opera and musical theatre productions, specialising in the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. We are committed to making these works as accessible as possible to our Portland community, believing in the power of the arts to bring people together from a wide variety of communities, and we provide opportunities for local performers to grow and develop their own skills in a collaborative and supportive environment.
our Vision
We aim to amuse, engage, and uplift our membership and our community with collaborative creativity that shines a light on our shared human experience through laughter and song. We believe that the Gilbert and Sullivan operas are just as relevant, funny, and musically engaging today as they were when they were first performed, and we commit to preserving the enduring performance history of these operas, while at the same time looking forward to their next 150 years.
OUr History
Light Opera of Portland began life as The Dairyville Players in 2012. Our founding Artistic Director, Dennis Britten, had moved back to the Portland area after a career teaching theatre and performing with long standing Gilbert & Sullivan companies across the country.
Discovering the Alpenrose Opera House in Portland’s West Hills, Dennis was inspired to found his own G&S company to perform in the space. The company began by performing two abridged productions using only the principal characters, with songs and scenes linked by narration, and the audience seated on the stage.
After two small scale productions, by 2014 the company was ready to expand. With a plan to present two one-act operas, Cox & Box and Trial By Jury, Dennis knew that the Dairyville Players would finally need to add a chorus. He approached the Oregon Chorale’s Artistic Director Bernie Kuehn, and asked him to participate as Music Director for the productions, and to bring in some singers to enlarge the company. A number of Oregon Chorale members joined the production, becoming the core of our productions for the next few years. Soon Dennis was joined by Dr. Linda Smith, Music Director, and David Smith, Producer, who became an integral part of the company.
After the company’s first full length, full cast production (2015’s Ruddigore), it officially became a registered non-profit organization, and completed a rebrand to become Light Opera of Portland. During the enforced pause in performances due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Dennis decided to retire as Artistic Director, and Laurence Cox stepped up to lead the company as our second Artistic Director.
Light Opera of Portland has continued to present Gilbert & Sullivan operas at venues around the Portland area to this day.
— Laurence Cox, Artistic Director
Our Team
Sara Quinn Rivara
PRODUCER & PRESIDENT
Laurence Cox
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Emeritus Team
Dennis Britten
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS & FOUNDER
Linda Smith
MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITA
David Smith
PRODUCER EMERITUS
Joshua Pounders
MUSIC DIRECTOR