Rock Valley College Starlight Theatre

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Starlight Theatre is now the only theatre operated by Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois; operations of Rock Valley College Studio Theatre, an indoor blackbox theatre, have been suspended.^{[1] [2]} Starlight Theatre performs in the outdoor Bengt Sjostrom Theatre,^[3] an award-winning structure designed by Jeanne Gang and Studio Gang Architects^[4] that features a unique, one-of-a-kind movable roof.^[5] Starlight has transformed itself into a popular destination for the Northern Illinois region.^[6] The theatre is situated on 217 acres that were purchased by the college in 1965 from Dr. J.J. Rogers.^[7]

Starlight Theatre History[]

In the fall of 1966 a group of Rock Valley College students approached Dean of Community Services Rueben Johnson about creating a theatre program. The following year, they performed an outdoor musical near the farm pond that had been purchased in 1965 from Dr. J.J. Rogers.^[8] Community members watched the first performance on lawn chairs. Starlight Theatre has performed more than 125 productions since its founding in 1967.^[9]

1967: Finian's Rainbow (Dir. Donald Meisenholder)

1968: Patience & Waiting for Godot (Dir. Donald Colucci)

1969: Oklahoma! (Dir. John Pearce)

1970: Man of LaMancha (Dir. Ted Bacino)

1971: Oliver & Fiddler on the Roof (Dir. Ted Bacino)

1972: 1776 & The King & I (Dir. Ted Bacino)

1973: My Fair Lady & Promises, Promises (Dir. Ted Bacino)

1974: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying & No, No Nanette (Dir. Ted Bacino)

1975: Godspell & Jesus Christ Superstar (Dir. Ted Bacino)

1976: Of Thee I Sing, A Little Night Music (Dir. Kirk Denmark & Once Upon a Mattress Dir. Jim Smith)

1977: The Sound of Music & The Music Man (Dir. Jim Crow)

1978: Camelot & Show Boat (Dir. Jim Crow)

1979: West Side Story & Hello, Dolly! (Dir. Jim Crow)

1980: Carnival & Funny Girl (Dir. Jim Crow)

1981: Wizard of Oz & HMS Pinafore (Dir. A. Neil Thackaberry)

1982: Grease (Dir. Dominic Messimi), Jacques Brel & South Pacific (Dir. A. Neil Thackaberry)

1983: Man of LaMancha (Dir Dominic Messimi), Pirates of Penzance & Guys & Dolls (Dir. A. Neil Thackaberry)

1984: Carousel (Dir. A. Neil Thackaberry), George M Dir. Victoria Bussert & My Fair Lady (Dir. A. Neil Thackaberry)

1985: Caberet (Dir. Rod & Ginny MacDonald), Oklahoma! (Dir. Thom Sobota) & Evita (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1986: Barum (Dir. Michael P. Webb), Music Man (Dir. Leslie Robbins) & Fiddler on the Roof (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1987: Peter Pan, 1776 & Candide (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1988: Camelot, Annie Get Your Gun & 42nd Street (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1989: Oliver, Jesus Christ Superstar & Anything Goes (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1990: The King & I, Student Prince & My One and Only (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1991: West Side Story, Shenendoah & A Chorus Line (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1992: Hello, Dolly, Big River & Into the Woods (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1993: Kiss Me Kate, Rags & City of Angels (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1994: Meet Me in St. Louis, My Fair Lady & Evita (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1995: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The New Pirates of Penzance & Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1996: Bye, Bye Birdie, Pippin, Crazy For You & Joseph (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1997: Guys & Dolls, Children of Eden & Sound of Music (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1998: Secret Garden, Cinderella & Western Star (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

1999: Annie, Once on this Island & Fiddler on the Roof (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2000: Godspell, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum & Hans Christian Andersen, The Storyteller's Story (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2001: The Music Man, Grease & Rebels (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2002: South Pacific, Honk & 42nd Street (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2003: Big River, Just So & Children of Eden (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2004: Show Boat, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Hot Mikado & Seussical the Musical (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2005: Oklahoma!, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess & Disney's Beauty & the Beast (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2006: Cats!, State Fair, Miss Saigon & Joseph (Dir. Michael P. Webb)

2007: Peter Pan, Disney's Geppetto & Son, Jekyll & Hyde & Ragtime. (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2008: Jonah- An Old Testament Yarn, The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors & Thoroughly Modern Millie (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2009: David the King, Evita, The King and I, The Producers (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2010: Chicago, Aida, Annie, Rent (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2011: The Phantom of the Opera, After Dark, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hairspray (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2012: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street!, Little Women, Into the Woods, 9 to 5: The Musical (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2013: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express, Xanadu, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Les Misérables (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2014: The Sound of Music, Tintypes, Honk!, Spamalot, Angel (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

2015: Mary Poppins, The Last Five Years, Memphis, Young Frankenstein (Dir. by Michael P. Webb)

^[10]

References[]

Coordinates: 37°03′45″N 95°40′37″W / 37.0625°N 95.677°W / 37.0625; -95.677