As the curtain opens, King Hildebrand and members of his court are scanning the horizon in search of King Gama and his retinue. Gama’s daughter Ida and Hildebrand’s son Hilarion had been wed (or betrothed?)* as infants and, as this is Princess Ida’s twenty-first birthday, today is the deadline for her to be reunited with her husband so the marriage can be consummated. Hildebrand muses about how he’ll greet Gama, depending on whether or not he brings Princess Ida with him. Hilarion conjures up memories of his long-past wedding and visions of his infant bride.

Directly, King Gama arrives, accompanied not by his daughter but by his three sons. They introduce themselves as warriors, and Gama describes his own prickly and disagreeable personality. When Hildebrand queries Gama about Ida’s absence, Gama explains that Ida has forsworn all men and has founded a women’s university at Castle Adamant. Upon hearing this news, Hildebrand decides to hold Gama and his sons hostage, while Hilarion and his two friends Cyril and Florian attempt to infiltrate the castle, wheedle their way into Ida’s favor and convince her to return with Hilarion.

Attention now turns to Castle Adamant, where the students are asking their faculty for guidance with their studies. Lady Blanche, Ida’s second-in-command, provides some suggestions and readies them to greet the Princess. Ida enters and gives her welcoming address. After she departs, Blanche reveals her ambition to take over the leadership of the institution.

Meanwhile, Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian arrive at the castle and surreptitiously give us some of their views about women’s higher education. Serendipitously, they find some academic robes which they use to disguise themselves as women. Ida arrives, converses with the three new “students” and apparently is taken in by the deception.

At this point, Lady Psyche appears. She recognizes the three men. They reveal the purpose of their incursion and she agrees to join the conspiracy. They are overheard by Melissa (Lady Blanche’s daughter) and have to include her as well. Lady Blanche also overhears the proceedings and is not deceived. Melissa, however, manages to play upon her ambitions and swear her to silence. Luncheon is served to the faculty and students. During lunch, Cyril becomes tipsy and spills the beans to Princess Ida. She is outraged. In her anger, she falls into a brook, but is rescued by Hilarion.

Not content to wait any longer for Hilarion’s return, Hildebrand storms the castle with his soldiers. He gives Princess Ida his ultimatum: either she accepts Hilarion as her husband, or he will kill her brothers. She remains defiant and tries to rally her women to repel the invasion. Hildebrand sends Gama to her with an alternative offer to avoid all-out war: let her three brothers fight Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian, with her decision to recognize the marriage dependent on the outcome. She reluctantly agrees.

The two sets of champions fight in the presence of Hildebrand’s soldiers and Ida’s students. Given the usual ending of Gilbert’s librettos, I’m sure that you can predict the outcome of the contest. However, for what happens afterward, you will have to await the conclusion of the performance.

-- Kurtiss Gordon

I suppose, then, that we all are free to make our own decision . . . and to have fun listening for Gilbert’s inconsistencies.

Scene 1: (Act I)

1.	Search throughout the panarama	Florian and Chorus
2.	Now hearken to my just command	Hildebrand and Chorus
3.	Today we meet	Hilarion
	Ida was a twelve month old	Hilarion
4.	From the distant panorama	Chorus
5.	We are warriors three	Arac, Guron, Synthius, and Chorus
6.	If you give me your attention	Gama
7.	P'raps if you address the lady	Gama, Hildebrand, and Chorus
	Expressive glances	Hilarion, Cyril, Florian, and Chorus
	For a month to dwell	Ensemble

Entr'acte
Scene 2: (Act II, part 1)

8.	Towards the empyrean heights	Lady Psyche, Melissa, Cloe, and Women
9.	Mighty maiden with a mission	Women
10.	Minerva! Oh, hear me	Princess Ida
	And thus to empyrean heights	Women
11.	Come mighty Must	Lady Blanche
12.	Gently, gently	Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian
13.	I am a maiden	Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian
14.	The world is but a broken toy	Princess Ida, Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian
15.	A lady fair of lineage high	Lady Psyche with Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian
16.	The women of the wisest wit	Lady Psyche, Melissa, Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian

Scene 3: (Act II, part 2)

17.	Now wouldn't you like	Melissa and Lady Blanche
18.	Merrily ring the luncheon bell	Cyril, Lady Blanche, and Women
19.	Would you know the kind of maid	Cyril
20.	Oh joy! Our chief is sav'd	Princess Ida, Cyril, Florian, Hilarion, and Women
	Whom thou hast chain'd must wear his chain	Hilarion
	Madam, without the castle walls	Melissa and Women
	Walls and fences scaling	Chorus
	Some years ago	Hildebrand and Men
	We may remark	Arac, Guron, Scynthius, Princess Ida and Hildebrand
	To yield at once to such a foe	Princess Ida and Ensemble

Scene 4: (Act III)

21.	Death to the invader	Melissa and Women
22.	I built upon a rock	Princess Ida
23.	When e'er I spoke sarcastic joke	Gama and Women
24.	When anger spreads his wing	Chorus
25.	This helmet, I suppose	Arac, Guron, Scynthius, and Chorus
26.	This is our duty plain	Chorus
27.	To yield at once to such a man	Princess Ida and Ensemble

COSTUMES--Sandra Burgess, Phyllis Jordan, Diane Kelton, and Elaine Walker, co-heads;

Emma Blaisdell, Kathy Blaisdell, Phoebe Blaisdell, Esta Busi, Catharine Butterfield, Connie Cappelli, Elaine Crane, Heather Davies, Helena Donovan, Beverly Fuller, Kate Green, Laura Green, Jacqueline Haney, Abby Helzer, Jordan Helzer, Philip Helzer, Vi rginia Holmes, Marese Hutchinson, Wendy Larsen, Mark Liebold, Elysse Link, Louise MacDonald, Adele Mack, Marybeth Mizula, Lee Pershyn, Nina Pollard, Jody Powell, David Provencal, Lucy Robinson, Carolyn Samonds, Ken Samonds, Laurel Turk, Sally Venman, Nichole Wadleigh, Judy Wightman

HATS, CROWNS, and JEWELRY

Carolyn Samonds, Ken Samonds

WIG STYLIST

Ann Steinhauser

MAKE-UP--Catherine Lee, head;

Melanie R. Donovan, Jenn Gagné, Caylin Lee, Laura Markiss

SET CONSTRUCTION and PAINTING--Bob Graham, head; Jeremiah Patterson, Linda Stark, scenic artists;

Lee Atkinson, Steve Atkinson, Ted Blaisdell, Ed Chang, Sudro Brown, Jonathan Evans, John Foster, Gordon Freed, Kate Green, Martha Hanner, John Healy, Abby Helzer, Jordan Helzer, Phil Helzer, Kevin Hutchinson, Lew Jordan, H. E. Kelly, David Mix Barrington, Lee Pershyn, Judi Pierce, Jim Pistrang, Nina Pollard, David Provencal, Lucy Robinson, Dick Stromgren, Bill Tobey, Bill Venman, Jim Walker

LIGHTING--Daniel Kent, head;

Artemis Demas Roehrig, Laurel Turk

PROPERTIES--Marese Dolan Hutchinson, head;

Ted Blaisdell, Catharine Butterfield, John Foster, Kevin Hutchinson, Lew Jordan, Judy Pistrang, Linda Stark, Elaine Walker, Jim Walker

PROGRAM--Kurtiss Gordon, head;

Lynne Rudié

PUBLICITY--Judy Herrell, head;

Glen Gordon, Kevin Hutchinson, Nina Pollard, Jim Walker

TICKETS

Town of Amherst Leisure Services staff

BANNER PAINTING--Judi Pierce, head;

Nina Pollard, Linda Stark

USHERS--Deborah Campbell, head;

Chandler Atkinson, Hillary Atkinson, Kate Atkinson, Rollin Atkinson, Wade Atkinson, Elizabeth Ball, Nathan Baron-Silvern, Chris Benvenuto, Gabriel Benvenuto-Ladin, Nasia Benvenuto-Ladin, Yael Benvenuto-Ladin, Emma Blaisdell, Kathy Blaisdell, Phoebe Blaisdell, Anne Burton, Allison Colbert, Carla Cook, Asher Crane, Hadley Crane, Holland Crane, Paige Crane, Taylor Crane, Caitlynn Devine, Anju Soparkar Diggs, John Diggs, Kimaya Diggs, Makeda Diggs, Savita Diggs, Margaret Evans, Rebecca Freed, Jay Frost, Jerry Goldman, Pam Isabelle, Nat Jeffries, Margaret Krause, Molly Krause, Avery Low, Maud Low, John Robinson, Nancy Sardeson, Elora Simkins, Jane Simonds, Jonathan Simonds, Sam Simonds, Jessica Swiercz, Allen Vance, Eleanor Warnock, Lei Yuchen

COMPANY PHOTOGRAPHY

Deborah Campbell, Gigi Kaeser

GIFT SHOP--Lee Pershyn, head;

Kathy Blaisdell, Paige Crane, Martha Hanner

COMMISSARY

Paul E. Peelle, Lucy Robinson, and cast

PERFORMANCE REFRESHMENTS--Amherst Regional High School Theatre Company

Steve Atkinson -- Guron -- is exhilarated to join the stalwart fraternity of Gama’s sons in his first stab with VLO. He has appeared in productions with ALSCT, Arena Civic Theatre, Exit 7 Players and Ware Community Theatre. Steve first sang “For a month to dwell...” as a lullaby to his four children with his wife Kate, who as a child was also tucked-in to the “sound of guns that go Boom, Boom!” They love the jolly rattle of Amherst where they dwell.

Elaine Crane -- Princess Ida -- is delighted to return to VLO, having played Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore, Rose in Ruddigore, and Casilda in The Gondoliers. Other G&S roles include Yum-Yum, Gianetta, and Constance. Upcoming engagements include Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors (January, 2009) and a role in a new opera for children she wrote, using the music of Mozart. Offstage, Elaine is a homeschooling mom of 5 kids and executive producer of Worcester Opera Works, Inc. Visit her on the web at www.elainecrane.com.

Nicholas Dahlman -- King Hildebrand -- treads the boards once again in his eighth venture with Valley Light Opera, after stage directing The Mikado in 2007. Since then, he has performed as a butler elf in Santacide, a painter in Lacuna Park, a butler in the opera Our American Cousin, and Touchstone in As You Like It. While he has performed before with a goatee, chin curtain, or fake moustache, this is his first performance in a full beard.

Heather Davies -- Melissa -- debuted with VLO in 2005 as a Grisette in The Merry Widow. She enjoyed it so much that she returned for The Gondoliers (Vittoria), and The Mikado (Pitti-Sing). Within the past year she played Marian Paroo in ALSCT’s The Music Man and sang in the chorus of Eric Sawyer’s opera Our American Cousin. Heather is currently on the VLO board of directors. She works as a legal assistant in Northampton focusing on telecommunications and is also the Minister of Music at the Village Church in Cummington.

Helena Donovan -- Ada -- sang in the chorus of several VLO productions “many years ago.” After time off for parenting (proud mother of a 16-year-old) she’s back. Helena has played keyboard with Euridice Ensembles of the Five College Early Music Program. She spends some of her time off stage as a substitute teacher in the Amherst schools and a CPR instructor at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Jonathan Evans -- Hilarion -- participated in VLO’s 2002 production of The Yeomen of the Guard and has been hooked ever since. In 2003, he played Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore (a favorite role). More recently, he was seen in ALSCT’s 2008 production of The Music Man, where he tried (unsuccessfully) to get Harold Hill’s credentials. He is pleased once again to be performing with his daughter, Schuyler. Jonathan is a freelance financial writer.

Kurtiss Gordon -- Scynthius and Producer -- has sung in the chorus or, occasionally, had a minor lead role in more than two dozen VLO shows since 1976. He also sings with Hampshire Choral Society and the choir of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst. He has composed a few short pieces for the UU choir and three piano rags. Kurt also serves VLO as Webmaster and as Clerk of the Board. He and his wife, Courtney, live in Amherst.

John Healy -- Florian -- was last seen on the VLO stage as Luiz in The Gondoliers, and previously as Cascada in The Merry Widow and Bill Bobstay in H.M.S. Pinafore. Other area performances include Harold Hill in The Music Man (ALSCT), Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro (Worcester Opera Works), Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls (Commonwealth Opera), and William Butler Yeats and Robert Emmet in Wilde Irish Women. John is an Occupational Therapist. He also sings with Da Camera, a choral ensemble performing a diverse classical repertoire.

Phil Helzer -- Cyril -- is heartily enjoying his return to VLO as a character that is in many ways the life of the party. While by day still a mild mannered cellist, come evenings (and weekend matinees), he gets to be the “character” most in-laws dread, most societies scorn, and most people secretly would like to inhabit. He thanks his family for their infinite Patience, trusting a Sorcerer will end their Trial by Jury, and once again we’ll achieve Utopia, Limited.

Jonathan Klate -- King Gama -- feels like he has G&S in his DNA. His grandparents, Louis and Kate Jaffe, toured the country nearly 100 years ago with the DeWolf Hopper G&S Opera Company. First performing G&S at age four(!), he found it a great privilege to appear as Ko-Ko in last season’s The Mikado. Notable other roles locally include John Styx in VLO’s 1994 Orpheus in the Underworld and Herr Silberhaus in Pioneer Valley Ballet’s Nutcracker. As a singer/songwriter Jonathan long ago performed in clubs across the country and has recorded two albums of original music. His principal vocation for over 30 years is the practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Nancy Nesheim -- Chloe -- first appeared with VLO in 2005 as a grisette in The Merry Widow. She returned as a contadina in The Gondoliers. Nancy teaches general music and directs the chorus at Mosier Elementary School in South Hadley, as well as helping organize several student plays there every year. She also sings at Immanuel Lutheran Church and directed children’s music at the church for many years.

Lucy Robinson -- Lady Blanche and Producer -- in her long history with VLO has enjoyed roles such as Juno in Orpheus in the Underworld, Mrs. Partlett in The Sorcerer, and a former turn as Lady Blanche. Lucy also acts up in film projects and does community work. She adores her loyal fan base: John, Caitlin, Alex, Jane, and grandbaby Catherine!

Matthew Roehrig -- Arac -- is playing his twenty-fourth principal role for VLO. Audiences will remember him as The Fairy Queen in Iolanthe, Despard in Ruddigore, Danilo in The Merry Widow, Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, and Pooh- Bah in last year’s The Mikado. His other Pioneer Valley performances include Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, and El Gallo in The Fantasticks. Matt appears regularly as a recitalist. He retired this year from teaching sixth grade math and science in Belchertown.

Nichole Wadleigh -- Sacharissa -- appeared as Cousin Hebe in H.M.S. Pinafore (2003) and Tessa in The Gondoliers (2006). Her other roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast with ALSCT, and Amy in Company and Lady Larkin in Once upon a Mattress with Westfield Theatre Group. She and her husband, Jason, live in Holyoke with their two cats. Nichole works with special education students in the sixth grade at Fort River School and also with Milestone Productions, a children’s theater company in Chicopee.

Chris McKenzie Willenbrock -- Lady Psyche -- is making her VLO debut. She is originally from Memphis, TN, where her theatrical experience included South Pacific (Bloody Mary), Into the Woods (Jack’s Mom), and Little Shop of Horrors. Chris works as a Residence Director at UMass and lives on campus with her husband, Brad, and their son, Braden.

Susanne Anderson -- Assistant Music Director -- played Josephine in VLO’s debut production (H.M.S. Pinafore) and has been involved with many productions since as performer, accompanist, and now assistant to the amazing Mr. Greenebaum. She served as music director for ALSCT’s productions of Beauty and the Beast, The Music Man, and the upcoming Seussical the Musical. Susanne is the organist and choir director for Annunciation Church in Florence. In the summer she plays for dance in the Berkshires at Belvoir Terrace, Jacob’s Pillow, and Tanglewood.

Catharine Butterfield -- Producer -- first appeared in the VLO chorus in The Pirates of Penzance (1979). She has worked in many productions since, both onstage and off (chorus, VLO Board member, usher coordinator, costume crew, house manager, stage manager). Having retired from two careers, elementary school music teacher and ESL teacher, Cathy lives with her husband, Tony, in Amherst. They have three children, Matthew, Andrea, and Margaret.

Connie Cappelli -- Stage Manager -- has been a member of the VLO chorus for the last seven years and is just going off the board as past president. She has also been stage manager, board member and performer (Mrs. MacAffey in Bye Bye Birdie; Mrs. Lynde in Anne of Green Gables in Japan) with ALSCT. She works in the Guidance Office at Amherst Regional High School and sings in the choir at Wesley United Methodist Church. Connie and husband Jim have two married sons, one in NYC and one in Las Vegas, who will make them grandparents in January!

Graham Christian -- Choreographer -- is choreographing his fourth show for VLO, but even if his dance style doesn’t look familiar, you may have seen him as the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers. He is writing a dissertation in English Literature, and has taught English Country Dance in the United States and abroad. For the record, he’s all for women’s education. Bowdlerisation not necessary.

Glen Gordon -- Producer -- is one of the original members of VLO, having appeared in every fall production but one (he was on sabbatical). He has had the occasional small part, but basically he is one of the stalwarts of the tenor chorus as well as part-time accompanist. He has also written and narrated a number of the VLO spring shows, and designed the revised ending for this production of Princess Ida. In real life, Glen is a retired political scientist who served in a variety of administrative roles during his 38-year career at UMass, including department chair, Dean of the College of Social Sciences, and Provost.

Bob Graham -- Technical Director -- has worked with VLO since 1991. He has served as technical director for most of the productions since then, has been a producer for five shows, and served two three-year terms on the VLO Board. A central Michigan native, he began his theatrical career as the production assistant and stage manager for the University of Michigan Student Players. While stationed with the U. S. Army in Tokyo, he was stage manager for the Ernie Pyle Players as well as playing the Monk in The Lady’s Not for Burning. In his other life, he is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at UMass.

Michael Greenebaum -- Music Director -- first conducted Princess Ida in 1956. He has been with VLO since its inception in 1975 and has conducted and staged thirteen shows for the company. Over the years he was music director for nine musicals at Amherst Regional High School and two at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School. From 1977 to 1986 he conducted the Western Massachusetts Young People’s Philharmonia. He was principal of Mark’s Meadow School for twenty-one years.

Marese Dolan Hutchinson -- Properties Coordinator -- hails from Ireland, where for many years she was the harpist at the Mediæval Banquets at Bunratty Castle. She has been involved with Valley Light Opera since 1986 both on stage and as Board member and president. By day she teaches at The Common School and plays her harp at Irish music sessions locally.

Daniel Kent -- Lighting Designer -- is a student at UMass, concentrating in lighting design. While at ARHS, he worked in the lighting crew for VLO’s 2002–2004 productions. Dan has had summer jobs as an electrician for the Lake George Opera Co. and West Springfield’s Majestic Theater, and as a lighting technician for Martha Graham. He thanks Steve Morgan for introducing him to VLO.

Steve Morgan -- Stage Director -- has been involved with VLO since the company’s third production, The Mikado, in 1977. This is his third Princess Ida. He played Arac in the 1981 production and was coordinating producer in 1995. His most recent on-stage appearance was as Sergeant Merrill in The Yeomen of the Guard (2002). He has directed a traveling production of Trial by Jury for VLO as well as high school and other community theater productions. Steve is retired and an empty nester living out in Leverett with his wonderful wife and dogs.

Jeremiah Patterson -- Set Designer -- lives in South Deerfield, MA. His paintings are represented by the Sherry French Gallery in New York City, and locally at William Baczek Fine Arts in Northampton. His work has gained national attention, having been included in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions and in magazine articles published in American Artist, Watercolor Magazine, and American Art Collector. He teaches painting and drawing at the Hartford Art School.

Lee Pershyn -- Producer -- has been active offstage (set crew, costumes, gift shop, programs) in VLO fall shows since 2001. She produces and sings in VLO spring shows, and sings in the choir of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst. This is her fourth time producing a major show. She has performed in the All Souls Players in New York City. Lee is a postpartum doula, working with newborns and their families in their homes.

Linda Stark -- Set designer -- has designed sets for four VLO productions and make-up for eight others. Linda studied fine art at the University of Connecticut and painting in Italy. Linda has lived in Amherst for 37 years. She is the mother of four and grandmother of eight.

Elaine Walker -- Producer and Costume Designer -- has been involved in VLO productions every year since 1980, first as a soprano in the chorus. She soon took on duties in the costume shop and producer. This year Elaine decided to try her hand at designing the costumes as well as supervising their stitching. Elaine also co-founded and co-produced several musical shows with the St. Brigid’s Players. Since retiring from Hampshire College, she has had more time to spend with family, especially her six grandchildren.

Jim Walker -- Producer -- played third trombone in the orchestra of VLO's 1980 production of The Gondoliers. He also plays trombone with several bands in the Pioneer Valley. Since 1981, except for last year, he has been on stage in the tenor section of the VLO chorus. This year Jim is one of the producers, and continues to serve VLO as treasurer (since 1996). He retired in 2003 from a 35-year career at UMass as a faculty member in physics, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Advising, and Acting Dean of the Graduate School.

From the vantage point of mid-October and without really knowing whether everything will fall into place over the next few weeks, I can say that it has been very pleasant, and even an adventure, directing for VLO. While I have enjoyed my previous experiences with this light opera, I have never liked the ending or the structure. Others in the company must have been way ahead of me, as my perceived old problems magically vanished and new ones solved themselves as fast as we created them.

In early June Glen Gordon emailed that he had written a new ending which the board liked very much. So did I! As in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Gilbert’s Princess Ida has an unsatisfying ending for late twentieth and twenty-first century audiences. Ida cannot spend the whole play defending her rights only to say, in the final scene, "Hilarion, I have been wrong — I see my error now. Take me, Hilarion." Today, W. S. Gilbert would be doing the rewrite.

Then Michael Greenebaum, who has a long and illustrious history with this operetta, mentioned that he’d always wished to see it done as a two-act play. Wow! Could we make the set changes fast enough to do it as a four-scene play with only one intermission? Could the women of the chorus change costumes that fast?

Linda Stark, sets, and Elaine Walker, costumes, and their magnificent crews, cheerfully agreed to give it a try. Every choice flowed from this decision—from moving the overture (so short that in this piece Sullivan called it an "introduction") from before Act I to after Act I to cover a fast set change of indeterminate length, from planning the costume changes between acts as choreographed pieces behind the closed curtain, to designing the sets for ease and speed of disassembly. And the part that was most risky and fun was that we wouldn’t know whether everything was going to work until close to dress rehearsal.

The producers, stage managers and crews responded as they do year after year with incredibly efficient organizing and executing. With Valley Light Opera, a director has nothing more to do than to say to someone like Marese Dolan Hutchinson, our props coordinator of many years, "Do you think I could have a dead duck and a falcon?" and it is done, thanks to the artistry of Caroline and Ken Samonds who construct such amazing props!

Then there is the cast — adventurous, cheerful, and even brave! I have gotten so many good ideas from the performers — principals and chorus — that I will not even try to list them. Actors and acting ensembles get good enough after years of working together that they don’t really need a director — perhaps a herder instead.

I mention only a representative few of the many talented folk who put these shows on year after year. You can read their names in this program. I wish I had room to tie each name to the rock or program or banner or academic robe that he or she built. They have collectively made this project a true pleasure.

-- Steve Morgan

Following the success of Iolanthe, Gilbert again turned his attention to the "magic lozenge" plot (by swallowing a lozenge a character would be changed into another character, with incredible consequences), which Sullivan so far had refused to swallow. Sullivan didn’t care at first, either, for Gilbert’s next idea of turning his old play The Princess (first performed in 1870) into a comic opera.

The Princess was Gilbert’s parody — "a respectful per-version" — of Tennyson’s epic poem of the same name. Gilbert described his version as "a picturesque story told in a strain of mock-heroic seriousness," a formula that could indeed describe most of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The play was written in the same blank verse as the poem, and most of the speeches transferred directly into the new opera, together with the new lyrics for Sullivan’s music. Gilbert was known for reusing material liberally.

Rehearsals began in December 1883. The opera opened on January 5, 1884, and ran for a brief (for Gilbert and Sullivan) 246 performances. Sullivan himself conducted the first performance, although when he left the dress rehearsal at 2:30 a.m. on the morning of opening night, no one expected him to be well enough to do so, suffering as he did from gallstones. He described the opening night in his diary:

January 5, 1884

Resolved to conduct the first performance of the new opera Princess Ida at night, but from the state I was in it seemed hopeless. At 7 p.m. had another strong hypodermic injection to ease the pain, and a strong cup of black coffee to keep me awake. Managed to get up and dress, and drove to the theatre more dead than alive — went into the Orchestra at 8:10. Tremendous house — usual reception. Very fine performance — not a hitch. Brilliant success. After the performance I turned very faint and could not stand.

—from the program of the 1981 production

Valley Light Opera expresses thanks to the following for helping to make this production possible: the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools' staff, especially the staff of the Superintendent's Office, the music and theater faculty, and the custodial staff, particularly Mike Riley and Maryellen Biso, for their good nature, flexibility, and unstinting support; the Town of Amherst Department of Public Works for hanging the banner; Pat Devine for the saddle for King Gama’s horse; Hampshire Shakespeare Company for lending us swords; Tim Holcomb for a drapery track and hardware; Gemma Peelle for the donation of her priceless collection of buttons and buckles;. . .Sunraise for help with publicity and other printing; and Sally and Bill Venman for caring for the VLO year-round and always being there when we sought advice.

Valley Light Opera is on the World Wide Web at http://www.vlo.org/. We express our gratitude and appreciation to BerkshireNet for hosting our site. BerkshireNet (http://www.berkshire.net/) provides Internet service to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Valley Light Opera, Inc., is a nonprofit Massachusetts corporation founded in 1975 by a group of Gilbert and Sullivan devotees. Over the years, VLO has been guided by two principles--to promote broad community participation and to produce fine entertainment. The company has produced all fourteen of the G&S operas as well as Cox and Box, The Zoo, The Rose of Persia, The Chieftain, The Emerald Isle, and Sullivan's oratorio The Prodigal Son. In addition, VLO has performed Rudolf Friml's The Vagabond King, Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow, Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, John Philip Sousa's El Capitan, Warren Martin's The True Story of Cinderella, and several of Peter Schickele's P.D.Q. Bach works.

The affairs of VLO are in the hands of a Board of Directors elected by the membership at the Annual Meeting in February or March. Officers of the Board this year are Kevin Hutchinson (President), Connie Cappelli (Past President), Kurtiss Gordon (Clerk), and Jim Walker (Treasurer). Members of the Board are Kathy Blaisdell, Sandra Burgess, Catharine Butterfield, Nicholas Dahlman, Heather Davies, Pat Devine, John Foster, Barbara Freed, Lew Jordan, Nina Pollard, Lucy Robinson, and Tom Rowland.

Donations to Valley Light Opera are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

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