Welcome!

The Charleston Light Opera Guild is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing high-quality and reasonably priced musical theater to Charleston, West Virginia and the surrounding region. Over 200 productions have been staged since the Guild's founding in 1949.

The Color Purple

The Charleston Light Opera Guild has selected The Color Purple as its Spring 2012 production. The Color Purple is a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer winning novel. Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey produced the musical on Broadway in 2005 starring LaChanze with a book by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Brenda Russel, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. The score features a blend of gospel, blues, soul and musical theatre arrangements. 

The Color Purple will be presented on May 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19, 2012 at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater.

Auditions will be held at the Guild Theater on January 17, 18 and 19, 2012. Visit the show page or call (304) 545-6945 for more information.

Fiddler on the Roof

The Guild will present the beloved international classic Fiddler on the Roof at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences Maier Performance Hall on October 26, 27 and 28, and November 2, 3 and 4, 2012. Auditions will be held at the Guild Theater on August 28, 29 and 30, 2012, or call (304) 545-6945 for more information.

Next to Normal

The Charleston Light Opera Guild will present Next to Normal on June 15, 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24, 2012, at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater as part of FestivALL 2012.

Next to Normal is one of the most talked about new shows on Broadway in years, an acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushes Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone). With a thrilling contemporary score, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. Next to Normal was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards, winning three, Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. It won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor.

Auditions will be held on Thursday, March 22, 2012 starting at 7:30 p.m. or Saturday, March 24, 2012 starting at 11:00 a.m. at the Guild Theater, 411 Tennessee Avenue, Charleston, West Virginia. Visit the show page or call (304) 545-6945 for more information.

Legally Blonde

The Guild will present Legally Blonde at the Charleston Civic Center Little Theater on July 27, 28 and 29 and August 3, 4 and 5, 2012. Auditions will be held at the Guild Theater on June 2 and 3, 2012, or call (304) 545-6945 for more information.

Legally Blonde is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner. She discovers how her knowledge of the law can help others, and successfully defends exercise queen Brooke Wyndham in a murder trial.

Cast and Crew

Would you like to be onstage in an upcoming Guild show? Work on the backstage crew? Help in the Box Office? Participate as a member of the Orchestra? All cast members for our shows are chosen at totally open, unbiased auditions and newcomers are very welcome. Many of our performers have never been in a prior Guild show. (Some actors have never been on stage before, ever!) So, please feel free to join us for our next audition. Orchestra and crew members can contact us via phone or e-mail and your information will be forwarded on to the correct team member.

Check this web site frequently, or join the Guild to receive special members-only mailings about upcoming shows. Audition announcements are also placed in local newspapers and other printed media. Or you can contact the Guild.