Sullivan & Gilbert" Picks Up Three Goodman Awards

Michael Manley Michael McCarty Sue Ellen Nelsen

Two of the stars, as well as the director of D.L.O.C.'s Lesher Theatre show last spring "Sullivan & Gilbert" have been named as recipients of the Dean Goodman Choice Awards for their work in the show.Michael Manley, who portrayed lyricist William S. Gilbert. Has been named as recipient of the Goodman Choice Award as Principal Performer in a Musical.

Michael McCarty, playing the irrepressible Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, picked up the Goodman Award for Supporting Performer in a Musical.  Not to be outdone, Sue Ellen Nelsen received the award for Director of a Musical.  The awards will be formally presented to the trio on February 11 at the Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco at ceremonies expected to be attended by nearly 500 people.

Dean Goodman is a noted Bay Area stage and film actor and the former critic with Dramalogue magazine.  He makes his selections personally from the roughly 200 productions he sees each year. 

DLOC Co-Founder Receives Arts Recognition Award

STARS 2000 Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

STARS 2000 celebrates its 10th Anniversary by repeating their very first show. The program producer, Diane Kamrin explains STARS 2000 beginnings.

"STARS 2000 was created out of a need for teens to have quality time to hone their theatre skills. Summer seemed ideal because there were less conflicts with school and extra-curricular activities. Diablo Light Opera Company felt this program was a unique way to mainstream our young musical talent into the major theatrical companies in our area and they have been our sponsor since our inception. Many of our "STARS" have performed with leading professional companies in and around the East Bay and San Francisco."

"Our first season's production was How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. We had four performances and got rave revues. The following years we produced Once Upon a Mattress, Bye Bye Birdie, Anything Goes, the very successful Fiddler on the Roof Hello Dolly, Into The Woods, Some Like It Hot, and last summer Grease. These last seven years we have had eight to ten performances. The summer of 2001 represents STARS 2000 tenth anniversary and we are presenting the first show we produced as a celebration of this awesome event. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying will open at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts on July 27th and continue until August 5th. This production is not to be missed!"

STARS 2000 is a self-supporting company. Although initial costs are covered by DLOC, tuition, costume and user fees and ticket sales help complete the budget. Some scholarships are available.

STARS 2000 Performs with the Diablo Symphony

The Diablo Symphony celebrated Independence Day with a concert July 1st at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts. Joyce Johnson-Hamilton conducted music by Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Sousa and others. The orchestra's guests were an ensemble of young performers who are members of Diablo Light Opera Company's "Stars 2000." The teen group performance included "All That Jazz" from Chicago, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Tonight" from Westside Story and "One" from Chorus Line. The Stars 2000 performed under the direction of Diane Kamrin.

Bobbi Bach Winner in Diablo Magazine Award

Bobbi Bach has been named winner of the BEST LOCAL SINGER award in Diablo Magazine's recent "EAST BAY'S BEST" edition and a great honor to have DLOC recognized by name in this award. This is DLOC's fourth recognition in four years in their annual "best of..." publications.

Bobbi is no stranger to Bay Area theater audiences having played leading roles in over 20 shows. Several years ago she was honored with a special Shellie Award for her Outstanding Contribution in the Performing Arts. She is currently on DLOC's "Advisory Board". Congratulation Bobbi.

Grete talks with the Times
by Alicia Roca, Contra Costa Times - September 1, 2001

Love of musical theater hits high note... When Grete Egan fell in love in 1950, she had no idea those romances would last five decades. One was with a handsome UC Berkeley Glee Club singer, Clifford Egan, her future husband. The other was a passion for musical theater that evolved into the Diablo Light Opera Company. "There was nothing else like it at the time. We had the vision of bringing Broadway to Contra Costa," said Egan, who as a teen played the piccolo in Alhambra High's marching band. The year was 1959 and Egan was a first-grade teacher.

Her husband, a student at Hastings College of the Law, was riding the Greyhound from Walnut Creek to San Francisco every day. Egan's life was full, but she missed having music as a part of it. She fondly remembered Cal and the musicals the Glee Club and Treble Clef performed. She sent letters to her college friends asking if they wanted to perform again. "When you love something, you want to keep doing it no matter what," said Egan. Some 25 friends replied. Rehearsals began immediately, and within six months they performed "Pirates of Penzance" at Las Lomas High in Walnut Creek. An advertisement in the paper and word of mouth filled the multipurpose room with more than 200 people. They were accommodated in bleachers and folding chairs. Among the audience members was Ron Caya, the arts director for Walnut Creek. He was seated in a folding chair, and his view of the show was obstructed. "He went to the City Council and said, 'We need to get a real theater so groups like this can perform,'" said Egan, a Martinez native.

In December 1965, a walnut shelling warehouse was converted into the Walnut Creek Civic Arts Theater - the "nut house." The Diablo Light Opera Company began performing there, putting on shows from "HMS Pinafore" to "Brigadoon." It would remain there until the early '90s, when the "nut house" was torn down and the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts built in its place." When the curtain opens, it's thrilling to see what we've put together," said Egan. Today the Diablo Light Opera Company has 200 members. They have three troupes - one for adults; one for teens, Stars 2000; and one for children, Starstruck. The company performs three big and four small musicals a year, all at the Lesher center. "It's a real challenge to keep improving our craft and making our shows better," said Egan, who started out in the chorus and now works behind the scenes.

She takes great pride in what the company has become. "It came from nothing. It's mushroomed tremendously into a phenomenal art scene. "Today the company has its own building -- the "firehouse" -- equipped with rehearsal studios and administrative offices. It's on Oak Park Boulevard in Pleasant Hill, and actors travel from around the Bay Area to participate in shows. This year 85 people auditioned for 35 spots in "Carousel." "People are so much more aware of the arts now," said Egan with a smile. "There's no reason to go to San Francisco anymore."

Photo by Bob Pepping/Times

Diablo Light Opera Company is recipient of major grant from DRAA. (March 2001)

The Diablo Regional Arts Association recently presented DLOC with a $31,000 award as part of their 2001 Partnership Awards in continuing financial support for regional arts groups. These awards recognize the outstanding quality of twenty-nine arts organizations. The Partnership Awards are a primary program of DRAA; funding for these awards are made possible by the generous contributions of corporations, foundations, and individuals.

The award to DLOC was divided into two parts, $16,000 in production support for our musicals and $15,000 as a credit toward theater rental charges. President Michael Manley received the grant for DLOC at the public presentation ceremony. DLOC is pleased to have been selected as a grant recipient and appreciates the DRAA's generous support.

Rhoda Klitsner Named to Women's Hall of Fame (September 2000)

Rhoda Klitsner, along with five other women, has been named to the 3rd Annual Women"s Hall of Fame, co-sponsored by the Contra Costa Commission for Women and the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. The honor recognizes their contributions to the quality of life in Contra Costa County. Candidates are nominated by the public at large, and a panel of judges residing outside of the county selects the winners. Rhoda Klitsner was specifically chosen for her contributions to the arts.

The honorees will be recognized at a luncheon on Wednesday, March 15 at 11:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites, 1345 Treat Blvd., Walnut Creek. This event is open to the public; tickets are $16.50. For further information and to make reservations for the luncheon, call Linda Douglas at 925-370-5149. A number of DLOC'ers will be going so please join them.

Rhoda is currently DLOC's Artistic Advisor and has directed or choreographed almost half of the company's productions. She recently directed and choreographed the popular production of Me And My Girl.

DLOC Receives Five Shellies at January 2000 Shellie Awards

DLOC's "Kismet" and "Oklahoma" received five Shellies at this years Shellie Awards.

Congratulations to all the Shellie winners and nominees.

DRAA'S 1999 Partnership Awards
DLOC receives $25,300 as part of DRAA's 1999 Partnership Awards. $10,000 is to support two productions: Me and My Girl and Big and $2,000 toward the STARS 2000 summer program. DLOC also received a grant of $13,300 in Theatre Sponsorship from the City of Walnut Creek allocated to the primary users of the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts.

DLOC at the Pavilion
DLOC will be part of the Concord Pavilion performance of Symphony, Song & Dance on May 31 at 7:00 p.m. The event is Free but parking is $7. Come join DLOC performers along with presentations by Contra Costa Wind Symphony, Diablo Ballet, ODC Dance Company, Festival Opera, Willows Theatre and the Galatean Players.