History


From humble beginnings, the University of Pennsylvania Law School Light Opera Company has evolved into on of the most important student activities at the Law School. Light Opera provides an opportunity for students to showcase not only their musical and dramatic talents, it is also a welcome relief from the rigor of academic pursuits.

In 1971, Professors Gorman and Leech formed Airs-at-Law, an octect from the Law School community, to sing Christmas carols to students in the Great Hall. This activity grew in scale in the next several years, and soon performances of Airs-at-Law included a wider variety of songs. In 1976 the repertoire included selections from Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial By Jury.

The Gilbert and Sullivan songs were well received, and, as a consequence, law student Michael Tietz organized a production of Trial By Jury the following year. The first show was presented twice, once in the Great Hall and once at Houston Hall, and was produced in less than six weeks.

The enthusiastic reception of Trial By Jury led Tietz to organize the Company's first stated production of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in 1978: The Mikado, performed at the University Museum. Some Light Opera Company purists point to this show as our first; others draw our origins from Trial By Jury.

The Mikado was a start of great things. Each subseqeuent year, the Light Opera Company produced a different Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. However, in 1991 things began to change. The group decided against another G&S show, in favor of the musical Pippin. Pippin was followed by Anything Goes and new tradition of great musical comedy was started. Now the group primarily performs musical comedies, but tries not to forget its roots by having side performances of Gilbert and Sullivan material.

Whether true light opera or musical comedy, each successive show has been bigger, better, and viewed by larger audiences. Each year the shows are produced and performed by law students dedicated to continuing our tradition of excellence.