Midlands Light Opera Society

### Context Profile for Midlands Light Opera Society

#### 1. Organization Mission & Cause
The Midlands Light Opera Society is dedicated to producing engaging and family-friendly operatic performances. Their mission revolves around making opera accessible and enjoyable for all audiences, emphasizing community involvement and the celebration of the performing arts. They aim to foster a love for opera through innovative and entertaining productions, such as their recent shows, "Night of the Singing Dead" and "The Dramatic Criminals."

#### 2. Type of Activities
- **Performances**: The Society organizes operatic performances, including one-act operettas that are suitable for all ages. Their recent productions showcase a blend of humor and operatic music, drawing from classic and contemporary sources.
- **Community Engagement**: They actively involve local talent in their productions, including actors, musicians, and stage crew, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
- **Fundraising Campaigns**: They conduct fundraising efforts through ticket sales and sponsorships, such as their partnership with the City of Forest Acres for recent shows.

#### 3. Tone of Voice
The tone of voice used by the Midlands Light Opera Society is friendly, approachable, and slightly humorous. Their communications often include playful language that reflects the light-hearted nature of their performances. The content is designed to be engaging and accessible, appealing to a wide audience, including families and opera enthusiasts.

#### 4. Emoji Usage
The organization does not prominently use emojis in their communications. Their tone remains professional and focused on the content of their performances and events, opting for clear and straightforward language rather than informal elements like emojis.

#### 5. Key Facts
- **Founding Information**: Specific founding details are not explicitly mentioned on the website.
- **Scale**: The Society has produced multiple performances and has a history of engaging the community through operatic arts.
- **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics are not provided, the Society emphasizes community involvement and aims to attract diverse audiences to their performances.
- **Volunteer Information**: They actively recruit local talent for their productions, indicating a strong volunteer base contributing to their shows.

#### 6. Writing Guidelines
- **Style**: Use a friendly and engaging tone, incorporating humor where appropriate to reflect the light-hearted nature of their performances.
- **Clarity**: Ensure that all communications are clear and accessible, avoiding overly technical jargon related to opera.
- **Audience Focus**: Tailor content to appeal to a broad audience, including families and individuals new to opera.
- **Call to Action**: Include clear calls to action, such as purchasing tickets or supporting the Society, to encourage community involvement.

This context profile serves as a guide for creating personalized and relevant content for the Midlands Light Opera Society, ensuring alignment with their mission and audience engagement strategies.

LXCL:This is a general admission ticket - house opens 30 minutes before curtain. Seating is first come, first served.

Student/ Senior/ Child ticket

Adult ticket

LXCL:This ticket is ONLY valid on Thursday, May 14 for students. If you are NOT a student, you need to purchase a general admission ticket.If you are attending any show other than Thursday May 14, you will need to purchase a general admission or student/senior/ticket Suggested donation $5

THURSDAY STUDENT Pay What I Can

LXCL:This is a general admission seating ticket.If you purchase your ticket prior to May 4, we will mention you in the playbill as a friend.

Friend Ticket

LXCL:This will entitle you to a reserved first row seat.If you purchase this ticket before May 4, we will list you as a super friend in the playbill

Super Friend Ticket

Midlands Light Opera sails to ancient Carthage for Purcell and Tate&rsquo;s beloved opera Dido and Aeneas May 14 -17, 2026. Performances will be Thursday and Friday (5/14 and 5/15) evening at 7:30, and Saturday and Sunday (5/16 and 5/17) at 3:00 in the Pool Building of Bethel UMC (4600 Daniel Drive, Columbia). Queen Dido (Christine Powell-Thomas) fled Tyre after her husband&rsquo;s murder, and has established a kingdom in Carthage. Despite the urging of her handmaidens Belinda (Maria Beery) and Second Woman (Paula Morris, Janice Mabrey), she has chosen not to accept suitors. Aeneas (Roddey Smith), fled Troy after it fell to the Spartans, and he is following his destiny of establishing a new home for his Trojan followers in Italy. When he and his son Ascanius (Lina Cordova) make a pit stop in Carthage to rest and recover from their journey, the two monarchs fall in love.&nbsp;Dido&rsquo;s happiness has angered the wicked Sorcerer (Ben Palmer) and witches (Belle Posso and Bella Strehl), who plan to break up the happy couple through a plot involving the spirit of Mercury (Bri Palmer, also singing the Sailor). Can love survive the pull of fate and the machinations of a trio of evil witches?&nbsp; Rounding out are cast are dancers and onstage chorus (Bethany Cely, Lilith Clary, Janice Mabrey, Patrick Pilat, Dianne Palmer-Quay) and offstage chorus (Chavous Camp, Will Cordova, Evelyn Clary, Douglas Deaderick, Robin Dorfer, Alex Mabrey, Sara Martinez, Duna Miller, Kevin Oliver). The production is directed and produced by Evelyn Clary, musically directed by Grant Hamby, accompanied by Josh Evanovich and Lucinda Shields, choreographed by Maria Beery, and costumed by Rob Richards, who is also serving as propsmaster. There will also be a string quartet. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. In order to encourage young people to gain exposure to opera, for our Thursday, 5/14 performance, student tickets will be pay what you can. Those wishing to lend further support may purchase friend ($25) and super friend ($50) tickets. &nbsp;Tickets are available online at MidlandsLightOperaSociety.org and can also be purchased at the door. Doors open thirty minutes before curtain Midlands Light Opera Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization existing to provide an opportunity to our community members of all ages and experience levels to perform light opera and opportunities for our community members to see family friendly live opera. &nbsp;We are deeply grateful to our presenting sponsor the City of Forest Acres for their support. You do NOT have to bring a printed ticket to the show. Our box office volunteers have access to the list of tickets purchased.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for our event and supporting our cause. Your registration greatly helps our mission. 🚀 If you would like to contribute further, contact us to become a volunteer, or talk to your friends about our cause! Midlands Light Opera Societymidlandslightopera@gmail.com

Midlands Light Opera sails to ancient Carthage for Purcell and Tate’s beloved opera Dido and Aeneas May 14 -17, 2026. Performances will be Thursday and Friday (5/14 and 5/15) evening at 7:30, and Saturday and Sunday (5/16 and 5/17) at 3:00 in the Pool Building of Bethel UMC (4600 Daniel Drive, Columbia). Queen Dido (Christine Powell-Thomas) fled Tyre after her husband’s murder, and has established a kingdom in Carthage. Despite the urging of her handmaidens Belinda (Maria Beery) and Second Woman (Paula Morris, Janice Mabrey), she has chosen not to accept suitors. Aeneas (Roddey Smith), fled Troy after it fell to the Spartans, and he is following his destiny of establishing a new home for his Trojan followers in Italy. When he and his son Ascanius (Lina Cordova) make a pit stop in Carthage to rest and recover from their journey, the two monarchs fall in love. Dido’s happiness has angered the wicked Sorcerer (Ben Palmer) and witches (Belle Posso and Bella Strehl), who plan to break up the happy couple through a plot involving the spirit of Mercury (Bri Palmer, also singing the Sailor). Can love survive the pull of fate and the machinations of a trio of evil witches?  Rounding out are cast are dancers and onstage chorus (Bethany Cely, Lilith Clary, Janice Mabrey, Patrick Pilat, Dianne Palmer-Quay) and offstage chorus (Chavous Camp, Will Cordova, Evelyn Clary, Douglas Deaderick, Robin Dorfer, Alex Mabrey, Sara Martinez, Duna Miller, Kevin Oliver). The production is directed and produced by Evelyn Clary, musically directed by Grant Hamby, accompanied by Josh Evanovich and Lucinda Shields, choreographed by Maria Beery, and costumed by Rob Richards, who is also serving as propsmaster. There will also be a string quartet. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. In order to encourage young people to gain exposure to opera, for our Thursday, 5/14 performance, student tickets will be pay what you can. Those wishing to lend further support may purchase friend ($25) and super friend ($50) tickets.  Tickets are available online at MidlandsLightOperaSociety.org and can also be purchased at the door. Doors open thirty minutes before curtain Midlands Light Opera Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization existing to provide an opportunity to our community members of all ages and experience levels to perform light opera and opportunities for our community members to see family friendly live opera.  We are deeply grateful to our presenting sponsor the City of Forest Acres for their support. You do NOT have to bring a printed ticket to the show. Our box office volunteers have access to the list of tickets purchased.

Midlands Light Opera Society

Dido and Aeneas

4600 Daniel Dr

Student/ Senior/ Child ticket

$12

Adult ticket

$20

THURSDAY STUDENT Pay What I Can

Friend Ticket

$25

Super Friend Ticket

$50

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