DuPage Opera Theatre

The DuPage Opera Theatre (DOT) is one of three professional opera companies located in the Chicago area, along with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Opera Theater. Founded in 1977 as a resident, professional ensemble at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, DuPage Opera has mounted several hundred performances since its inception.

DuPage Opera Theatre performs in the 793-seat main stage of the Arts Center. The Arts Center opened on October 10, 1986, and 12 years later was renamed the Harold D. McAninch Arts Center. The MAC, as it is commonly referred to, is home to three resident professional ensembles: Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, DuPage Opera Theatre, and New Philharmonic, as well as the Gahlberg Gallery, a space for visual art exhibition.

Harold Bauer was the founding artistic director and conductor of the company. Kirk Muspratt is the current artistic director and music director, a position that he has held since July 2004. In December 2006, Muspratt was named "Chicagoan of the Year" in classical music by John von Rhein and the staff of the ''Chicago Tribune''. In his first four seasons, productions at the DuPage Opera Theatre featured ''Le nozze di Figaro'', ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', ''La bohème'', ''Faust'', ''Otello'' and ''Tosca''. In 2008, Muspratt stated that by tackling such renowned operas as ''Otello'', "we are showcasing DuPage Opera's growth and new vision".

DOT's productions of the last 20 years include:

*''Così fan tutte'' (1991)
*''The Barber of Seville'' (1993, 2005)
*''Jenůfa'' (1994)
*''Don Pasquale'' (1994)
*''Die Fledermaus'' (1995)
*''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' (1995, 2003)
*'' Lazarus'' by (1996)
*''La rondine'' (1996)
*''The Marriage of Figaro'' (1997, 2004)
*''The Elixir of Love'' (1997, 2009)
*''Abduction from the Seraglio'' (1998)
*''Carmen'' (1998, 2006)
*''The Merry Widow'' (1999)
*''La bohème'' (1999, 2007)
*''Fidelio'' (2000)
*''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' (2000)
*''Werther'' (2001)
*''The Magic Flute'' (2001)
*''Tosca'' (2002, 2008)
*''Susannah'' (2002)
*''Don Giovanni'' (2003)
*''La traviata'' (2004)
*''Faust'' (2005)
*''Hansel and Gretel'' (2007)
*''Otello'' (2008)
*''The Beggar's Opera'' (2009)
*''Turandot'' (2010)
*''Gianni Schicchi'' (2011)

Gallery

File:CarmenRehearsal0088.jpg, ''Carmen''
File:DOT CarmenRehearsal0160.jpg, ''Carmen''
File:DuPage Opera La Boheme.JPG, ''La bohème''
File:DuPage Opera Theatre La Boheme.JPG, ''La bohème''
File:DOT Otello.JPG, ''Otello''
File:DuPage Opera Otello.jpg, ''Otello''
File:DuPage-Opera-Theatre-HanselAndGretel273.JPG, ''Hansel and Gretel''
File:DOTHanselAndGretel137.JPG, ''Hansel and Gretel''
File:DOT HanselandGretel.jpg, ''Hansel and Gretel''
File:DuPage Opera Theatre The Begger's Opera 1170.jpg, ''The Beggar's Opera''
File:DuPage Opera Theatre The Beggars Opera.jpg, ''The Beggar's Opera''
File:DOT The Beggar's Opera.jpg, ''The Beggar's Opera''
File:Barber of Seville DOT.jpg, ''The Barber of Seville''
File:Barber of Seville DuPage Opera Theatre.jpg, ''The Barber of Seville''
File:2011 DOT Gianni Schicchi 023.JPG, ''Gianni Schicchi''
File:2011 DOT Gianni Schicchi 038.JPG, ''Gianni Schicchi''

External links

* Von Rhein, John
"Kirk Muspratt: Making the Orchestra Accessible"
''Chicago Tribune'', 31 December 2006.
* Dupage Opera Theate
on Operabase

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Opera companies in Chicago
1977 establishments in Illinois
Musical groups established in 1977