LOOK Musical Theatre facts for kids

LOOK Musical Theatre was a group that put on professional musical shows in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were known for their summer festival of musicals and funny operas. This festival was called "The LOOK Festival."

The company started in 1983. It was founded by John and Jane Everett. Back then, it was a non-profit community theater. Its first name was The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Tulsa. In 1997, the group became professional. They changed their name to Light Opera Oklahoma. They also started performing more types of shows. Eric Gibson became the artistic director in 2002. In 2012, the company changed its name again to LOOK Musical Theatre.

LOOK worked with other talented groups. They got their musicians from the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Dancers often came from the Tulsa Ballet and Tulsa Youth Ballet. Most of their shows were at the Williams Theatre. This theater is part of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Sometimes, LOOK also put on special evening shows. These were for holidays like Valentine's Day. An Oklahoma newspaper, Urban Tulsa Weekly, praised LOOK in 2009. They said LOOK always put on "fantastic performances." They also noted that the company brought in "talented professional singers" from all over the U.S.

Sadly, LOOK Musical Theatre closed down in 2015. This happened because the company had too many debts.

A Look at LOOK's Show History

Trial by Jury was the company's first show.

The Gondoliers was one of their last shows.

LOOK Musical Theatre put on many different shows over the years. Their very first show was Trial by Jury in 1983. For many years, they mostly performed operas by Gilbert and Sullivan. These were popular and funny shows.

In 1987, they tried something new. They presented two musicals instead. These were Man of La Mancha and Side by Side by Sondheim. Some early shows were directed by John Reed. He was a famous comedian from another opera company.

By 1997, LOOK started to expand. They added shows like Little Mary Sunshine. After this, each season usually had three different productions. They would mix Gilbert and Sullivan operas with other musicals. From 2011 to 2013, they focused only on musicals.

Here are some of the shows they performed after 1998:

• 1998: The Mikado, The New Moon, Pineapple Poll, Trial by Jury
• 1999: The Student Prince, The Pirates of Penzance, Ernest in Love, Pineapple Poll, & Cox & Box
• 2000: The Desert Song, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard
• 2001: The Mikado, My Fair Lady, Naughty Marietta
• 2002: Iolanthe, The Merry Widow, I Do! I Do!, Master Class
• 2003: The Pirates of Penzance, Die Fledermaus (as Revenge of the Bat), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
• 2004: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Threepenny Opera, Guys & Dolls, Jazz concert
• 2005: The Mikado, Too Many Sopranos, Fiddler on the Roof, La Périchole
• 2006: South Pacific, The Sorcerer, El barberillo de Lavapiés (The Little Barber of Lavapies)
• 2007: The Music Man, Sweeney Todd, Naughty Marietta, Trial by Jury
• 2008: Into the Woods, The Pirates of Penzance, Candide, Oh, Coward!
• 2009: My Fair Lady, The Gondoliers, A Little Night Music
• 2010: Kiss Me, Kate, The Boy Friend, Patience
• 2011: Evita, Trouble in Tahiti, The Light in the Piazza
• 2012: Gypsy, Avenue Q, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
• 2013: Hello, Dolly!, Side by Side by Sondheim, The Drowsy Chaperone
• 2014: Sweeney Todd, The Gondoliers