About
Civic Light Opera (CLO) was born and the music of German composer Johann Strauss, Jr., British composers Gilbert and Sullivan, and American Composer Victor Herbert filled the auditorium for the first two seasons.
Although the productions were sound, the audiences who attended the operettas were really in the mood for good old American musical theatre – and in 1980, there were plenty of wonderful offerings to choose from. The third season of CLO included MAN OF LAMANCHA, CAROUSEL and KISMET.
The original home of Civic Light Opera was the Jane Addams School theatre, located in Lake City. The company performed on that stage for 25 seasons. In 2002, the company moved operations to the Shoreline Community Center, but when our current home right here in Seattle’s Magnuson Park (formerly the Sand Point Naval Air Station) theater become available for rent in 2004, Civic Light Opera moved closer to their many subscribers and supporters. You are sitting in the original movie theater of the Sand Point Naval Air Station.
Through the years, the name Civic Light Opera was considered a misnomer by some, since the company no longer performed operettas. More change was in the air for our beloved theater and in 2006 the Board of Directors changed the name to Seattle Musical Theatre (SMT).
