To offer Gilbert & Sullivan operettas in Rochester through acting, direction, stage craft and musical performance,
and to encourage a targeted interest in the performing arts.

For a group that only does the work of two artists whose work can seem extremely out-dated, newcomers are always amazed at the success of OMP. Often times, we are amazed at our success as well.

The Off-Monroe Players' goal has always been to have fun - to bring these silly, these old-fashioned, these wonderful pieces to life. It doesn't matter all that much if we have an audience to see them or if we make any money; the point for us is to get up there and to lose our cares and worries. Thankfully, our audiences have discovered our little secret, and we have been able to continue our fun for thirty years.

We have been doing the same 13 (plus) shows over and over for more than 30 years, accepting any and all who wish to join. But instead of getting tired of a show, we keep coming back to this little extended family. Certainly the art of Gilbert & Sullivan have something to do with that. But there is also OMP itself - the opportunity to have some laughs and sing a few songs with old friends and new ones. These are people you come to care about, and who will be there for you. And even romance can be found: we recently celebrated the twelfth marriage created and nurtured by OMP.

And to a lot of people's surprise, when other theatre groups are starving for audiences, OMP thrives. Two productions a year, eight shows a production, 250 audience members per show. A loyal patron system providing adequate cash flow. A family of cast and crew that comes back time and again - if not to perform or to lend a hand, then to enjoy the production. And enough community support to welcome new performers every season. Not bad at all.

Donations from our audience, occasional grants, and the generous support of our Patrons have made the continued success of OMP possible. If you would like to participate in the future, on stage or off, we would be pleased to hear from you. You can Contact Us, indicating in what capacity you would like to participate, or just show up at auditions. We welcome new and seasoned performers, and don't worry - auditions are only required for lead roles. Information on auditions will be announced in the local media, in the OMP newsletter, the OMP Information line at (585) 234-0500, and on this web site.

Off-Monroe Players: What we value and believe --

Fun - Staging musical theater is hard work, and the only pay we get at OMP is fun and fulfillment. What we get back in fulfillment is directly related to how much fun we put into it for each other.

Artistic quality - Loving these plays means wanting to learn about them and perform them well. Performing them well honors the composers and writers, attracts enthusiastic audiences, and is way more fun than not performing them well.

The audience - The audience's laughter and applause are our greatest fulfillment, and their attendance is a gift to us. We owe them our appreciation and the best possible experience we can create for them.

Inclusion - From Day One, OMP has welcomed anyone to perform with us -anyone- because we all start somewhere and none of us is ever complete. We believe this is compatible with the concept of good musical theater.

Personal growth - We will support and encourage our fellow members because we are all here to improve ourselves - as people, first, and then as performers. We can all learn from each other if we are all willing to share what we know.

Accessibility - We are here to share our enjoyment of plays we love, and we will do what we can to make them aesthetically, economically, geographically, and physically accessible for anyone who wants to attend and participate.

Public service - We believe that good entertainment improves the social fabric of our community, and we will extend ourselves to share our love of the performing arts with others in enriching ways that contribute to the common good.

Last updated: 08/24/07