Limelight is the theatre company for the Oswegoland Park District. We offer theatrical experiences for participants ranging from kindergarten through high school, college, and beyond. We serve several communities in the Fox Valley area, including Oswego, Montgomery, Yorkville, Plainfield, Aurora, and Naperville.
We offer a wide range of opportunities including productions (full-length, one-acts, radio dramas, and more), and skill-based classes and workshops throughout the year. The process that we go through as we teach, learn, create, and share is just as important as the final product. When you grow and improve with each class or production, it is very easy to have an end product/production that you can be proud of.
Over the years we have added numerous directors, designers, and volunteers to our ever-expanding company, but as our numbers grow, so does the variety and depth of our productions, in order to allow participants the greatest possible role in creating a show.
Above all, Limelight is a family, and whether you are a young newcomer or a wise veteran of many years, everyone is welcome.
Mission: To teach, to learn, to create, and to share through theatre
Philosophy: The Limelight Theatre Company follows five simple rules when working creatively:
1) Be Original- Limelight has always stressed the importance of story, and the value of creating original works as a team. Since our inception, we have produced at least one original production or adaptation per year. These works have been penned by staff members and participants, alike. Inspiration for some of our most beloved shows and moments has come from a box of flannel shirts, a love of The Godfather, the current socioeconomic climate, and a zombie slaying Ronald Regan. Original productions allow us to celebrate and encourage the ideas and creative contributions of the dreamers and the writers in our company, in addition to the talented actors, designers, and crew members. As a company, producing original works gives us endless creative freedom. Our writers get to set the stage and see their words brought to life. Our actors get to create roles and be the first ones to ever perform them. Our designers get to imagine and create places that have never been on the stage before. We get to collaborate on something that is truly unique and truly ours.
2) Be Gracious- We try to follow the golden rule and play well with others. Someone who is gracious is characterized by charm, good taste, kindness, and generosity of spirit. That is the kind of artist and person that we want to work with.
3) Be “We”- We are firm believers that theatre is about collaboration, not competition. We work together to accomplish things that none of us could do alone. The actor is no more important than the person running the light board or moving the set. The veteran and the newcomer are both expected to work their hardest, and do their best. We encourage everyone to help out in any way that they can and support each other on stage and off. Our challenges are faced as a team, and our successes are shared as a family.
4) Be Bold- In Limelight, we encourage big, bold choices. We want each person to step outside their comfort zone. We work to help our Limelighters develop confidence. Take ownership, invest yourself in your work. You get out what you put in.
5) Be Challenging- Like the characters in the stories that we love to tell, our actors and crew always rise to meet the challenge of difficult material. The challenge could lie in the text itself. We have never been shy of tackling Shakespeare or classic literature. The challenge may lie in the casting. We will not always cast an actor in the role that we know that she can play, because we would rather see her dig into a role that makes her work to explore a different type of character or employ different skills and abilities. We also choose to challenge our audiences with many different styles of productions and subject matter.
Official Limemight Motto: Where Everyone Plays a Part
Original Limelight Motto: Do-it-Yourself Theatre.
A Very Brief History
The Limelight Theatre Company was founded in the summer of 2000 by Artistic Director Brian Fauth. Borne out of a need in the Oswego community for a quality and diverse youth theatre program, Limelight has grown from a dozen middle-school children writing their own plays to a larger organization involving over a hundred participants of all ages tapping into their creativity and sharing it.