The Show Goes On

For 78 Years, Windsor Light Music Theatre Has Dazzled Local Audiences

Story by Matthew St. Amand
Photography by Gene Schilling

The history of Windsor Light Music Theatre (WLMT) goes back 78 years, 149 musical scores daisy-chained back through time from our current science-fiction era to the first years of television. Thousands of Windsor residents have performed in its productions, constructed sets, sewed costumes, stage managed and attended these shows that graced venues all around the city. 

Beginning November 20, WLMT will present its 150th show, Come From Away, directed by Matthew Dumouchel. The production tells the true story of how the residents of Gander, Newfoundland, welcomed nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers after North American airspace was closed following the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks.

It is no easy feat keeping a group of creative people focused and working toward the same goal from project to project, and it borders on the miraculous that this group—in its many incarnations over the years—has done this for nearly 80 years.

The organization began in 1948 as Windsor Light Opera (WLO), founded by Dr. John H.L. Watson, who was head of the Physics Department at the Edsel B. Ford Institute for Medical Research, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He also enjoyed performing in musical theatre in his spare time. After performing in Windsor with the Civic Operatic Society (COS), Dr. Watson learned that COS was folding. He was so impressed with the shows they produced and believed its existence was so necessary to the community that he formed Windsor Light Opera from its fraying remnants. In local media, he stated that the intention behind the organization was: “To identify ourselves with the community and perform Light Opera so that anyone can come out and enjoy a show.”

The first show performed by WLO was The Pirates of Penzance in 1949.

The company mounted two major musical productions per year. These were performed on the stage of Walkerville Collegiate until 1960, after which time they moved to the Cleary Auditorium (now the Chrysler Theatre in the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts).

A 1998 retrospective looking back on the history of WLO proclaimed that it “has always been a family affair.” Current president of WLMT, Connie Farrer, certainly agrees with that sentiment.

“I grew up in the Windsor Light,” she says. “For forty years, it has been my home away from home. I love to sing, so my parents encouraged me to audition when a production of Annie was coming up. I was fifteen and too old to be an orphan, so I was part of the chorus. I was just thrilled being in the show.”

Connie continues: “I met my husband, Rick, while doing a show. My daughter, Lexie, has been involved with the youth programs. She will play the role of Janice, a radio personality, in our upcoming show, Come From Away.”

Windsor Light Opera changed its name to Windsor Light Music Theatre in 2007. 

“We wanted to be associated with musical theatre, not opera,” Connie explains. “It was felt that ‘light opera’ lost its meaning over the years. We wanted to be viewed as a musical theatre company that brings the best of Broadway to Windsor.”

Year after year, WLMT has done just that.

How has WLMT achieved such longevity? After all, theatre involves drama—on and off the stage. Every production brings a convergence of personalities, egos and competing agendas.

“It’s a community,” Connie says. “Everyone is creative: sewing, singing, designing and building sets. When we hit obstacles, we figure them out together. If someone auditions and doesn’t get a part, they can still be a part of the show, working in props, or painting, or helping in other ways. A lot happens behind the scenes!”

Through the decades, local media profiled the organization, remarking on the sheer physical feat of producing two large-scale shows each year, every year. Memorable moments punctuate its long history. One great success occurred in 1957 when WLO was featured with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Ford Memorial Auditorium which was located on Jefferson Ave. in Detroit. 

James Hicks of the Detroit Symphony was quoted as saying: “Our symphony thus salutes Detroit’s neighbor city…  one of the most competent amateur associations to be found on either side of the border.”

WLO took its full company of singers, dancers, and actors to Detroit to present excerpts from Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” in modern dress and excerpts from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta “The Mikado” in costume.

In the 1980s, a production of Annie proved so popular that it was performed twice that year. Twenty years later saw WLMT perform Titanic with 60 performers—one of its most technically complex shows.

“On closing night, I sobbed while singing the final song,” Connie says. “It was very emotional, all the characters who had died returned to the stage. We had to raise the stage in order to perform this—basically, we had to build a stage on the stage.”

In 1998, the Mayor of the City of Windsor and City Council declared March 29th “Windsor Light Opera Association Day” in recognition of its contributions to the community.

WLMT continues to push the limits of its abilities and the talent of its cast and crew. Earlier this year, they performed the musical Frozen, based on Disney’s 2013 animated film. The production took nearly a year to develop and rehearse.

Assistant director, Lucas Revenberg, stated: “Windsor has never seen theatre at this calibre. We’re truly… bringing Broadway to Windsor-Essex.”

The production included a twenty-foot LED screen, projection mapping across the set, low fog, CO2 jets, as well as Sven and Olaf puppets brought in from New York City. 

WLMT does not rest on its laurels. It now looks toward its landmark 150th performance, Come From Away, which opens on November 20th. 

Given the current political climate, there would seem to be much subtext behind its selection. 

“When we chose Come From Away, it wasn’t to make any kind of statement,” says Connie. “We chose it because it’s an extraordinary story. It does, however, have a smaller cast and we wondered if our audience would come out and support it.”

The more the WLMT selection committee discussed the show, the more they realized that this was the right show.

“Come From Away is about people showing up for one another,” she continues. “It’s about kindness, community and finding hope in difficult times. Those are things that have always been at the heart of Windsor Light Music Theatre.”

For more information about WLMT—its history, how to get involved, and to learn about its upcoming shows—visit them online at windsorlight.com.

Published in the Anniversary 2026 Edition.