Municipal Opera Company of Allentown
Established 1927
Now MunOpCo Music Theatre
MunOpCo Music Theatre is a non profit organization designed to give performers of all backgrounds, sexual orientations, religions and age, the platform and opportunity to perform their talents, while providing a safe and inclusive space for our members and community to express themselves.
Our 97th Season has begun!
The Municipal Opera Company of Allentown—now MunOpCo Music Theatre—has been captivating and delighting audiences with its theatrical and musical performances for nearly nine decades. It has been through the ideas, hard work and dedication of so many talented and passionate directors, actors and actresses, patrons, volunteers and supporters that we have been able to enrich so many lives for generations.
ALLENTOWN’S OLDEST COMMUNITY THEATRE
MunOpCo Music Theatre began as part of the great recreation movement of the 1920s. In the summer of 1928, the director of the Allentown Recreation Commission approached Errol K. Peters, an Emmaus High School music director, with an idea to organize a men’s chorus under the sponsorship of the recreation commission and the YMCA. It was then that the Municipal Opera Company was born. The YMCA and YWCA choruses were combined and the policy of presenting two productions each year was established. The organization became incorporated in 1946.
MunOpCo was the first non-professional company to perform “West Side Story,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Promises Promises” and “Cabaret.” Further distinction came from performing a world premier of “Miss Springtime” and a stage production of “Cinderella” from the television script. We are also proud of our Lehigh Valley premier shows including “Victor/Victoria,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Children of Eden,” “Sugar Babies” and “Catch Me if You Can.”
THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
MunOpCo has survived the great depression, the difficult World War II years, the turmoil of reorganization and change, and today continues to offer a family-oriented community theatre program for Lehigh Valley residents and beyond. It is an organization dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals of all ages to be a part of the theatre world on stage, front of house, or back stage.