The Light Opera Group of the Negev (LOGON) is a non-profit organization comprising an enthusiastic group of amateur singers and actors bent on producing a performance equal to that of professional companies. The group was formed in 1981, when it performed a short operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, “Trial by Jury”, for local Omer audiences. Such was the success of this first venture that the group decided to proceed with the full-length operetta “Ruddigore”. By the mid eighties LOGON had expanded to perform in all major cities in Israel. For the first few years all operettas were of Gilbert and Sullivan origin because these composers seem to provide the perfect combination of comedy, satire and catchy melodies admired by audiences all over the English speaking world. However, in 1990 LOGON ventured further to produce Offenbach’s “La Belle Helene”, and in 1993 “The Merry Widow” by Franz Lehar was well received. After returning to G & S in 1994 and 1995 LOGON finally took the plunge and staged a full musical “Fiddler on the Roof”. Following sold out theaters for most performances the decision was made to continue in the same vein, and we have successfully been producing musicals annually ever since. Visit our past shows page for the full list. The show performed in 2016 was “Camelot”.

The People

The Musical Director, Artistic Director and Choreographer are all professionals, as is the team that provides lighting and sound. Although original hard-core LOGONites originated from Anglo-Saxon countries, the group now includes many native Israelis. Rehearsals alternate between English and Hebrew but all performances are in English. Pretty much everyone on stage (and behind the scenes) is “something else” in real life – doctors, a librarian, teachers, engineers, several kibbutz members, and students. Do they get paid for their efforts? On the contrary, they all pay membership dues for the privilege of rehearsing two, three, four, and five times a week, and giving a hand building the scenery, too!

The LOGON Book

After 25 years performing light operas and musicals in Israel as an amateur group, in 2006 it seemed timely to record our experiences in book form with the title: “The Stage Is Our World: An English-speaking Amateur Musical Theater Group in Israel”. The Editors are A. Paul Hare, Patricia Golan, and Yamima Osher. There are three audiences for the book. The first consists of present and past members of the Light Opera Group of the Negev (LOGON) who have performed on stage, in the orchestra, or have been active in the many back stage and off stage activities, plus those who have supported LOGON’s activities. A second audience consists of members of amateur theater groups and university drama departments around the world who may wish to compare our experiences in producing light operas and Broadway musicals with their own activities. A third audience consists primarily of academics who have been using a dramaturgical perspective to view life as theater and who may be interested in the reverse process of viewing theater as larger than life. The book has four parts. Part I describes the origin of LOGON and its social history. Part II, with chapters by members of the company, provides details of the various activities that must be performed to produce a show, especially one that goes on the road. Part III introduces the two aspects of the dramaturgical perspective. Part IV, consists of reproductions of the playbill covers over the years with reviews from English language publications.

The paperback book has been published by Biblio Books, Israel, and can be ordered directly through Amazon.