Starlight Theatre is now the only theatre operated by Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois; operations of Rock Valley College Studio Theatre, an indoor blackbox theatre, have been suspended. Starlight Theatre performs in the outdoor Bengt Sjostrom Theatre, an award-winning structure designed by Jeanne Gang and Studio Gang Architects that features a unique, one-of-a-kind movable roof. Starlight has transformed itself into a popular destination for the Northern Illinois region. The theatre is situated on 217 acres that were purchased by the college in 1965 from Dr. J.J. Rogers.
Starlight Theatre History
In the fall of 1966 a group of Rock Valley College students approached Dean of Community Services Rueben Johnson about creating a theatre program. The following year, they performed an outdoor musical near the farm pond that had been purchased in 1965 from Dr. J.J. Rogers. Community members watched the first performance on lawn chairs. Starlight Theatre has performed more than 125 productions since its founding in 1967. 1967: Finian's Rainbow 1968: Patience & Waiting for Godot 1969: Oklahoma! 1970: Man of LaMancha 1971: Oliver & Fiddler on the Roof 1972: 1776 & The King & I 1973: My Fair Lady & Promises, Promises 1974: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying & No, No Nanette 1975: Godspell & Jesus Christ Superstar 1976: Of Thee I Sing, A Little Night Music 1977: The Sound of Music & The Music Man 1978: Camelot & Show Boat 1979: West Side Story & Hello, Dolly! 1980: Carnival & Funny Girl 1981: Wizard of Oz & HMS Pinafore 1982: Grease, Jacques Brel & South Pacific 1983: Man of LaMancha, Pirates of Penzance & Guys & Dolls 1984: Carousel, George M Dir. Victoria Bussert & My Fair Lady 1985: Caberet, Oklahoma! & Evita 1986: Barum, Music Man & Fiddler on the Roof 1987: Peter Pan, 1776 & Candide 1988: Camelot, Annie Get Your Gun & 42nd Street 1989: Oliver, Jesus Christ Superstar & Anything Goes 1990: The King & I, Student Prince & My One and Only 1991: West Side Story, Shenendoah & A Chorus Line 1992: Hello, Dolly, Big River & Into the Woods 1993: Kiss Me Kate, Rags & City of Angels 1994: Meet Me in St. Louis, My Fair Lady & Evita 1995: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The New Pirates of Penzance & Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 1996: Bye, Bye Birdie, Pippin, Crazy For You & Joseph 1997: Guys & Dolls, Children of Eden & Sound of Music 1998: Secret Garden, Cinderella & Western Star 1999: Annie, Once on this Island & Fiddler on the Roof 2000: Godspell, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum & Hans Christian Andersen, The Storyteller's Story 2001: The Music Man, Grease & Rebels 2002: South Pacific, Honk & 42nd Street 2003: Big River, Just So & Children of Eden 2004: Show Boat, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The Hot Mikado & Seussical the Musical 2005: Oklahoma!, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess & Disney's Beauty & the Beast 2006: Cats!, State Fair, Miss Saigon & Joseph 2007: Peter Pan, Disney's Geppetto & Son, Jekyll & Hyde & Ragtime. 2008: Jonah- An Old Testament Yarn, The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors & Thoroughly Modern Millie 2009: David the King, Evita, The King and I, The Producers 2010: Chicago, Aida, Annie, Rent 2011: The Phantom of the Opera, After Dark, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hairspray 2012: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street!, Little Women, Into the Woods, 9 to 5: The Musical 2013: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express, Xanadu, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Les Misérables 2014: The Sound of Music, Tintypes, Honk!, Spamalot, Angel 2015: Mary Poppins, The Last Five Years, Memphis, Young Frankenstein
