Gregg Opelka Show Biography

Original play productions (with premiering theater and production history)

2006—Marrying Terry, premiere, Tipp City Players

2007—Marrying Terry, Chicago premiere; Victory Gardens Theater

Original musicals (with premiering theater and production history)

1990—Charlie’s Oasis (music and lyrics); Theater Building Chicago; numerous amateur productions since

1990—Charlie’s Oasis  (music and lyrics); Omsk Musical Theatre, Siberia ; Russian version of Charlie’s Oasis, translated into and performed in Russian

1992—The Three Musketeers (music and lyrics); Omsk Musical Theatre, Omsk Russia ; commission; translated into and performed in Russian

1993—Hotel d’Amour (music and lyrics); Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Chicago; (Gary Griffin, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, director); based on Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear; eight productions since; represented by Dramatic Publishing; remounted 1996 (Steve Scott, Goodman Theatre, director)

1993—The Three Musketeers (music and lyrics); one of eight new musicals read at the National Alliance of Music Theater, New York

1993—The Three Musketeers (music and lyrics); Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy, Yekaterinburg , Russia (ran four years, 1993-1997)

1995—Monky Business (music and lyrics); Lone Star Performing Arts, Galveston, Texas; over 200 productions since; represented by Dramatic Publishing; always in production somewhere; often hailed as “the male Nunsense”; numerous awards and festivals

1998—Soup du Jour (music and lyrics); Del Rio Players, Del Rio, Texas; over 50 productions since; represented by Dramatic Publishing; numerous awards 

1999—Monky Business II: Back in the Sandals Again! (music and lyrics); Cornwell Dinner Theatre, Marshall , Michigan ; over 40 productions since; represented by Dramatic Publishing

2000—The Singin’ Cowboy (music and lyrics); A Theatre Company, Silverton , Colorado ; (four amateur productions since; rights available)

2002—La Vie Ennui (book, music and lyrics); Ennui Productions, Chicago; 8 productions since, including open-run in Budapest , Hungary (see below); represented by Dramatic Publishing

2004—C’est la Vie (book, music and lyrics); Madach Theatre, Budapest, Hungary; (Hungarian premiere of La Vie Ennui, in Hungarian); open run contracted through 2006

2004—The Singin’ Cowboy (music and lyrics); Stages 2004: Festival of New Musicals, Theater Building Chicago; (one of eight new musicals presented)

2005—The Singin’ Cowboy (music and lyrics); Hartt School of Music spring production

2007—Jingle Man (in development for 2007 premiere)

Operetta translations

(wrote new English lyrics for the following operettas, all for Light Opera Works, Chicago , 1987-2005; composers, O. Straus, I. Kalman, F. Lehar, and J. Offenbach):

The Chocolate Soldier (Straus, 1987); A Waltz Dream (Straus, 1991); The Duchess of Chicago (Kalman, 1993); Gypsy Love (Lehar, 2002); The Isle of Tulipatan (Offenbach, 2003); Monsieur Choufleuri (Offenbach, 2003); The Merry Widow (Lehar, 2005); www.light-opera-works.org

Original musicals published by Dramatic Publishing (www.dramaticpublishing.com)

Operetta translations published by Boosey & Hawkes