BOARD MEMBERS SAVE TIME & MONEY WITH AUTO PAY AND PAPERLESS BILLING

from Ohio Cooperative Living – June 2023 - Butler

Summer events

Board member Tom McQuiston uses Auto Pay, which is a quick, simple, safe, and convenient way to pay your monthly electric bill. Here’s what he has to say about Auto Pay:

“If you’re like me, you sometimes get busy and may miss paying a bill. With Auto Pay, I don’t have to worry about missing a payment or having a late charge. If you normally mail your payment, you can save over $7.50 each year on postage alone, and checks aren’t cheap either. My payment is automatically drafted from my checking account the same time every month and I know it’s taken care of. I receive an email letting me know exactly what my payment will be and when it will be withdrawn from my account. Auto Pay is a great service. I use it and I highly recommend it.”

3,853 members use Auto Pay each month. To sign up for Auto Pay, log in to SmartHub and click on “Billing & Payments” then “Auto Pay Program.” On the right side of the page, select “Sign Up For Auto Pay” then “Bank Account.” Follow the instructions and continue paying your bill until your statement reads “Automatic Payment – DO NOT PAY!”

Board member Jay Hasbrook likes the convenience that comes with paperless billing. He says, “with paperless billing, I get my bills sent to my email each month. I don’t have to be concerned with handling paper bills, or the bills being delayed or lost by the Postal Service. In addition, it saves the cooperative money by eliminating the cost of paper in printing, the postage cost in mailing, and the labor cost associated with the above. This helps keep the rates down and I think receiving my bill electronically is more convenient. It also helps save trees.”

3,646 members are enrolled in paperless billing. Thanks to these members, 43,752 bills were not printed and mailed in 2022, saving the cooperative $18,734. To sign up for paperless billing, log in to your SmartHub account and click on “My Profile” then “My Information” Select “Update My Paperless Settings” then move the “Paperless” status on the right side of the page to ON.

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BY MARGO BARTLETT

This summer, you can take a voyage on a 19th-century British ship, visit ancient Rome, witness 50 years in a couple’s bedroom, travel to the underworld, and even go to the prom, all within the confines of the Buckeye State. Those are only some of the journeys offered by Ohio college theater programs that celebrate summer as a time to heat up the stage with musicals.

Of course, college summer theater programs showcase the talents of their own theater students. But it’s also a time they may feature alumni, students from other schools, and professional actors and designers from around the country, says Terri Kent, producing artistic director for Kent State University’s Porthouse Theatre. The combination adds up to robust performances that delight audiences, she says.

“The enthusiasm and commitment of the younger actors inspires everyone,” she says. “More seasoned actors are teaching by example. There are no classes, no exams. The students are learning through experience, and everyone is having a wonderful time.”

Ohio Cooperative Living caught up with three renowned college programs to get a sense of what’s happening on campus during the summer months. (Several others stage their own productions, so make sure to check out your local institution’s website to see what might be in store).

Ohio Light Opera at the College of Wooster

Freedlander Theatre, 329 E. University St., Wooster, OH 44691. 330-263-2345; www.ohiolightopera.org

At its peak, Ohio Light Opera’s program allows ambitious theater lovers to see as many as six shows in one week. While there are some devoted ticket holders who do just that, many others come to see one or two favorites.

Ohio Light Opera, the resident professional company of the College of Wooster, has been entertaining audiences since 1979, says Laura Neill, OLO’s executive director.

“The program offers a classical rotating repertory,” Neill says. “We open one show, then the next, then the next, and so on, and by the last three weeks of the season, we are playing and rotating all six shows.”

Performers, musicians, and production workers come from all over the country to participate in OLO shows. Auditions are held in Wooster and New York City, as well as virtually.

Cast members tend to perform in more than one show, Neill says. Actors might have lead and supporting roles in a couple of shows and perform in the chorus of a third, she says. Stage crews work on all the shows.

Summer Schedule

Camelot (Lerner and Loewe) — June 10, 14, 23, and 27; July 1, 7, 15, 18, 20, 23, 28, and 30.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Loesser) — June 15, 21, 24, and 30; July 2, 8, 12, 15, 21, 26, and 29.

No, No Nanette (Youmans, Harbach, and Caesar) — June 22, 24, and 28; July 1, 8, 14, 21, and 29.

H.M.S. Pinafore (Gilbert and Sullivan) — June 29; July 5, 7, 11, 13, 22, 25, and 28.

Arizona Lady (Kàlmàn) — July 6, 9, 14, 20, and 27.

Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach, Crémieux, and Halévy) — July 13, 16, 19, 22, and 27.

Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University

3143 O’Neil Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223. 330-672-3884; www.porthousetheatre.com

This year’s theme for Kent State’s Porthouse Theatre is “LOL all summer long,” Kent says. “To young people, that means ‘laugh out loud,’ but to some more ‘mature’ people, it can mean ‘lots of love.’ Our shows will provide plenty of both.”

Porthouse Theatre’s summer season features three shows: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a classic Stephen Sondheim musical; The Marvelous

Wonderettes, a jukebox musical that follows four high school friends from prom to a reunion and features songs from the ’50s and ’60s; and The Prom, a Broadway show that tells a compelling story of love and acceptance.

The performances take place in the 500-seat Porthouse Theatre, a venue that is outdoors but covered from the elements, at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls. That setting, with lots of land adjacent to the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park, enables the group to offer an experience that goes beyond viewing the performances, Kent says. “People come to picnic before the shows,” she says. “Longtime subscribers come to meet and become friends. Some people stay to tailgate after the shows, meet the actors, and toast with champagne.”

Summer Schedule

(Shows run Tuesday through Sunday each week; check website for showtimes)