Sault Opera has succeeded in keeping the established level of artistic quality in its stage productions as well as its box office sales figures as the highest for any theatre organization in Sault Ste. Marie during the year of 1984 and its difficult economic climate.

Again, for contributing so much to the cultural life of the city of Sault Ste Marie, the city awarded the Medal of Merit to Sault Opera founders Arno Ambel and The Late Vilma Ambel in January of 1984. In addition, Arno has earned several honourary life memberships and his multicultural contributions have been many.

The Canadian Opera Company Touring Ensemble was sponsored by Sault Opera on March 2 for a performance of "The Merry Widow" and on March 3 for a 3 pm matinee and a 7 pm evening performance of a children's opera called "The Toy Shop". "The Merry Widow" had good box office receipts and was well-received. "The Toy Shop" performances were a financial and in some ways, as a presentation for children, an unamusing and overly pretentious artistic disaster which completely wiped out the profits for "The Merry Widow".

The year 1984 seems to have been the year of ever-increasing popularity of Debra Ollikkala. In the spring production of "Rose Marie", Debra was the main attraction in the title role, with Kevin Hicks, Louise Griffith, Doris Chaumont, Wilf Beauchamp, Rob McDowell, and Stephen Rutti for a well-matched and polished performance, along with Ed Butler keeping up with the more experienced actors for a credible and original Mountie.

Director and author Paula Sperdakos made available her new version of the script which had been a hit at the Shaw Festival in 1981. As can be expected, Sault Opera had high hopes for a repetition of this success in Sault Ste. Marie. Apparently, Sault audiences were not expecting this presentation to be much different from the well-remembered movie version that starred Nelson Eddy and Jeanette McDonald; consequently, the attendance figures were not as high as the company hoped for, although the show itself was hilarious and well-conceived.

Original choreography was designed by Carolyn Smith. The sets were designed by Perry Short (adapted by Dirk Becker for existing flats in stock), lighting design by Rutger Becker, and the costume co-ordinator was Cathy Bedell. The relatively small chorus did an excellent job also. The backstage crew overcame difficulties with the set changes by opening time. On the whole, it was an original show that was pleasant to remember.

In November, Sault Opera performed "My Fair Lady" with Stephen Rutti directing the show, which was critically-acclaimed and well-attended by large audiences. Debra Ollikkala in the role of Eliza won the hearts of the audience with her brilliant performance. The show is also remembered for the performances of John King, Daniel Neff (who rushed in from Toronto of a 4-week notice to fill the part of Higgins), Terry McPhee, Doug McChesney, Debra Morin, Lisa Altmaier, and numerous others to form a well-coordinated ensemble. Dirk Becker designed the set and Rutger Becker designed the lighting. The play enjoyed good reviews and is still being talked about by the theatre-goers in the Sault.

The "Junior Generation" of Sault Opera has developed into a capable and well-trained production staff, as proved by director Stephen Rutti that locally-produced shows can be compared to professionally-directed ones. A lot of credit for the assistance in the choreography and other stage movement goes also to Terry Harpe and Brenda Gravelle.