The Ophelia Theatre Group is a Lake Elsinore based organization dedicated to bringing quality stage performance to the community. Their name was chosen from Shakespeare's classic work Hamlet, as a nod to the name of the prince's castle in the play, Castle Elsinore. They were established in 2003 by local actress and playwright, Sarah Bennett, who has previously written and directed plays for Temescal Canyon High School, The Elsinore Woman's Club, and The Association of Bridal Consultants. Their tight-knit company is comprised of roughly 40 active members and together they have produced many quality productions in several different venues throughout the valley, including the Lake Elsinore Elk's Lodge, the Lake Elsinore Cultural Center, the Old Town Temecula Community Theater and several venues throughout the Lake Elsinore Unified School District. They are known for presenting comedies by well known playwrights such as Neil Simon and Oscar Wilde, and more recently for classic musicals such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

The Ophelia Theatre Group has been fortunate enough to have had the amazing support of many local groups such as the Elsinore Valley Arts Network, the Lake Elsinore Elks, the Elsinore Woman's Club and the Lake Elsinore Library, as well as many from the Elsinore Historical Society and our local school district. They hope that with the continued support of such organizations, they will be able to carry on in their theatrical endeavors and achieve higher goals in bringing quality theatre to Lake Elsinore and surrounding communities.

Our Mission
The Ophelia Theatre Group’s mission is to elevate the cultural landscape of our
community by providing enrichment, education and entertainment through quality theatre arts.

Our Vision
The Ophelia Theatre Group will be a progressive and vital part of the cultural life of the City of Lake Elsinore and surrounding communities. Our vision is for a growing, creative, and quality theatre company closely in touch with the needs and desires of its various audiences which will encompass all of the adults, youth, and children of our community. Our goal is to obtain a permanent “home base” facility for our productions within the City of Lake Elsinore. OTG will aggressively pursue an active program of continuous quality improvement, resulting in an enhanced image and wider recognition. It is our wish to become recognized throughout Southern California as a destination theatre, thereby attracting theatre lovers not only locally, but regionally to our city where they can enjoy quality entertainment of a professional caliber.