Southeastern announces casts of An Evening of American Chamber Opera
Amanda Barth
2/7/06
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University Opera-Music Theatre Workshop has announced the casts of “An Evening of American Chamber Opera,” March 8-11 in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
The production will feature two one-act operas, “The Face on the Barroom Floor” by Henry Mollicone and “La Divinia” by Thomas Pasatieri. Artist-in-residence Larry Gray will direct the production with Cali McQueen of Gonzales as stage manager.
“The Face on the Barroom Floor” is the story of a love triangle that is separated in time but parallel in characters and theme. Each singer plays two roles in this retelling of a famous ballad-poem by H. Antoine D’Arcy.
“The action opens with an opera singer and her boyfriend entering the Teller House Bar,” said Charles Effler, director of the Opera-Music Theatre Workshop. “As the bartender tells them the story of the painted face on the floor, the three singers become the 19th century characters in the story. Afterwards, the action moves back to the present where they act out the story a second time.”
Double cast are Cassandra Arnold of Ponchatoula and Emily Stokes of Covington as Isabelle/Madeline (opera singer/bar girl); Brandon Wear of Slidell as Larry/Matt (tourist/artist), and Christopher Griffin of Baton Rouge as Tom/John (bartender).
Effler said “La Divinia,” is a comic opera about the farewell performance of an aging diva. “Her maid and manager are not at all displeased to see an end to the constant confusion created by the prima donna’s temperament and star complex,” he said.
“La Divinia” features Blair Abene of Hammond as the diva Madame Altina; Kimberly Hilliard of Covington and Betty Turner of Hammond as Cecily, her maid; Scott McDonough of Slidell as Matthew, her manager; and Marshall Dean of Denham Springs and Brian Martinez, Jr. of Montz as the young conductor.
“My goal in choosing these productions was to find works that, while challenging to student singers, would be easy to stage early in the spring semester,” said Effler. “These two one-act operas are very difficult musically and will give students the opportunity to sharpen their music skills. To the audience, the results will sound effortless.”
“An Evening of American Chamber Opera” runs nightly beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, available only at the door, are $12 for adults; $8 for senior citizens, non-Southeastern students, and Southeastern faculty, staff, alumni; and free for Southeastern students with a valid I.D.
For additional information contact the Department of Music and Dramatic Arts, 985-549-2184.
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