Kicking off Sat 6/14
By Kelly Ferjutz
If you see this man around the town of Wooster this summer, do follow him. He’ll lead you to arguably the best summertime entertainment in the state of Ohio. Or maybe even the entire United States. If you happen to love musical theater and/or light opera or operetta, you can be forgiven for thinking you’ve died and gone to lyric theater heaven in Ohio Light Opera’s 36th Festival Season, starting Sat 6/14.
New college grads join with older, more experienced performers to explore the wonderful, sometimes wacky – but always tuneful – world of musical theater.
Everyone learns from everyone else – and fast! It has to be if they produce seven vastly different shows over the next eight weeks with little more than one month’s head start. Of course, an enormous amount of advance planning has been happening since the final curtain fell on last year’s Festival, held every year at the Freedlander Theatre on the campus of The College of Wooster.
The staff does take off for a week or two, but then, the whirlwind carousel begins again. The artistic staff led by Artistic Director Steven A. Daigle, Associate Artistic Director Julie Wright Costa, Music Director J. Lynn Thompson and Associate Music Director Steven Byess, confers with Executive Director Laura Neill to discuss ideas for next season. Of course there will be at least one confection by Gilbert & Sullivan (maybe even two!): possibly two American works – ranging from the early Golden Age of musical theater right up to the 1950-60 era. Add in one (or two) Viennese type operettas, maybe a Johann Strauss, Jr., and/or Franz Lehar gem, and _______ (you fill in the blank.)
The mission of OLO hasn’t changed, but the mix has.
Daigle is well-known for spotting little-known but well-loved masterpieces from another era or even another country. However in this highly-technical age, his work has become a bit easier. Conferences no longer mandate everyone being in Wooster for the conflab. These days, they may Skype, or YouTube, or use conventional telephone or e-mail being mostly adequate substitutes for a lot of the preliminary work. Once the selection process is complete, the next phase is securing technical staff and auditioning performers.
Generally, auditions fall under the province of Ms. Costa, who cheerfully admits to enjoying the benefits of video or audio preliminary auditions. Once she has a fairly good idea of the type of voices needed, balanced against those artists from previous years who are returning, she schedules in-person auditions in six to eight cities. For this year, she traveled from her home territory Salt Lake City, to Houston, Kansas City, MO., Chicago, Rochester NY, New York City (for 3 days), Boston and finally Wooster. Initially, she screened more than 600 singers, and actually heard (in person) 400.
The application process is all done online these days and include resume, photo, and either sound or video. Then she selects by roles available balanced against experience, age, previous roles – at OLO or elsewhere – voice quality and range. (‘He might be terrific, but can he be believable in this role?’)
Daigle is directing five of the seven productions this year; Jacob Allen and Ted Christopher will each direct one, as well. Two of Daigle’s shows will be perhaps extra-close to his heart. He’s spent extra time with each of them, preparing new performance editions or English translations in order to present them at OLO.
The first is Dream City and the Magic Knight by Victor Herbert. A mythical town in America (Dream City) which has an opera house, is pleased to present the Magic Knight on its stage. Knight is a spoof of Wagner’s opera Lohengrin . But wait! Is it real or is it really a dream? Come find out!
The other new production is The Little King by Emmerich Kálmán, the Hungarian composer championed by Daigle and OLO. This marks the eleventh work by this neglected composer to be presented at OLO. The other works to be directed by Daigle are: Call Me Madam by Irving Berlin, Pirates of Penzance, and Oh Lady! Lady!! by Jerome Kern.
A more detailed study of Daigle and his behind-the-scenes work will appear in Cool Cleveland later in the season.
For now, however, this Saturday at 7:30 in the Freedlander Theater on the campus of The College of Wooster, the 36th season of Ohio Light Opera will begin with My Fair Lady. And, you’ll see the gentleman pictured above (from another of his roles) this time as Professor Henry Higgins, the sometimes curmudgeonly phonetics specialist. When challenged by his friend Colonel Pickering to prepare the Cockney miss, Eliza Doolittle, and then pass her off as their equal to society, the professor accepts the wager, and then falls. Literally. Ted Christopher will reprise his performance of ten years ago, while Ms. Costa will portray his Mother, and Anthony Maida is the Colonel. You won’t want to miss the Ascot Gavotte!
Jacob Allen, the director of My Fair Lady (who doesn’t look old enough to be out of high school as yet) returns for his 9th season, and 5th as director. He may not have been born in a theater trunk, but he grew up in a theater that featured Gilbert & Sullivan, and other musical theatre.
One of his first stage roles was of the Midshipmite in H.M.S. Pinafore. At age eight! Eventually, he graduated to the role of Oliver! in the musical of the same name. At the same time, he studied piano for 14 years, and organ for six. He knew early on that musical theater was the place for him, and he earned a double degree from Laurence University in Wisconsin — vocal performance and theater performance, following that up with a Masters degree from Eastman. He is currently the Director of the Music Theater Program at the University of Memphis.
“Directing allows me to tell stories with pictures, and facilitate the work of the actor. A good director can help the process in terms of bringing out the fullness of the actor in a given role in a specific way. I see the director as a bridge or unifier because we interface with the actors, designers and musicians.” He still also enjoys the performer role for himself, both here at OLO and other music festivals, varying between light opera and musical theater.
As to My Fair Lady, Allen considers it to be a perfectly constructed ‘golden age’ musical. “There is constant movement, and the relationships are open-ended. Do they get together or not? Decide for yourself,” he adds with a grin. Students of Pygmalion by Shaw know that he wrote about people and history, not romance. It was his objection which not only quashed several earlier attempts, but also delayed the birth of My Fair Lady to 1956, when Lerner and Loewe decided to just do it.
An added credit for this production is that of dialect coach John Meier, who created the International Dialects of English Archives, which provides samples of speech from nearly everywhere on the planet. Every line of the play was made available in the proper spoken dialect, allowing the actors to really own the dialogue. Meier is on the faculty at University of Kansas.
The directors and their design teams get together in January, making sure that everyone is on the same page. After that, it’s generally Skype, e-mail or phone for the fine-tuning aspects of the show and the director’s concept. At this time, the designers share images of their research, allowing all the team members to visualize backgrounds, costumes, props, sets, etc.
Allen adds “I’m continually inspired by the design teams, and at times, differences of opinion can really produce the best art!” It’s not enough to just design sets and costumes, they and the actors have to all fit on the stage, which is not overly large to begin with. And of course, they can’t utilize the entire space, as there has to be room for actors to exit left and enter right, for instance.
Then in April, it’s time for specific ideas from the designers, and to transfer all their ideas to the technical team, responsible for making it all come to life. Around the middle of May, everyone converges on Wooster. There are rehearsals seven days a week for at least two weeks, (no Sunday mornings, however!) There are approximately 40 singers, including the directors who also appear in shows as either soloist or chorus member. Most singers have one or two shows off. Some singers are strictly chorus, while some are always principals. Whichever, all auditions are identical, however.
The first three productions are worked on simultaneously, including when they’re double cast. Perhaps one show in the morning, a different one for the afternoon, and a third one in the evening! After 3½ days for each, they’re off for a week. This allows the staging and musical requirements to sort of ferment for a bit. Then, the week of opening, they all come back for fine tuning. The second night before opening will be ‘tech’ rehearsal, perhaps the first time for all the sets, props, lights, sound effects, and music to be included with the actors. The next night is the hopefully straight-through Dress Rehearsal – to run straight through from curtain up to curtain down, followed by prodigious notes to everyone from the director.
(Example: My Fair Lady goes up on June 14, followed by a performance on June 18 and June 21. In the meantime, Call me Madam opens on June 19, with a matinee on June 21. The first three performances of Die Fledermaus are all matinees: June 26, June 28 and July 2. Pirates of Penzance opens on July 1, and there is a Pops Concert by the OLO orchestra on July 4. When the troupe returns on July 6, it is to two weeks of 8 performances, followed by three weeks of 9 performances. But the theatre is dark on Mondays. Due to advance demand for tickets, an additional performance has been added for both My Fair Lady and Call Me Madam.)
Having performed in Die Fledermaus, Ted Christopher is directing it this year. “I am the Bat King! Fledermaus Man,” he chortles, “Bat Man doesn’t translate well into or out of German.” (Two years ago, he was the King in Camelot and Jubilee, and will return as the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance and plain King in Dream City.)
He does, however, have some special tricks up his sleeve for the famous Act II party at the home of Count Orlofsky, not to mention three couples in a featured waltz! There may also be a surprise guest or two in the jailhouse in Act III. Local favorite Boyd Mackus is featured this year as Falke.
With such intensity packed into such a short space of time, what exactly prompts a young hopeful to audition for this program? For one first-timer, Christopher Oglesby of Woodstock, Georgia, it was that very intensity that drew him like a magnet. His dad handled guitar and vocals for a classic rock group in their home area, and his mom sang in choirs.
They told him (as they did his two younger brothers and one sister) at an early age that he could do sports, but – he’d also have to do at least one year of music. That’s all it took. From then on, he was in as much musical activity as he could find.
The young baritone went to Lee University in Tennessee and 5½ years later, emerged with three undergrad degrees: Music Ed in choir, band and vocal performance. He’s also met a soprano, Rachel, who is now his wife. Then it was off to the University of North Texas from which he intended to receive a Master’s degree. It was there, too, that he discovered the grand world of opera.
During his first voice lesson, he was asked to audition for an upcoming opera production – Susannah by Carlisle Floyd. Chris had never even seen an opera at that time, but he was chosen for it, so he has the distinction of being in an opera, before ever seeing one. Since then, he’s been in seven others, plus a program or two of operatic scenes. His favorite opera to see is Tosca, which makes sense as Chris is working his way toward becoming a tenor.
He says, “I had no idea I was a tenor, but my voice has been rising for the last year or two, so that’s my goal. Maybe even a heldentenor.” Opera producers will LOVE him, should that be the case – he’s a big guy, well able to summon up the energy required for the heroic tenor parts.
He practices for that role in life by doing construction and landscaping work in the off-season. “I can turn off my brain to some extent, and get great exercise, all while earning something. It keeps both sides of me growing.” OLO was recommended to Christopher by a friend who came here for two seasons. The OLO audition was the most laid-back and professional audition he’d ever had. He was really excited by the possibilities of OLO – not just the singing, but also the acting and DANCE!!! He proudly proclaimed “I now have my first pair of dance shoes!” Everything he’s experienced at OLO has confirmed the professionalism required for this type of career; especially noteworthy is the speed at which everything moves.
For his debut season, Christopher has named parts in five shows, and will be in the chorus of two others, Die Fledermaus and Pirates of Penzance.
The professionalism carries over throughout the season. All of the directors are also educators at universities with full-scale drama and music programs. Thus it’s natural for them to stress the educational aspects of belonging to the company – the variety of experiences available. They naturally look for the most professional candidates both in the resident company and the young artists program. Each person chosen must have a passion to bring the music to life – to extend it beyond the fourth wall.
Tickets or information are available on-line at ohiolightopera.org or by calling 330.263.2345.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.
Wooster, OH 44691