Puccini’s Madama Butterfly brings us to a different world – the time is 1904 and the place is Nagasaki, Japan. This is a story of a geisha named Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) who falls in love with an American naval officer, Lieutenant Pinkerton. In order to bring us to Japan in 1904, our costume designer, Ana Rumsfield has been working hard to create and to acquire authentic costumes – usually found in Japan on eBay. With a large cast and chorus, this is not a small task. This is where you can help. There are a number of costumes we are searching for as shown below. Your donation can help us acquire new costumes to bring this story of love and loss to life in Oak Park on July 29 & 31. Each costume is composed of the lined robe and a belt or an “obi” that helps keep the kimono in place.
05/31/2011
05/01/2011
Preparing for Pinkerton - Part 1 - Post by Bradley Schuller
Wow!!!
It is truly a special and unique feeling to be witnessing the forces coalescing for Verismo Opera Theatre's 4th production - Madama Butterfly by Puccini. It is no secret to any opera singer nor any opera buff patron in the audience that opera is the most collaborative of all art forms. It is the (in the best case) ideal "marriage" - if I can be allowed license to phrase it this way - of different sister Art Forms working together to form a single work of Art that is greater than the sum of all its parts. Deep down inside each one of us, the very best part of humanity within all of us yearns to be part of that shared experience - that sense that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. And without doubt opera is certainly the ideal medium or Art Form for this concept.
To describe these swirling talents and ideas is not quite possible, but I will do my best to try. In interviews and conversations with friends and colleagues, I have been asked quite a few times "What does it mean to be the Artistic Director"? So, this unique privilege to be part of all facets of the process is priceless. It is beyond my wildest dreams and greatly exceeds any expectations I had when we founded Verismo Opera Theatre last year.
Consider the "Marriage" of all these Sister Arts:
Singing / Instrumental music / Italian diction / storytelling / stage directing / lighting design / set construction / props building / stage management / dramaturgy / painting / sculpture / costumes / wigs / make-up / choral singing / dance / movement / creative PR / web design / color wash with lighting effects / organization / Marketing / Staff Recruiting / Business and Accounting
Yes my friends, I added Business and Accounting to the list of sister Arts. It is a human invention and a creative one at that. Consider that those in the audience who are businessmen and women understand that there is definitely an "Art" to business. The creativity that goes behind a merger-acquisition, the genius it takes to invent a product or form a corporation. I fully embrace the creative side of business. At its best Business brings people together to create something useful. It allows people of different talents and skills to work together to a common goal. And I posit that this is what my experience is as Artistic Director.
So, for me, part of the process of "Preparing for Pinkerton" is to bring on more people who are excited and interested in creating this massive production. As opera is the most collaborative, many heads and ideas are needed to launch and to truly make "Art" and to create "Truth". (hence our name Verismo). I feel really fortunate to have such a dynamic team around me. This is part and parcel of me singing my role of Pinkerton, so I need to acknowledge the strengths, the talents, and the hard work of the leadership team of Madama Butterfly. It is through their love and dedication that I get the honor of singing Lt. Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton.
Trust me friends, it will be pretty good! Amy Hutchison is an immensely talented and creative Stage Director and the creative team is hard at work under her direction. Quite fun to see. Her vision is very strong and her kick-off meeting brought so many wonderful ideas to all her cast and chorus. It was inspiring to bear witness to the "birth" of sorts of our production in that meeting.
As her sidekick, our very trusted Assistant Director Jennifer Cox is helping me recruit and interview our stage crew. (Among many other thankless tasks).
Of course, Verismo's really dedicated and hardworking Managing Director needs no introduction. She is a force and she is the guiding light for our company. She is also the love of my life - and the mother to our happy "family" of animals. Yasmeen has so many creative ideas for Digital Marketing and Social Media and PR and website and print design that I cannot wait to see it unfold.
For the first time ever, Verismo Opera Theatre is using an onstage chorus in full costume. We are so fortunate to have the gifts and wonderful personality that is Wilbert Watkins . He has 3 professional choruses that he is the director of, and we could not be happier to be collaborating with him. Puccini's difficult score will be quite thrilling to see under Wilbert's baton.
Analee Rumsfeld is our talented costume designer, and her work from Magic Flute speaks for itself.
Shanna Phillipson's production design and dramaturg talents run very deep
Chris Corwin's lighting designs will add that extra magic that breathes life onto the stage...
All these people are leading the charge towards our production in July. And alas, for me preparing to become the cocky yet sauve Lt. Pinkerton depends on the collaborative efforts of these very smart and talented people. Before I can sing "Amore o grillo" or sing the oh-so-gorgeous "Viene la sera" duet with Rosalind Lee as Butterfly, I need to rely and empower these wonderful people to do their jobs and support them in their efforts. So to help me, I need to help them.
So, for those of you wanting to see the inner thoughts of a tenor taking on a role, forgive me! I will make more periodic posts about my process and diving into this enigmatic Naval Officer. But, a personal philosophy of mine is to work hard first - THEN I get to play.
So, now that I can see the forces swirling toward our common goal, I can take more of my time to the practice room downstairs. But I promise to share with you in future posts all different facets of preparing to sing this demanding tenor role:
Drawing on my Imagination - the Stanislawski Magic "What if?"
Preparing my body for the physical sport that is opera singing
Researching the source material
Listening to CD's of my favorite tenors
Building stamina to sing the love duet after 120 pages of full on Puccini and nearly getting in a fist fight with Bonzo
Rehearsing with my friends and colleagues
All of these are different facets and different topics for blog posts that I hope to share with you. But for me in order to really become Pinkerton, I need to take the direction from those wonderful people whom I entrusted. This is just the beginning, and I fully intend on enjoying myself and rocking the house come July 29th and 31st!!!
One thing is for certain however = Pinkerton is NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY! I incorrectly thought he was "easier" than Rodolfo. Ah well, the cockiness and arrogance that I had coming into this project is fodder for my "character study". It will not be a stretch to be confident or a blustery American imperialist as the inner tenor in me is budding his head out waiting for expression.
And to quote a dear friend of mine (whom I have already mentioned in this post):
"OPERA IS NOT FOR WIMPS"
03/24/2011
Viewpoint of Monastatosaximus the Caddy
My name is Monastatosaximus. However, when I met my golfer Sarastro, he immediately said, "That's too long. I'll call you Monastatos for short." I had no choice but to let that stick (it could be worse- in school there was this annoying rhythmic gymnast who kept calling me 'Toast')
I've been caddying for Sarastro a few years now, and let me tell you right now that I think he's the most terrible golfer the world has ever seen. The deal, however, is that I must caddy and live with him on his immense property until I turn 18 - which will be in exactly two months. Until then I have to: carry and wash his clubs, replace divots, rake the sand traps, chase after his errant balls and care for the greens. It's a thankless job but I can live with that because he also allows me to do my favorite chore: watch after his daughter, Pamina.
Pamina is the radiant light in this boring and annoying world of mine. She came to live with us three months ago and, despite being his daughter, keeps trying to run away from Sarastro. It's taken some time, but I think I've finally started to get on her good side. In fact, for the first time since she moved in she didn't throw her dinner at me or splash her drink in my face when I brought it to her. Maybe it's time for me to declare my love to her? But old man Sarastro doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea of us getting married.
I overheard him telling his friend that there's a new guy that he'd like to set up with his daughter. Apparently this new guy's a cheerleader or something. Ha! Who ever heard of a guy being a cheerleader? How lame. Waitaminute - Pamina is a cheerleader too. No...no it can't be?! That's why Sarastro wants to set them up? Because they both cheer?
Well, that won't happen because I'm going to tell Pamina before that stupid guy cheerleader gets to her. I'll show Sarastro. And that new guy. Nobody messes with Monastatosaximus! And I mean nobody...
Wait who's that running across the 9th green? It's Pamina! My dear, DAINTY LAMBKIN! I must chase after her and confess my love to her. I know a shortcut and I'll cut her off...
See Monastatos, er, Joachim Luis this Friday & Sunday - March 25 & 27 in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Reserve your tickets online.
03/23/2011
The Joy of Being Tamino
Having first performed Tamino five years ago as an undergraduate student, it’s been a huge joy to come back to this brilliant score and dust off my Mozart chops. Mozart roles are notoriously challenging for tenors because of the high part of the voice in which the vocal line tends to sit, leaving little room to hide if you’re having a bad day! Singing anything by Mozart is always enjoyable, though, because of all the different emotional shades that color the music and give the singer freedom for nuanced expression in their performance. Tamino’s music in particular has an incredible range which makes it so much fun to sing, from the didactic and silly way he sings to Papageno, to the sweeping vocal lines he delivers while rapturously thinking about his love.
From a theatrical perspective, Tamino can be a surprisingly tricky role to perform. There are so many unanswered questions about this character: where did he come from? Where was he going just before the opera begins and what did he do to make that monster chase him (making for a very dramatic entrance that is never again referenced in the story)? And what kind of sap falls in love at first sight and is willing to risk life and limb over a picture??? All of these questions, mixed in with the fact that Tamino has to be part comic tenor, part hero, part romantic and you have yourself a pretty loaded character for an actor to develop!
Being a part of this production has been a delight. I only knew a few of the other singers going into this show and I’ve been extremely impressed with both the talent and the friendliness I’ve found in this cast. In an opera that relies so heavily on ensemble numbers, the spirit of the “team” really needs to shine through to fully bring the audience into this crazy new world. Anything less than total commitment on the part of the performer just won’t do. I think this production of The Magic Flute is really hitting it home and I can’t wait to see the delight on the audience’s faces when we open on Friday!
Mark Donlin is performing in Mozart's Magic Flute this Friday and Sunday (March 25 & 27) at the Arts Center in Oak Park. http://www.verismooperaclub.com
Mark Donlin is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Master of Music Program where he was seen in “L’Elisire D’Amore” (Nemorino) and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Flute). He’s also performed in the Chicagoland area with The Savoyaires (Cyril in “Princess Ida”) and with the chorus of Music of the Baroque. He has also been heard in Pennsylvania and New York City with The Erie Opera Theatre (Dancairo in “Carmen”), After Dinner Opera (World Premiere of Seymour Barab’s “License to Marry”), and D’Angelo Opera (Tamino in “Die Zauberflote” and the comic tenor roles of “The Tales of Hoffman.”) He’s very excited for the opportunity to be singing with Verismo Opera for the first time.
03/22/2011
Queen of the Night playing Wii?
Only 3 days away! I have had such a wonderful time preparing for VOC’s production of the Magic Flute this past month that the time has just flown by (like one of Papageno’s cute little birdies)! Cast as the Queen of the Night, my reaction to our very creative director’s concept of a sports-themed children’s adaptation was absolute delight. I love opera “outside of the box” so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, I am indeed still a sucker for the traditional operatic settings with elaborate costuming, sets, lights, etc. However, sometimes a performer (and an audience) craves a new take on a beloved classic.
For me, this production of The Magic Flute is a breath of fresh air for my portrayal of the Queen. When else would I get to play a Wii video game while spinning out some of the most difficult coloratura passages Mozart composed, or get to wear a Metallica t-shirt as part my matronly regal costume? What a challenge and what fun! I am positive my fellow cast mates feel the same. Sitting through rehearsals, I have the privilege of watching and listening to some wonderfully talented performers make it all happen with hard work and dedication – and they are always unmistakably having tons of fun. I mean, Tamino and Pamina get to shake pom-poms, the three Ladies have some pretty cool gymnast’s toys to play with, and Papageno plays a badminton match with his feathery sweetheart. Who wouldn’t be having a blast? I know the audience will love it just as much as we do.
This week, “magic” will certainly happen as we all put in our best effort and attention to detail with a big smile on our faces – well - the villainous Queen may not have a smile on her face, but I can assure you that I will certainly have a smile in my heart.
See Sara Salas perform her role as Queen of the Night in Mozart's Magic Flute this Friday, March 25 & Sunday, March 27. Learn more at http://www.verismooperaclub.org.
“Capable of executing fiendishly difficult fioratura with accuracy…and able to spin a superb legato cantilena”, Soprano Sara Salas has charmed and impressed audiences in the United States and Canada with her engaging dramatic presence and captivating voice.
03/19/2011
Training the Dragon
Insight by Yasmeen Schuller, Managing Director of Verismo Opera Club and Parttime Dragon Trainer
As we were reviewing the playing cards of each of the characters, my husband, Bradley Schuller (also Artistic Director) and I joked that it would be funny to have a card with our rescue poodle-mix, Shakespeare in it. And then we remembered he dressed up as a dragon for Halloween last year. After rolling on the ground in laughter, we decided he needed to audition right away. Luckily, he had an "in" with the director, Aaron Hunt and he was on board to give it a try.
To provide a little background on Shakespeare, he is our first dog. We have always had cats but thought it would be a wonderful next step to adopt a rescue dog too. We both love animals and when we saw him jumping up and down at the shelter (trying to get our attention), well, it was love at first sight. Now, he is the cat whisperer/herder and a very important member of the Schuller family. He’s also way too smart for his own good. He will politely do a trick, take the treat, and spit it out if he knows/smells a better treat nearby.
So how did I train this dragon? Positive reinforcement and cut up hot dogs! When we enrolled Shakespeare in agility training, he took to it right away. They also taught us that beef hot dogs are the most effective training tool outside of patience and a smart dog. Dogs have a much more sensitive sense of smell and the right treat can make all the difference. Luckily he doesn’t mind hot dogs and doesn’t insist on Filet Mignon!
DAY ONE
I made the mistake of having him off-leash. BIG mistake! He ran all over the auditorium and while it was a fantastic workout for me, he was not having a very balanced day. He struggled to listen and keeping his attention was very difficult. In addition to that, I hadn’t yet bought his hot dogs so he had dry biscuits as rewards. He wasn’t doing a very good job of engaging with the other actors on stage – more interested in hamming it up for the members of the cast sitting in the seats.
DAY TWO
I brought him on leash, with a bag of cut up pieces of hot dog and immediately handed it to his fellow actor and new BFF, Tamino (Mark Donlin). Mark also walked Shakespeare up and down the aisle and had Shakespeare follow slightly behind him. This set the tone – now Shakespeare knows Mark can give him commands and holds the treat bag. We were a little too generous with his treats so he wasn’t entirely motivated by the end of the rehearsal.
DAY THREE
On a leash, bag of treats, bonding with Mark – Shakespeare was ready! Something magical happened – the more Mark withholds the treats, the harder Shakespeare will work for the treat. This is truly a magic combination. We’ve had some wonderful rehearsals and I am a stage mom for my little drama dog, Shakespeare. Ah, well, better that than a diva dog! Oh, and when he isn't performing? He is attentively sitting, watching, and enjoying watching the others perform. At his favorite parts, he sits up and wags his tail.
In preparation for the performance, Shakespeare has a busy schedule of napping, playing, attending dress rehearsal, and going to Yuppy Puppy in order to be groomed for the performance. He’ll have a nice, short cut and he’s always so happy the day he is groomed. I’m slightly nervous for him but at the same time, incredibly proud of the little 15 lb guy. He has come a long way from the streets of Chicago to Animal Care League to semi-famous local actor. Who knows? Maybe our future family-friendly shows will need a dog part written in to ensure Shakespeare graces the stage every year. Hmmm, Hansel and Gretel and their pet dog? Barber of Seville and his dog? Marriage of Figaro and his trusty sidekick?
Toi! Toi! Toi! Shakespeare Schuller!
See Shakespeare at his debut performances in Mozart's Magic Flute, Friday, March 25 & Sunday, March 27 at the Oak Park Arts Center.
Shakespeare Schuller is a 15 lb rescue poodle-mix making his stage debut as The Dragon in Mozart's The Magic Flute. When he is not acting on stage, Shakespeare enjoys visiting art fairs and local events as well as playing in the backyard, going for walks, and just hanging out.
Yasmeen Schuller, when she is not training dragons, is the Digital Marketing Manager at Becker Professional Education and Managing Director at Verismo Opera Club. Yasmeen and her husband, Brad live in Oak Park with their dramatic dog and four rescue cats.
03/18/2011
Recent Feature in the Oak Leaves
Fun and games with Mozart's 'Magic Flute'
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/oakpark/entertainment/3109670,entertainment-west-verismo-031711-s1.articleThe Queen of the Night as a snowboarder? Pamina and Tamino as cheerleaders for Oak Park River Forest High School? You've got it right!
Sports are prominent in the Verismo Opera Club's production of Mozart's enigmatic comic opera, "The Magic Flute." The club's artistic director Bradley Schuller gives a heads up, when he declares "Expect the unexpected."
First of all, it will run 90 minutes with one intermission, considerably shorter than any downtown production of the full opera. And it makes no apologies for being family-friendly and even provides a moment when children can join right into Mozart's action.
In addition to singing, the Three Ladies who attend the Queen of the Night will do rhythmic gymnastics. They were trained in gracefully manipulating ribbons, hoops and balls by Kate Nack, who competed in that sport during the Atlanta Olympics and conducted a workshop with the singers.
Sarastro, the high priest, is a golfer while his servant Monastatos is his club-carrying caddy.
The three knaben or children, will be baseball players, clad in Los Angelos Angels' jerseys. Those parts are usually taken by boy sopranos, but Verismo has cast girls instead. "They are about 12 or 13 years old," said Yasmeen Schuller, managing director of the production, "and they sound lovely."
All this whimsy is certainly in the spirit of the opera, since Mozart decked out two of his dearest characters Papageno and Papagena in feathers.
The audience will recognize many references to pop culture, Schuller continued, and everything will be tied together by a narrator, Chicago actor Matt Dyson, who will be dressed as -- no surprise -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself, complete with white wig and 18th century garb.
"There are so many wonderful moving parts in this opera, that we have been working on it since November," Schuller said. This is Verismo's second production. Its first was "La Boheme," presented last August.
But what about the Queen of the Night, that soprano with that stratospheric range? That role is taken by Sara Salas, a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska, who has sung in Carnegie Hall and also has performed leading roles in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Cosi fan tutte."
The cast includes Aaron Wardell as Papageno, Rebecca Prescott as Papagena, Mark Donlin as Tamino, Sarah McIntyre as Pamina, David Govertsen as Sarastro and Frank Glab as Monastatos. Mary Lutz Govertsen is First Lady, Maggie Reberg is Second Lady and Amanda Runge is Third Lady.
"We cast a wider net this time," explained Schuller. "We posted the audition notice on our Facebook page, on the websites YAP Tracker and Classical Singer. We were overwhelmed to receive over 100 requests for audition."
Auditions took two days, one in December and one in January. The result is not only what she describes as an excellent cast, but also high-quality singers covering each role. "Or," she added, "as they say in the world of sports, we have a deep bench."
"The Magic Flute"
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, presented in English by the Verismo Opera Club at the the Arts Center, 200 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park. 7:30 p.m. Friday March 25 and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 27. $15 to $32 and are available in advance at verismooperaclub.org, at the Oak Park Visitors Center, or at the door. info@verismooperaclub.com.
03/16/2011
Papageno from the viewpoint of cover, Seán Kroll
Hello! I'm Seán, the Papageno cover for VOC's 2011 Magic Flute. I've spent the past few weeks studying Mozart's music, polishing my interpretations, exacting my memorization, reviewing staging, and mouthing all the words throughout rehearsals. Sometimes being a cover can feel as though one is in a precarious position. Questions linger in the mind: "Am I really ready to go on in an emergency? Do I know all my stuff, or do I just THINK I know it and have a false sense of security? What if I miss my blocking? What if my colleagues hate my characterizations? What if I stumble and frustrate my fellow singers in their delicate scene, or disappoint the director? What if I squash someone else's nuance by acting AT them rather than with them?". Fear can run rampant. It is ALWAYS the job of the singer to keep fear in check and replace it with calm focus, courage and any and all intelligence available; to be positive. How else can one have clarity of thought, ease of vocal production and presence in the moment, which are all so crucial for success?
Monday was my birthday and my first time stepping in for Aaron in rehearsal. Would I disappoint my peers who have worked so hard to get each scene to it's highest level, keeping the goal of perfection always in mind? Will the director like me? And hardest of all, will I exceed my own expectations for myself? One question I often ask myself in order to gauge my own success: Did I push my own boundaries on a given day, and get a pay off which surprised even me, in return? We are, after all, the hardest on ourselves, are we not?
I was DELIGHTED to have had the chance to sing Mozart onstage as my birthday gift. I came home that night completely exhilarated, full of adrenaline and endorphins. Then the rest of my week came to mind. How would I manage to get any sleep and wake up at 7 AM the next day to do it all again? I know one tenor who cannot sleep until 4 AM, hours after the final curtain on a performance night. The rest of us, well, we have our little tricks for getting Zzzzs. As many of you know, sleep and sufficient calorie intake are crucial to any successful performance, practice session, or rehearsal. Calibrating just the right amounts of energy and mental focus can pose a challenge to the young singer just beginning to work it all out.
Our director has done a marvelous job in staging a show virtually free of a fourth wall. This is a very engaging, animated, gregarious and interactive Papageno, one I expect everyone will enjoy. Audience members are in for a for a very unconventional, liberated, but family friendly treat.
I myself had a blast on Monday, let's hope my fellow artists felt the same. This Thursday will be another ball game, or should I say, badminton game. The Papageno & Papagena union scene has some of the most intricate stage work for the character, and is certainly the most athletic. My personal goal is for three consecutive badminton hits in a row this week, among others, of course. Wish me luck!
Verismo Opera Club's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute is March 25 and 27 at Oak Park Arts Center. To reserve your tickets, visit http://www.verismooperaclub.org
Rising star Seán Kroll has been hailed as “…a showstopper” (Saint Petersburg Times). The talent of this bass-baritone encompasses a variety of growing repertoire, over 25 roles. Recent operatic credits include Bartolo (Le Nozze di Figaro), Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf (Sondheim’s Into the Woods), Don Alfonso (Cosi fan Tutte), Dulcamara (L’Elisir d’Amore), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Melchior (Amahl and the Night Visitors), Sam (Trouble in Tahiti), Zuniga (Carmen).
03/14/2011
Hula Hoop on the El
As I was sitting on the El this morning with my hula hoop, ball, and ribbon, I was pondering all of the opera roles I’ve prepared for and how every experience is so different. For this adaptation of The Magic Flute my preparation has been largely focused on the staging. The 3 ladies of the night in this production are rhythmic gymnasts. So we use our ribbons, balls, and hula hoops throughout the entire show. The challenge is to not only make it look like we have done this before, but also to make the movements mean something. There are endless different variations of possible movements, but the key is to make them meaningful. To help the audience understand why we are bouncing a ball or twirling a ribbon it has got to have some sort of meaning behind it. For me, making the movements meaningful requires a lot of practice. The more times I repeat a movement, the more I can understand why my character would make that movement. My favorite part of being a rhythmic gymnast is, by far, the ribbon. I become transfixed by how it moves and how graceful it is at the slightest twitch of my wrist.
In the process of the show we are getting to crunch time. There are11 days until opening night so we must have all of our music learned and start making all of those movements come without even thinking. This part of the production process is always the most intense. You spend a lot of time with the people you are working with, which in the case of this production is a fantastic experience! Emotions are high, people are working hard, and a lot of time is spent on the smallest of details. I love it! You become completely immersed in the process, score, staging and collective vision that has been created by the bringing together of singers, director, and score. This time, the last couple of weeks, for me, is the best part of performing opera.
See Amanda as the Third Lady in Verismo Opera Club's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute.
Mezzo-Soprano and Wisconsin native Amanda Runge is very excited to debut with Verismo Opera Company in one of her favorite roles! Amanda received her Bachelors in Music from the University of Southern California, and then she traveled to London where she got her Masters in Music from Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Rebecca Prescott's Thoughts on Papagena in The Magic Flute
Papagena is the quintessential commedia dell arte comedienne character. First, the comedienne’s name is the feminization of her male counterpart’s name. Second, the comedienne is dressed in the same style as her counterpart. In our current production I am dressed as a badminton player (get it? Badminton plays with a ‘birdie’ and Papageno is a ‘bird catcher’,) that is the same color scheme as Papageno and same hat. The only difference is that I am dressed in a skirt, since I am the girl. And finally in the commedia tradition, the male clown is not too bright whereas the female is the bright one out of the two.
It is typical commedia storyline for the male clown to be on a constant prowl for his female counterpart. In Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Papageno is motivated throughout the entire opera to find and wed a sweet little wife. During his quest, Papageno is promised that his Papagena will come to him, only upon completion of a series of tasks and one of those tasks is to not say a word to anyone. Of course, since he isn’t the brightest character in the acting canon, he can’t keep quiet. Papagena, being the brighter of the two, is able to manipulate Papageno, beat the system, and end up happily together.
In conclusion, I am impressed with how brilliantly Mozart wrote the characters in the The Magic Flute so consistently within the commedia tradition in creating the three main stock character roles: servant, master, and innamorati. And it is a joy that under Aaron Hunts’s direction and understanding of commedia style, I can play Papagena in the commedia tradition with a modern twist.
Rebecca will be playing Papagena in Verismo's upcoming production of Mozart's, The Magic Flute. Learn more: http://www.verismooperaclub.org
Rebecca Prescott, a rancher’s daughter from Jerome, Idaho, is a Master of Music graduate of Roosevelt University, where she studied with Richard Stilwell. Onstage she has played Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello, The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado. Ms. Prescott just completed the North American Tour of the Broadway Musical How the Grinch Stole Christmas, playing and singing Grandma Who.
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