Walking the dog Theater
in collaboration with
Diamond Opera Theater
Present
Photography: Nitin Vadukul www.nitinvadukul.com
RED CARNATIONS X 2
A Double Bill: Play by Glenn Hughes | Opera by local composer Robert Baksa
May 15, 16, 17 at 8:00 p.m.; Matinees: May 17 and 18 at 3:00 p.m.
7:15 pm before evening shows, and 2:15 pm before matinees:
FREE Pre-show conversation with Columbia County's own Robert Baksa,
composer and
librettist.
Director: Benedicta Bertau
Music Director: Gili Melamed-Lev
Vocal Director: Mary Deyerle Hack
Play with actors Vanessa Graymason, Nikolas Geilen, and Ted Phelps
Opera featuring singers Mary Ellen Assue (Soprano), Patrick Layton (Tenor), and Steven Marking (Baritone)
Performances at Walking the dog Theater/Basilica Industria, 110 S. Front Street, Hudson, New York
In a unique occasion to see a play and the opera based on it side by side, this evening will bring to life the amusing story of an afternoon in the park. Neither Walking the Dog Theater nor Diamond Opera Theater has been able to find evidence of anyone performing a double bill comprising a play and an opera, both on the same text. Two men, one young, one more mature, wait for a young lady. Each of them wears a red carnation to be recognized. Confusion, romantic expectations, and the comic situation all illustrate the importance of getting to know a person before proceeding to romance.
The opera, composed by Columbia County’s Robert Baksa, who also wrote the libretto, uses the same scenario. It was commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Metropolitan Opera Studio and was premiered by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Both Diamond Opera Theater and Walking the Dog Theater are committed to bringing live opera and theater to the area’s young people. In addition to the four scheduled performances, there will be a free open rehearsal on Wednesday early evening, May 14, for local middle and high school students. This event will include a discussion with the composer and directors about differences in outlook and performance demands between a play and an opera, as well as the challenges of turning a play script into a viable libretto.
The Minikin Opera of Maryland, which toured the piece for two seasons, called the work “a wonderful introduction to opera for all ages.”
Tickets also available from May 1st at Spotty Dog Books & Ale on Warren Street, Hudson
Open Dress Rehearsal for students Wednesday, May 14, ay 7:00 p.m. (free)
Walking the dog Theater, Inc. Ghent, NY (518) 755 1716
This event is made possible (in part) with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered through the Twin Counties Cultural Fund in Columbia County by the Columbia County Council on the Arts.
