OPERA THEATER OREGON PRESENTS
®
THE LITTLE PRINCE By Rachel Portman
November 30 | 7:30pm December 1 | 7:30pm December 2 | 3:00pm
Artwork by Liz Schafroth
WELCOME OPERA THEATER OREGON is thrilled to bring you Rachel Portman’s adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved story, The Little Prince. The power of opera evokes the imagination well beyond the sensory experience. We invite you to reignite your childlike wonder, and reflect on Saint-Exupéry’s lesson, “everything essential is invisible to the eye.” This central moral of the story can be easily forgotten as we grow up and go about our busy lives. We hope this production inspires your own imagination and creative potential to sing a better world into existence. We celebrate Opera Theater Oregon’s debut in the Winningstad Theatre, as well as the first production of The Little Prince for Portland audiences. OTO presents truly community-supported opera. We are able to produce opera that engages, challenges, and inspires new visions for the future because of our dedicated artists, directors, board members, donors, volunteers, and patrons. Thank you to all who have made this production possible and we look forward to sharing more productions to come. From all of us at OTO, we wish you a wonderful holiday and a new year filled with love and joy!
Lisa Lipton
Nicholas Meyer
Justin Ralls
ABOUT THE CREATORS RACHEL PORTMAN / COMPOSER
PUBLISHER + FOUNDER Misty Tompoles ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER + MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Katrina Ketchum MANAGING EDITOR Kristen Seidman MEDIA DIRECTOR Chris Porras SALES DIRECTOR Lindsey Ferguson DESIGNERS Lisa Johnston-Smith Dan Le Jackie Tran
ARTSLANDIA BOX MANAGER Bella Showerman MARKETING ASSOCIATE Nicole Lane PUBLISHING COORDINATOR Sara Chavis NEW BUSINESS ASSOCIATE Ashley Coates PODCAST HOST Susannah Mars
Artslandia At The Performance is published by Rampant Creative, Inc. ©2018 Rampant Creative, Inc. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher. Rampant Creative, Inc. /Artslandia Magazine 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave. #207, Portland, OR 97202
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Born in West Sussex, England, Rachel Portman began composing at age 14 and read music at Oxford University. She gained experience writing music for drama in BBC and Channel 4 films including Mike Leigh’s Four Days In July and Jim Henson’s Storyteller series. Her extensive film work includes scores for Never Let me Go, The Joy Luck Club, Benny and June, and the Manchurian Candidate. She won an Academy Award for her score for Emma and Academy nominations for Chocolat and The Cider House Rules. She has written a musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie, as well as The Water Diviner, a dramatic choral symphony commissioned for the BBC Proms concerts. Her opera, The Little Prince, was premiered by Houston Grand Opera in 2003. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. Rachel lives in London with her three daughters.
NICHOLAS WRIGHT / LIBRETTIST The Little Prince represents playwright Nicholas Wright’s first work in opera; he later wrote the libretto for the opera Man on the Moon for British television. His plays include Treetops and One Fine Day (Riverside Studios); The Gorky Brigade (Royal Court); The Crimes of Vautrin (Joint Stock); The Custom of the Country and The Desert Air (Royal Shakespeare Company); Cressida (Almeida Theatre at the Albery); Rattigan’s Nijinsky (Chichester); The Last of the Duchess (Hampstead); and Travelling Light, Mrs. Klein, Vincent in Brixton, and The Reporter (National Theatre). He also adapted His Dark Materials for the stage and wrote versions of Naked, Lulu, John Gabriel Borkman, Three Sisters, and Thérèse Raquin. His adaptation of Pumla Gobodo-Madikizelas’s A Human Being Died That Night was produced at Hampstead Theatre in 2013 and 2014 and at Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2015, and his adaptation of Pat Barker’s Regeneration was produced in Northampton and on tour in 2014.
OPERA THEATER OREGON PRESENTS
THE LITTLE PRINCE DIRECTOR Nicholas Meyer
THE WATER Kari Burgess
THE PILOT Anton Belov
THE SNAKE Madeline Ross
THE KING, HUNTERS & BAOBABS Damien Geter
THE FOX Hannah Penn
THE ROSE Ivy Zhou
THE LAMPLIGHTER/VAIN MAN, HUNTERS & BAOBABS Brendan Tuohy THE DRUNKARD, HUNTERS & BAOBABS Weston Roth
THE CHORUS OF STARS, BIRDS, LAMPLIGHTERS & ROSES Members of the PCC Rock Creek Chamber Choir, under the direction of Dr. Samuel Barbara
Jack Wattier
COSTUME DESIGN /EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lisa Lipton
SET/PROP DESIGN Butch Bylianz
THE BUSINESSMAN, HUNTERS & BAOBABS Ian Timmons
Bex Goshorn
STAGE DIRECTOR /ARTISTIC CO-DIRECTOR Nicholas Meyer
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR /STAGE MANAGER Melory Mirashrafi
CAST THE LITTLE PRINCE Catherine Olson
MUSIC DIRECTOR /ARTISTIC CO-DIRECTOR Justin Ralls
ASSOCIATE MUSIC DIRECTOR Daniel Cox
By Rachel Portman | Libretto by Nicholas Wright CONDUCTOR Justin Ralls
PRODUCTION TEAM
Jessica Dotson Zoie Harpole
Mikayla Flood Mark Wickham
ORCHESTRA Caius Oprea / CONCERTMASTER Sigrun Oprea / SECOND VIOLIN Brandon Correa / VIOLA Katherine Parks / CELLO Tommy Thompson / DOUBLE BASS Jayde Weide / FLUTE/PICCOLO Alan Juza / OBOE/ENGLISH HORN Lisa Lipton / CLARINET Danielle Goldman / BASSOON Bruce Dunn / TRUMPET Jason Elliott / TROMBONE Kurt Heichelheim / FRENCH HORN John Lipton / PERCUSSION Kimberly Taylor / HARP
MAKEUP DESIGN Kacie Woeber, Delilah Marie LIGHTING DESIGN Nicholas Meyer, Justin Ralls CHORUS DIRECTORS Dr. Samuel Barbara, Nicholas Meyer, Justin Ralls REHEARSAL PIANISTS John-Paul Gandy, Susan McDaniel
PRODUCTION SPONSORS Templeton Foundation George Rowbottom & Marilyn Crilley Regional Arts and Culture Council
“ WHAT, NO SUPERTITLES?” Since the 1980’s, supertitles (subtitles projected above the stage) have become an expected feature in opera. This makes sense as so many operas are in foreign languages. However, The Little Prince is sung in English! We encourage you to lean in, listen and engage in live theatre, free of screens and distractions. You might not catch every single word, but that’s ok… the music will do the rest. ARTSLANDIA.COM
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SYNOPSIS PROLOGUE The Pilot explains when he was six years old, he saw a picture of a wild beast being eaten by a boa constrictor. This inspired him to draw a picture of his own, showing the snake digesting its prey. But the grownups he showed it to discouraged him from drawing and told him to concentrate on conventional subjects. Now he is a pilot, flying far above the earth among the stars.
ACT I Stars sing to each other above the Sahara desert as a sandstorm engulfs them, forcing the Pilot’s airplane to the ground. The Pilot is reflecting on the danger he is in, when a curious little boy—the Little Prince—appears. He asks the Pilot to draw him a sheep. Intrigued, the Pilot tries to learn more about him. The Little Prince gradually explains that he comes from a tiny planet, Asteroid B-612, which is in danger of being smothered by enormous baobab trees (why he wanted a sheep in the first place: he hopes it will eat the baobab sprouts). He is worried, however, that the sheep will also eat flowers too, especially a certain Rose, which the Little Prince must protect. The Pilot promises to draw a muzzle for the sheep so his flower won’t be eaten. The Pilot describes the Little Prince nurturing his Rose and waiting for her to come into bloom. When the Little Prince learns that her greatest fear is of catching a chill, he hastens to find a dome. She rebukes him sharply: placing her under a glass is not the way to please her. She urges him to seek wisdom in the worlds around him, and then return to her. A flock of birds takes the Little Prince on his journey where he visits the planets of a King, a Vain Man, a Drunkard, a Businessman, and a Lamplighter. The Little Prince is bewildered by the behavior and attitudes of all these “grownup” characters. The Little Prince anxiously worries about his Rose, yet he resolves to continue his travels to Planet Earth.
ACT II The Little Prince arrives on Earth only to meet a Snake, who cryptically claims that with “one touch” she can send the Little Prince back home. While exploring Earth, The Little Prince finds a garden of roses. He is distressed at seeing so many flowers, as he thought his Rose was the only one of her kind. Fox Hunters appear with their guns. Once they’ve gone, their quarry comes out of hiding. The Little Prince asks the Fox to play with him. But the Fox refuses, saying, “I’ve not been tamed.” The Little Prince learns what “taming” means. “Tamers care for what they’ve tamed. You’ll always be responsible for your Rose,” the Fox explains. The Prince realizes that his Rose is, after all, unique, because of his devotion and love for her. He has finished recounting his adventures, and the Pilot reminds him that it’s been eight days since his plane crash and they are running out of water. They set off in search of a well under the Prince’s star, and are refreshed and saved by the water they find. But the Little Prince’s visit to Earth is coming to an end. He tells the Pilot to go back to his plane and return the next night. Filled with dread, the Pilot leaves. When he comes back, he finds the Little Prince making an agreement with the Snake. The Prince tells the Pilot that it is time for him to return to his planet. He reassures him that he is not about to die, and that his body is just a shell, reassuring “anything essential is invisible to the eye.” The Snake strikes and the Little Prince disappears, leaving the Pilot alone in the desert. 4
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CAST BIOS CATHERINE OLSON (SOPRANO) / THE LITTLE PRINCE Catherine Olson is an actor, vocalist, director, teacher, and Northwest native who is thrilled to be returning to Opera Theater Oregon. Recent appearances range from Shakespeare’s Laertes in Penguin Productions’ Hamlet, Clara in Light in the Piazza with Mock’s Crest Opera, and a dancing dead lady in Addams Family at Broadway Rose Theater, as well as an operatic ingénue in the season four premiere of TNT’s The Librarians. Favorite roles: Schwartzy (Putnam County Spelling Bee, Broadway Rose), Meg (Brigadoon, Oregon Festival of American Music), and Cupid (Orpheus in the Underworld, Eugene Opera). Love and thanks to her amazing family, and to everyone out there who keeps new music and theater thriving. ANTON BELOV (BARITONE) / THE PILOT The voice of Baritone Anton Belov has been called “rich and mellifluous” by the New York Times, and “captivating in every way, casting a mystical spell over the audience” by Florida Weekly. He earned praise from critics and audiences alike for his portrayals of Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Don Giovanni, Germont (La Traviata), Count di Luna (Il trovatore), Eugene Onegin, Escamillo in Carmen and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. Dr. Belov is the first-place winner of eight vocal competitions including the George London Competition and Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Dr. Belov is an associate professor of music at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. HANNAH PENN (MEZZO-SOPRANO) / THE FOX Hannah Penn enjoys a diverse career as a performer of opera, oratorio, and recital literature. Frequently praised for her musicality and the timbre of her voice, Ms. Penn has recently been called “…a major talent”, and “…an intelligent and wonderfully musical singer” by Portland’s Willamette Week. She has sung more than twenty operatic roles with companies
around the country. Ms. Penn is a past member of Portland Opera’s studio artist program and also sang her first Carmen with Portland Opera, which garnered critical acclaim and resulted in a chance to reprise the role the following season with the Teatro National Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. IVY ZHOU (SOPRANO) / THE ROSE Ivy Zhou is an upand-coming soprano, currently active in Portland as an opera singer, church musician, and recitalist. The 2017-2018 season saw her as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with Aquilon Music Festival, Mabel in Opera on Tap PDX’s Pirates of Penzance, Second Lady and Papagena (The Magic Flute) with Portland Opera To Go, and Nella (Gianni Schicchi) with the iSING! International Young Artists Festival. Ms. Zhou was honored to receive a Metropolitan National Council encouragement award in 2017 and to be a finalist in the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition in 2018. MADELINE ROSS (SOPRANO) / THE SNAKE Originally from Portland, Madeline Ross’s recent credits include La Fée in an immersive production of Massenet’s Cendrillon (Promenade Opera Project), Alice in Rossini’s Les Comte Ory (Lowell House Opera), Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Miami Music Festival), Susanna in Nozze (Portland Summer Opera Workshop and Willamette University), Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Longy), and Servilia in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (Promenade Opera Project). Madeline was named a winner of Longy’s 2018 Honors Competition and serves as the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Promenade Opera Project, which aims to reinvigorate opera by producing immersive adaptations of classic works. KARI BURGESS (SOPRANO) / THE WATER Kari Burgess, a lyric soprano from Portland, is ecstatic about her debut with Opera Theater Oregon. Recent credits include the title role of
Sandra in the premiere of Cascadia Concert Opera’s Tango of the White Gardenia written by Ethan Gans-Morse, and Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) with the Astoria Music Festival. Other recent roles include Mimì from La Bohème with Opera Bend, Micaëla from Carmen with the Central Oregon Symphony, Countess Almaviva from Le Nozze di Figaro with Ping and Woof Opera, Rosalinda from Die Fledermaus, as well as Pamina from Die Zauberflöte with Opera Bend. BRENDAN TUOHY (TENOR) / THE LAMP-LIGHTER/VAIN MAN American tenor Brendan Tuohy has been praised by The Cincinnati Post for his “big, bold tenor edged with silver” and he continues to move audiences both in the states and overseas. Recent credits include Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with City Opera Bellevue, Chevalier in Poulenc’s tragic Dialogues des Carmélites with Vashon Opera, and Bénédict in Berlioz’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Béatrice et Bénédict. Tuohy is a former member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio program and Portland Opera’s studio
artist program. In 2008, he had the honor of singing and competing in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Semi Finals in New York. DAMIEN GETER (BASS-BARITONE) / THE KING Damien is a diverse artist whose credits include performances ranging from the operatic stage to the television screen. Recent credits include a Seattle Opera debut in the role of the Undertaker, and covering the role of Jake in Porgy and Bess; Colline in La Boheme with Vashon Opera, and Alcindoro in La Boheme with Portland Opera. Damien returned to Portland Opera in the fall of 2018 in the role of Dr. Grenville in Verdi’s La Traviata. Damien currently serves on the music faculty of The Catlin Gabel School in Portland, OR and is an adjunct instructor of voice at Portland State University. IAN TIMMONS (BARITONE) / THE BUSINESSMAN Ian Timmons is an artist performer born and raised in Portland. Ian’s recent work includes roles and chorus with
the Oregon Symphony, Soloist Beethoven Choral Fantasy, Opera Theater Oregon (Old Maid and The Thief), Astoria Music Festival/Portland Summerfest (Tosca), Portland State, Falke in Die Fledermaus and soloist in Barber’s The Lovers, The Eugene Concert Symphony, C.P.D Bach Magnificat, and PDQ Bach’s Blue Grass. Ian is the music director at Kairos Milwaukie UCC. In addition to performing, he directs, writes, and arranges. Ian is thrilled to once again be joining forces with the fabulous OTO. WESTON ROTH (BARITONE) / THE DRUNKARD Weston is excited to be performing with Opera Theater Oregon again. His prior roles with OTO include Polydeuces in Giasone and the Argonauts, and chorus in Cunning Little Vixen. Weston was an Adult recreational division 1st place winner at the NATS Cascade Chapter Classical festival in 2016. A talented singer and guitarist, Weston performs with the Alternative Liturgy program at Trinity Episcopal Church as well as with other groups in the Portland area.
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS NICHOLAS MEYER / STAGE DIRECTOR Baritone Nicholas Meyer makes his directorial debut with The Little Prince and has been artistic co-director of OTO since 2017. Nicholas made his debut performance with the company, creating the role of John Muir in its world premiere production of Two Yosemites. Nicholas was praised by Oregon ArtsWatch for his “whiskey-smooth baritone” and that he “interpreted [Muir] to perfection”. NW Reverb wrote he “superbly captured Muir’s dignity and vision for the great outdoors.” Other operatic credits include Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), and covering the principal role of Beaumarchais in Corigliano’s Ghosts of Versailles. JUSTIN RALLS / MUSIC DIRECTOR OTO’s artistic co-director since 2017, award-winning composer and conductor Justin Ralls has conducted his works around the globe. Ralls served as Associate Conductor of Riverside Chamber Symphony (2017) and conducted the world premiere of his chamber opera, Two Yosemites: An Environmental Opera, with Opera Theater Oregon (2017). Recent proj-
ects include a commission from pianist Hunter Noack for his 2018 In a Landscape series of outdoor solo piano concerts in wild spaces and public lands throughout the NW. Ralls’ awardwinning orchestral work Tree Ride was featured on Albany Symphony’s 2017 American Music Festival, conducted by David Alan Miller. LISA LIPTON / COSTUME DESIGN Lisa Lipton assumed the role of Executive Director in April, 2017. She studied at Portland State University as well as The Central Chinese Conservatory of music in Beijing. As one of the founders of Contemporary Portland Orchestra Project, longtime collaborator of Filmusik, and other new music collectives in PDX, she is an avid performer and advocate of new music. As a performer, she is extremely versatile having performed with numerous symphonies in the region and festivals such as Decibel festival, TBA festival, PDX Pop Now!, Music FestNW, Astoria Music Festival, and many others. MELORY MIRASHRAFI / ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Melory Mirashrafi is a fourth year student of theatre arts and music at Linfield College.
Recent directing work includes Joseph Wilde's Cuddles and Lori Allen Ohm's stage adaptation of Night of the Living Dead at Linfield College. Onstage, Melory has appeared in Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine as Ada Byron-Lovelace and Jeffrey Hatcher's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Dr. Lanyon/Hyde 4. Other professional work includes a directing apprenticeship with the Aquilon Music Festival, and assistant directing the world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare/ Nizami's Romeo & Juliet (Layla&Majnun) with Bag&Baggage Productions. BUTCH BYLIANZ / SET/PROP DESIGN Butch Bylianz is a designer, collector, and window dresser with wildly diverse projects to his name. His eye-catching window designs are broadly embraced and, as he likes to say, “just as broadly scorned” for boutique windows across New York City. Late at night, Butch stalks these same streets and windows—the curious purview of the flâneur— prowling with eyes on the garbage. So-called “trash finds,” like botany illustrations from a perfumery, often make their way into his work. A graduate of the New York Correspondence School, Butch now acts as amanuensis for the obscure conceptual artist Zachary Becker. ARTSLANDIA.COM
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OUR SUPPORTERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Donations from Jan 1, 2018 – Oct 31, 2018 George Rowbottom & Marilyn Crilley Maury Mark Kemper Dave & Elaine Silver Patricia & Terry Brandt Scott Meyer & George Marvin Kate Bushman Carol Hethcock Paul Irvin & Matthew Egbert Richard Rosenberg Angela Allen Rita McClellen Gale Meyer Dorothy Parrott
Kathleen Buhl Leon & Mary Jackson Peter & Susan Norman Anonymous Debra Meyer & Myron Dale Randy Ralls & Karen Parrott Pete & Suzy Norman Will & Meredith Bennett Mia Hall & Matt Miller Mildred Meyer McNair Smith Mary & Paul Gronseth John & Elizabeth Cameron Kelly Brandt Augustina Ragwitz
Chris Bonner & Lee McKnight Robin McArthur Cindy & David Simon Leah Kirschner Chris Pieratti David & Cheryl Groth Robert Trotman Anne Clark John & Susan Hoover William Goforth Wenwen Du Nicholas Meyer Lisa Lipton Justin Ralls
ABOUT OPERA THEATER OREGON The mission of Opera Theater Oregon is to refresh the opera experience with powerful productions that are affordable and socially relevant. With an emphasis on contemporary opera sung in English, we inspire new and younger audiences to experience opera in diverse ways, respecting tradition and innovation, and creating enjoyable performances of high artistic integrity.
Scott Meyer, Board President Paul Irvin William Goforth Augustina Ragwitz Anne Polyakov Justin Ralls Nicholas Meyer Lisa Lipton
RESOURCE COUNCIL /VOLUNTEERS Debra Meyer Ian Lawson Bernice Platz George Marvin Daniel Cox Randy Ralls Karon Parrott Deborah Barany / costumes Katt Gober / costumes Judith Meeker / costumes
COMMUNITY PARTNERS All Classical 89.9 Rimsky Korsakoffee House Portland Monthly Portland Community College Rock Creek First Christian Church Classic Pianos Resound NW Minuteman Press New Seasons Zupan’s Lagunitas Owen Roe Winery Eola Hills Winery
Olympia Provisions New Deal Distillery
Make a Gift to OTO This Holiday Season! OTO is a 501c(3) tax exempt non-profit organization. We rely on donations to present alternative opera in Oregon, proudly featuring local talent and supporting the careers of professionals and emerging artists. Opera Theater Oregon presents truly community-supported opera. Make a tax deductible gift to OTO today! Thank you to all of our dedicated artists, directors, board members, donors, volunteers, and patrons!
DONATE SAFELY AND EASILY ONLINE: www.operatheateroregon.com/donate DONATE BY CHECK IN THE MAIL: OPERA THEATER OREGON c/o Nicholas Meyer 701 NE 28th Ave. Suite #33 Portland, OR 97232
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Works of Art.
We cordially invite Opera Theater Oregon artists and patrons to visit our museum-like Portland Showroom, reflecting the Art of Piano Making at its finest. Showcasing: Bösendorfer, Yamaha, Estonia, Schimmel, Mason & Hamlin, and Restored Steinway & Sons. The fourth generation piano family of Maurice Unis has garnered top National Dealer of the Year Honors five-years-running – ”In Recognition of Superior Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service.”
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Over 300 new and used pianos in inventory. Full Lifetime Trade-up Policy.
3003 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland
503.239.9969 classicportland.com
Saturday December 15
Winningstad Theatre
Viva’s Holiday: An Opera in One Act for chamber orchestra and four singers based on a celebrated local memoir
Album Release and Concert Performance
with special guests Bergerette
tinyurl.com/viva2018tickets
cultoforpheus.org ARTSLANDIA.COM
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