MANSFIELD MANSFIELD PARK PARK A VIRTUAL OPERA PRESENTED BY BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC OPERA INSTITUTE & SCHOOL OF THEATRE
PREMIERING
APRIL 23, 2021 BU.EDU/CFA/OPERA/NEWS
RECORDED IN BOSTON UNIVERSITY’S JOAN & EDGAR BOOTH THEATRE
MANSFIELD PARK A VIRTUAL OPERA PRESENTED BY BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC OPERA INSTITUTE & SCHOOL OF THEATRE
MUSIC BY
JONATHAN DOVE LIBRETTO BY
ALASDAIR MIDDLETON BASED ON THE NOVEL BY
JANE AUSTEN BY ARRANGEMENT WITH
C.F. PETERS PUBLISHER AND COPYRIGHT OWNER
STAGE DIRECTOR Jim Petosa CONDUCTOR William Lumpkin PIANISTS Angela Gooch
Matthew Larson Allison Voth
CAST FANNY PRICE LADY BERTRAM SIR THOMAS BERTRAM MARIA BERTRAM JULIA BERTRAM EDMUND BERTRAM AUNT NORRIS MARY CRAWFORD HENRY CRAWFORD MR. RUSHWORTH
Gabrielle Barkidjija Myka Murphy Hyungjin Son Kaileigh Riess Madalyn Luna Erik Danielson Maureen Brabec Caroline Corrales Ryan Lustgarten Jangho Lee worth
UNDERSTUDIES FANNY PRICE LADY BERTRAM
Danielle Smith Sarah Eakman
PRODUCTION TEAM
SCENIC DESIGNER COSTUME DESIGNER LIGHTING DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNER ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER
Adam Hawkins Emma George Kevin Dunn Sean Doyle Jacob Montgomery
PRINCIPAL COACH/ Allison Voth SUPERTITLE CONSULTANT COACH Matthew Larson TECHNICAL DIRECTOR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DECKING AUTOMATION OPERATOR PAINT CHARGE ARTIST SCENIC ARTIST
Marco Liguori Johnathon Utter Kendall Khan Lydia Anderson Brenda Dziadzio
MASTER ELECTRICIAN Isaak Olson ASSISTANT MASTER Klara Ballay ELECTRICIAN MOVING LIGHT Qian Chengyuan PROGRAMMER
DECK ELECTRICIAN LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS PRODUCTION MANAGER ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION MANAGER VIDEOGRAPHY VIDEO OPERATOR VIDEO EDITOR & SUPERTITLES BOOTH THEATRE PRODUCTION MANAGER OPERA INSTITUTE MANAGING DIRECTOR
Morgan Strange Molly Beall Natalie Main Em Dupcak Lee Speth Ricky A. Moats Eric Sprosty Chris Dempsey Madeline Horvat Shady Hartshorne Johnny Kontogiannis Oshin Gregorian
U
pon the completion of the recording of the Virtual Fringe Festival in October of 2020, we turned our attention to finding an ensemble opera that would feature each of the ten students in the Opera Institute. We discovered the wonderful adaptation of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park by composer Jonathan Dove with a libretto by Alasdair Middleton. The ten characters in Dove’s version are a perfect match vocally (and dramatically) for the ten Opera Institute students, and we are extremely proud of their commitment to the project. After having enjoyed their work on the solo projects for the Fringe Festival, they were eager to work together as an ensemble in rehearsal and in recording, and we developed advanced safety protocols to achieve this. Our production continues the highly valued collaboration with our School of Theatre colleagues in set, costume and lighting design as well as stage management, and it was an exhilarating experience to see the students and faculty from both schools enjoy the shared experience of creating art during a pandemic. This type of shared learning is at the heart of the mission at the College of Fine Arts, and as we faced the challenges of finding opportunities for the students in the face of a pandemic, it became astonishingly clear how important and valued these experiences are to all of us. - William Lumpkin Associate Professor of Music, Opera Artistic Director, Opera Institute Director, Opera Programs
The most important factor we considered as we developed our plans for Mansfield Park was continued vigilance in protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. We instituted a number of protocols to assure everyone was taking steps to avoid any unsafe situation. These include: 1. Abiding by the Boston University COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols, including face coverings, social distancing, symptom monitoring, and testing. 2. We created dual rooms for safe coaching, allowing for a singer and the coach to be connected in two separate rooms with a non-latent audio and video connection. We also used “air-scrubbers” and the rooms were aired out for at least 25 minutes between each session. 3. In an effort to preserve the critical aspect of the exploration and discovery during staging rehearsals, face coverings were worn at all times and singers employed the method of “marking.” 4. During technical rehearsals, all artistic and design team members wore face coverings. 5. For the final recording, we filmed the company as an ensemble with face coverings and appropriate distancing.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in music, theatre, and visual arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, think broadly, and master essential 21stcentury skills. CFA offers a wide array of precollege, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa.
CFA SCHOOL OF MUSIC: OPERA INSTITUTE
The Opera Institute at CFA School of Music is an intensive, highly selective two-year performance-based training program for emerging operatic artists. A professional faculty and renowned guest artists provide personal support and training in all areas pertinent to a career in opera, including voice, acting, languages, and movement styles. Additionally, the Opera Institute also selects undergraduate and graduate singers from the School of Music who demonstrate true operatic potential and have mastered an intermediate integration of acting, vocal, and movement skills for the Opera Theater, Opera Workshop, and Opera Project programs. bu.edu/cfa/opera
CFA SCHOOL OF THEATRE
The School of Theatre at Boston University College of Fine Arts offers conservatory-style education for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, theatre education, and all aspects of the theatre profession within the setting of a major research university. The School of Theatre seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa/theatre.
HARVEY YOUNG Dean, Boston University College of Fine Arts GREGORY MELCHOR-BARZ Director, CFA School of Music SUSAN MICKEY Director, CFA School of Theatre DANA CLANCY Director, CFA School of Visual Arts