Kentucky Opera Show Boat Ovations!

FEB 18, 2016 8 PM FEB 19, 2016 8 PMFEB 20, 2016 8 PMFEB 21, 2016 2 PM

OVATIONS!Kentucky Opera’s

Table of Contents

SHOW BOATWhat's Going On? ............................................................... 4

Who's Who ......................................................................... 5

An Interview with the Costume Designer .......................... 6

An Interview with Director David Gately ............................ 9

Why Show Boat? - Maestro/Interim Artistic Director ........ 10

An Interview with the Choreographer ................................ 12

SHOW BOAT: The Broadway Musical ................................. 13

"Here we come to a completely new genre – the musical play as distinguished from musical comedy. Now... the play was the thing, and everything else was subservient to that play. Now... came complete integration of song, humor and production numbers into a single and inextricable artistic entity.”

The Complete Book of Light Opera.

WELCOME TO OVATIONS! This issue introduces you to the production team of SHOW BOAT through a series of interviews. We hope that their comments about this ground-breaking work help to shine a light on the place SHOW BOAT holds in the history of American music. The entire cast of Kentucky Opera’s production is excited and proud to be part of this enter-taining and deeply engaging work.

Whether it is categorized as “light opera,” “operetta,” or “musical,” the powerful themes of love, loyalty, family, and racism are carried through extraordinary lyrics and dialogue on the wings of some of the most beloved American music ever written.

SHOW BOAT | 3www.KYOpera.org • 502.584.4500

WHAT’S GOING ONLife on the river for the Cotton Blossom is full of work, love, sorrow and entertainment. From 1880 to 1927, the story follows the characters of the Cotton Blossom through racial injustices, the inconsistencies of love, and the successes and obstacles of performing careers. Captain Andy Hawks and his wife, Parthy Hawks, run the show boat known as the Cotton Blossom. Their young daughter, Magnolia, grows up in the show boat community, befriending the performers and workers, despite Parthy’s shrewish objec-tions. Magnolia esteems Julie LaVerne, the star of the show and

Magnolia’s unofficial mentor. But young Magnolia suddenly finds herself as the leading entertainer after Julie is exposed as being bi-racial. Julie is charged with miscegenation (at the time, interracial marriage was a crime) and leaves the Cotton Blossom with Steve, her husband and fellow star performer, for everyone’s safety, despite their disputes.

Gambler, Gaylord Ravenal, joins the Cotton Blossom, starring aside Magnolia. A romance quickly sparks and the couple marries. Magnolia follows Ravenal on other business pursuits and they live in luxury for a while with their daughter, Kim. But old habits and anxiety get the best of Ravenal and he abandons his family, leaving Magnolia to rely on her talents to fend for herself.

Years later, Magnolia has thrived in her performing career. She returns to the Cotton Blossom with her daughter and through happenstance, they are reunited with Ravenal, who hopes for a second chance with the family.

GAYLORD RAVENAL - A charming, young riverboat gambler who falls in love with Magnolia, the naive daughter of the boat’s captain. The gambler lifestyle gets the better of him and he abandons Magnolia before reuniting with her (and their daughter) many years later.

KEITH PHARES - “…Baritone Keith Phares cuts a dashing figure. He is a handsome man with a powerful voice and a big personality…he makes good use of every moment of his stage time.” – The Miami Herald on The Consul with Florida Grand Opera.

MAGNOLIA HAWKS - Captain Andy and Parthy Hawks’ daughter, whose dreams of being an actress come to fruition during her successful career, despite falling in love with and being abandoned by gambler Gaylord Ravenal.

EMILY ALBRINK -“Emily Albrink, a Domingo-Cafritz alumna, was a lovely strong Pamina, also with a touch of metal at the edge of her soprano.” – The Washington Post on The Magic Flute with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

JULIE LAVERNE - A beautiful and talented performer on the Cotton Blossom, whose mixed-race heritage and interracial marriage to fellow performer, Steve Baker, lead to obstacles.

ALYSON CAMBRIDGE -“The soprano’s burnished tone and authentic, compelling phrasing reach a peak in “BILL,” the Act 2 ballad for a now abandoned, bottle-dependent Julie. Cambridge styles the song superbly, never exaggerating a note for effect, and making it a deeply poignant moment.” – The Baltimore Sun on SHOW BOAT with Washington National Opera.

WHO'S WHO

4 | Ovations! www.KYOpera.org • 502.584.4500

WHO'S WHO

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CAPTAIN ANDY HAWKS - Magnolia’s father and Parthy’s husband, Captain Andy is a natural born entertainer and the jovial captain of the Cotton Blossom.

PETER HOLLOWAY - Although he occasionally slips out onto the stage, Peter Holloway is better known as the Producing Artistic Director of StageOne. StageOne Family Theatre has served as the gateway to the performing arts for more than 3 million area children across its 69 year history. Holloway says “Our goal is to introduce the young people of our community to theatre that is personally relevant, age-appropriate, inspirational, and educa-tional.”

PARTHY ANN HAWKS - Wife to Captain Andy and mother to Magnolia, Parthy is the Cotton Blossom’s biddy matron.

MELISSA COMBS - “Melissa is one of my all-time favorite regional performers - from her days in Derby Dinner Playhouse productions to playing the lead in Music Theatre of Louisville's production of MAME a few seasons ago.” Today’s Woman

JOE - Married to the boat cook Queenie, Joe is an African American worker on the Cotton Blossom whose observations of life on the river lie at the heart of the show boat community.

DERRICK PARKER - “Derrick Parker, so memorable as the flustered Claudio in ‘Agrippina, sang a nicely swag-gering Satan. The contrast between his two personals in ‘LA RESURREZIONE’ – a sweet tempered soul outside the passion play and, during the play, a deep-voiced, arrogant, towering figure capable of frightening small children – was skillfully done.” – Chicago Sun-Times on LA RESURREZIONE with Chicago Opera Theatre.

QUEENIE - Married to Joe, Queenie is the boat cook and surrogate mother to the crew and cast.

ANGELA RENÉE SIMPSON - “Angela Renée Simpson’s singing brought the house down.” – Opera News

"The show was nearly stolen by Angela Renée Simpson as the cook Queenie, Joe's wife. Sassy and big-voiced with every word crystal-clear, Simpson well earned her two showpiece numbers, Queenie's Bally-Hoo and Hey Fellah!” -- Chicago Classical Review

FRANK SCHULTZ - A male lead of the nightly show on the Cotton Blossom

GREGORY GERBRANDT - "Gerbrandt's enchanting voice moved with direction and energy, as he soared over the orchestra, moving with conviction and grace, like an artist in full command of his craft." – The Charlottesville Daily

ELLIE MAY CHIPLEY - A female comic character on the nightly show on the Cotton Blossom.

DEBORAH MAE HILL -“…Deborah Mae Hill puts her impressive vocal instrument to good use throughout as Wednesday.” – Broadway World on The Addams Family with Acting Against Cancer

“Deborah Mae Hill’s Clara is both elegant and sneaky. Her vocal ability suits the role.” – Arts Louisville on Passion with Pandora Productions

Director Sponsor:


AN INTERVIEW WITH COSTUME DESIGNER:

Shon LeBlanc

Have you previously designed for SHOW BOAT? What excites you about working on this production?

No, I have never designed SHOW BOAT before. However, back in the mid-90s I was up for an Ovation Award for Costume Design. I had co-designed a 1940s Radio Hour and of the five shows nominated that year, three were touring companies, and I was one of two local shows nominated. SHOW BOAT is exciting on so many levels, the most being that this is of course the Grand Daddy of all musicals. The one that started how American Musical Theatre is done; So I am really excited to be part of that history.

Can you discuss the process of designing costumes?I think so many people do not understand what a Costume Designer does. Most people tend to think that you just shop and put clothes on people. That is incredibly wrong. The Costume Design process is not one that happens overnight, and costumes do not appear in a day, or a week. I have been working on this show for over six months. I read the script, do a breakdown, research the period, or in this case the four periods of the show. We look at the class of the person, where the show is set, when it is set, and then delve into the psyche of the characters, all before any designs are sketched or costumes pulled.

SHOW BOAT covers a time span of about 30 years. Can you speak to how you approach designing for this time span? Are there specific characteristics of the costumes that the audience can look for during the show?

As in acting or writing, you are looking for character arcs, and many characters in SHOW BOAT have them. Magnolia goes from the innocent girl, to happy wife, mother, aban-doned wife, rising star, to star - and this is reflected in the types of dresses she will wear throughout the show. From sweet calicos, to more sophisticated fabrics and designs, to star dresses. And Julie goes from “show” costume to real life, to head held high, to finally overdone sadness. As we go through the four periods of the show, we see different colors and looks: For 1887, the shelf bustle, we see the “show folks” in reds, maroons, yellows, fuchsias, oranges, and the “town folk” in more earth tones. Once the show folks leave the stage, the clothes become more realistic. As we leave the boat and journey to Chicago 1882 and 1899, we see the change in style to the large leg O’ mutton sleeves, then to the smaller sleeve of the later part of the decade. Our colors also change; we go into more jewel tones and deep pastels. By the time we hit 1927, the look has really changed: shorter freer dresses, Oxford bags, and the patterns of the fabric of the clothes tend to be in constant movement as was the period itself.

Left dress is a original 1890s dress and right dress is a beginning copy of it for Ellie.Mae

Ellie Mae's opening "show" costume 1887.


Are there distinct costume differences between the different characters? Women’s Clothing: You will see many differences in the clothing between the various socio – econom-ical classes and even between different characters within the same groups. For instance, Queenie is much better off than the other African American women in the show. She has a good job and access to better materials and more up to date fashion, whereas the other ladies have a very post-Civil war look of 1887. This will change to a more affluent look as we move to the 1890s. In addition, you will see Ellie Mae and the town girls in shorter skirts, and Julie, Parthy and the more mature women will have long dresses. This is based on the idea of the period that once you’re married, the hair goes up, the dress goes to the floor, and you can show cleavage.

Men’s Clothing: We have talked a lot about the women’s clothes in the show. The men’s clothes are just as specific to the periods and will make the changes as well. We will use frock suits and cutaways in the early parts of the show in 1887 and 1892, and some will appear in 1899, but you will also see sack suits. Top hats, plantation hats, derby and homburgs will be used in 1887-1899. In 1927 you will see the more modern suit we all know, along with Oxford bags, pork pie hats and fedoras. And as the women’s clothing, the men’s “show folk” costumes will also be in those colors, and become more realistic as we go from the show within the show, to real life.

There are many visual elements to look for within the costuming, especially the wonderful plaids and prints, calicos and stripes. Many of the costumes we are building for the show are based on real garments found in our research library, online and original items in our collection at The Costume House. Approximately 50 some individual items are being made especially for this production, including 15 bustle 1887 dresses and 10 bustles, eight 1890s dresses, assorted hats, corsets, skirts, blouses, belts, suits, and pants.

Magnolia's wedding dress 1887 Quennie's 1892 skirt and blouse

Shon LeBlanc has designed over 600 productions in Los Angeles, and around the United States. He has been recognized for his work with:

• 9 Drama-Logue Awards

• 6 Garland Awards, the most recent for THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR with James Barbour and Lynne Wintersteller at NoHo Arts.

• A Drama Critics Circle Award

• An L.A. Weekly Award

• An Ovation Award, for Theatre Neo's THE WOMEN

Mr. LeBlanc is the proprietor and chief designer of Valentino's Costumes Inc. in Van Nuys, and divides his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco, where he teaches Costume Design at the Academy of Art University.


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Can you speak to any differences of approach between directing musical theatre as opposed to opera? Can you speak on what audiences can expect in this production (for example, this show has more spoken dialogue and dancing than Kentucky Opera patrons are accustomed to seeing.

While I approach every piece differently, even from opera to opera, one thing I always do with each piece is invest everything I can in the storytelling. I try to find the truth in the piece, even if it is lighthearted broad comedy. SHOW BOAT is a challenge in so many ways. Yes, there is an enormous amount of dialogue. And while there are operas with dialogue, SHOW BOAT is a huge challenge for singers because there is so much of it. Also, while we will be having professional dancers for those parts of the piece that are specifically about the dance, all the singers are going to have to be able to move as well. All of this means that in casting the piece it's imperative that attention be paid to all these areas. Not only must the performer be a singer of the caliber that opera companies hire, but he/she also must be able to do dialogue and move.

Is this your first time directing SHOW BOAT? If so, what excites you about working on this show? If you've previously worked with the show, how do you approach the show with a new production?

This is my first SHOW BOAT. I have seen a number of productions and have always wanted to try my hand at it. Not only is Show Boat historically important in the development of Music Theater, but also it is an amazing piece full of warmth, humor and pathos. The characters are vividly drawn and the story is compelling even though it was written decades ago.

This show spans about 30 years. How do you approach this time span within the show? (For example, how does the long time span influence character development? Perspectives of the characters? What is your role in working with the respective designers to aesthetically show the passing of time?)

The time span is a HUGE challenge. Not only will we work on it from the perspective of the characters (they all change so much over the years and experience so much life!) but tech-nically it is a challenge as well. Clothes change. Hairstyles change. And make-ups have to change to show advancing age in many of the characters. And the bulk of this happens in Act 2, where we seem to be rapidly moving forward with each scene. The technical changes need to happen quite rapidly.

Can you speak to approaching the racial issues and injustices within the story? Although these events were occurring during the turn of the century and early 1900s, do you find that the same issues still resonate today? Can you speak to the significance of this work within American Theatre?

Well, it is clear that we still have racial issues today. They have especially been in the head-lines for the last couple of years. Those who hoped for a "post-racial" society have been greatly disappointed. While the issues in SHOW BOAT are totally not the same ones we are facing today ---- the fact that racial issues still play a huge part in the lives of Americans certainly makes SHOW BOAT relevant. It's impossible to do SHOW BOAT without racial resonance. It is the soul of the piece. It's part of the ongoing story of our country.

Historically, the piece is important, not only for its subject matter, but also for the fact that it moved the musical form forward with a huge leap. Suddenly songs were about the character and actually moved the story forward. It was a play with music. Numbers were not solely inserted for entertainment.

INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTORDavid Gately

Stage director David Gately is known for his vivid story telling and lively and clever productions. Last season his concert staging of ANGELS IN

AMERICA with the BBC Symphony Orchestra was praised for being “brilliantly resourceful” (This Is

London) and it was reported that “Gately’s dynamic semi-staging made a strong argument for a full production of Angels.” (The Independent) With

the Manitoba Opera his direction of IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA was said to use “nuance and creative physical comedy, resulting in a superb production

brimming with energy.” (Winnipeg Free Press).


At Kentucky Opera, we are committed to telling amazing stories. Already this season we witnessed two completely different operas: a grotesque and vengeful

MACBETH and the poignant and sincere THREE DECEMBERS. To round out the 2015-16 season we bring you SHOW BOAT, an iconic example of the American musical theater tradition.

In my mind there is really no difference between opera and musical theater. Both opera and musical theater contain the same two elements: a complex story supported by wonderful music. SHOW BOAT deals with love and race, and is underscored by the fantastic and familiar music composed by Jerome Kern. Other knowledgeable types in the music field suggest that the discerning difference between opera and musical theater is that musical theater has spoken dialogue. Well so does CARMEN (in its original opéra comique form) as well as Mozart’s singspiel THE MAGIC FLUTE. Others say that the element of dance, which is so important in musical theater, is another dividing factor. But dance is contained in the operas of Meyerbeer and Gluck ,among many others.

You can trace the evolution of the American musical theater tradi-tion from the birth of operetta in France in the middle part of the 19th century, which soon spread to Austria and England. This new subset of the art form contained stories and music that were light-hearted. So it was Offenbach, Lehár, and the team of Gilbert and Sullivan that laid the ground work for the American musical theater. As a curator of this art form, I find that the American musical theater tradition fits rather nicely into repertoire of an opera company. Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS and Floyd’s SUSANNAH both premiered on Broadway. One can say the birth of American opera happened on Broadway.

SHOW BOAT is an amazing piece of theater that contains some of the most beloved tunes in the lexicon. It possesses the necessary union of music and drama. The demands that are imposed on singer-actors in opera remain the same when casting musical theater. It is the stun-ning communicative power of the artist that is paramount. Hearing the tune “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” or “Ol’ Man River” performed by accomplished singer-actors puts this extension of opera, the American musical, on a totally different dramatic and musical level.

MAESTRO JOSEPH MECHAVICH

Why Show Boat?

Kentucky Opera Interim Artistic Director


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MAESTRO JOSEPH MECHAVICH

You are local to Louisville, yes? Where can we find you when not working with Kentucky Opera?

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and came to Louisville to work for Derby Dinner Playhouse after spending several years touring the country in theat-rical productions. I was only going to stay one summer, but I fell in love with the city, the people and the arts community, so I decided to make Louisville my home base. That was about 27 years ago. I now consider Louisville home! In 2016 I have been blessed with some great proj-ects beginning with SHOW BOAT for Kentucky Opera. I teach Musical Theatre style dance classes at Indiana University Southeast and will be choreographing GUYS AND DOLLS this spring at the University. In the summer, I will be choreographing the Kentucky Shakespeare season in Central Park: THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, THE WINTER’S TALE and ROMEO AND JULIET. I am also Co-Artistic Director of VAULT1031, along with one of Louisville’s best actors, Jon Huffman, who is also the man who makes my heart sing! Vault1031 is a cultural center and we serve the arts community in Louisville. We have a beautiful rehearsal hall where I teach dance and we have a small black box theatre that is perfect for small theatrical projects. We have served over 150 arts orga-nizations including Derby Dinner Playhouse, Kentucky Opera, Savage Rose and Teatro Tercera Llamada. I designed and direct a program at Vault1031 called Dessert Theatre, in which kids learn to sing and dance then perform for--and get acquainted with--senior citizens several times a year.

Can you speak to how you approach the specific time period of SHOW BOAT? What kind of dancing can the audience expect to see? How does the dancing change as the show moves through a 30-year time span?

This is the part of the process of being a choreographer that I really love! Before the internet, I would spend hours in the library looking up specific dance styles for shows. Now I can get on my computer and find informa-tion in seconds! 30 to 40 years is a lot of time to cover in one production. When I think of dance styles from 40 years ago to today, there are steps and styles that totally give away the time period. Disco was huge in 1975.

In the 1960’s we had styles like the twist, the pony, and the frug. Dance is a great way to tell us what the time period is. SHOW BOAT takes us through 40 years so there will be many different styles depending on which year we are in. When the show opens in 1887, I’ll use Vaudeville style steps. (Vaudeville had a lifespan from the 1880s through the 1930s, and included tap steps as well as other musical-theatre-style dance.) As the play moves forward, we see the cake walk and the Charleston. This has been an exciting and challenging process!

Can you speak to how you approach working with opera singers as opposed to artists who are primarily dancers?

With tender love and care! Everyone has their strengths and weak-nesses. It is rare to work with triple threats (singer, dancer, actor). Having worked in Musical Theatre most of my career, I’m used to finding a performer’s strength and using that to make them feel confident about the movement they are doing in the show. I also feel that a choreogra-pher needs to create movement and steps that the performers are able to do, especially if they are singing and dancing at the same time. It’s important they trust that I’m going to make them look good. I’m also a singer, so I understand breathing techniques and supporting the notes that are required when you sing. I work with a lot of actors who are hired to perform in musicals, so I use the same confidence building techniques for opera singers.

Closing comments: I love my work. Totally addicted to it and yes, there have been times that have been difficult. I’ve missed weddings, funerals, birthdays, a steady pay check, but when you love what you do, you make that sacrifice and commit to the project. I rarely get a day off, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I adore the arts community in Louisville and I’m so glad to be a part of this thriving city where we can live and work with all the wonderful opportunities Louisville has to offer.

INTERVIEW WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHER

Barbara Cullen


by Paul Mroczka

Although many will argue that it was Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammer-stein’s OKLAHOMA! that started the Golden Age of the American Book Musical, we must acknowledge the major contributions SHOW BOAT made towards the art form. In fact, you can argue that, yes, OKLAHOMA! does mark the start of the Golden Age because its popularity pushed so many other writers and composers in the direction of creating musicals with strong, books but that SHOW BOAT, which was a good 15 years earlier, established the template for the standard book musical.

SHOW BOAT Subject MatterIt was first and foremost the subject matter of SHOW BOAT that was responsible for the outcome. By choosing to adapt a work of literature to the stage and turn it into a musical, Hammerstein and Kern had basically committed to creating a musical with a strong plot, realistic characters and important themes.

Of course Kern and Hammerstein knew what they were doing when they decided to base a musical on Edna Ferber’s sprawling novel. At least, they understood that they were attempting to raise the bar when it came to utilizing musical theatre to create a serious work of art. SHOW BOAT would include elements from the minstrel show, vaudeville and burlesque, but it in no way fit into any of those genres. It was in a genre of its own–the book musical.

Character, Situation & MotivationIn the musical SHOW BOAT, Hammerstein created characters that seemed to be real in terms of where they came from, what they wanted, and how they behaved. The writer put them in real situations. Because each character wanted something (had motivation for their actions), they reacted in a relatively realistic manner. The characters were overall complex. Add to that Kern's ability to write music that helped to express each character’s emotional state and Hammerstein’s focus on writing lyrics, poetic verses, rather than just words, and you’ve got the essential elements to create a story of depth.

Story & Soul Expressed through Music & LyricsKern, like his partner Hammerstein, was interested in creating a musical where each element was equally important when it came to moving the plot forward and offering audiences a musical that was as dramaturgically sound as a well written drama by Eugene O’Neill. Thus, Kern went about composing music that revealed character, had a dramatic progression, and was appro-priate in style, tone and overall form. His music also ably allowed performers to expose deep, important aspects of their characters.

As an example, “Ol’ Man River” reveals the pain and sorrow in Joe through its progression, reflecting the nature of Joe’s life, which includes liberal amounts of injustice and sadness and times when he has a semblance of hope that allows him to continue despite the fact that he is often overbur-dened by society and the rules it has created to keep him down. The music flows, sometimes quickly and other times slowly, like the river itself.

The other very important thing that occurs in the song “Ol’ Man River” is the character Joe creates the river metaphor that winds its way throughout the play. That metaphor represents the highs and lows, tempestuous times and calm periods and ongoing struggle that define life for everyone on the Mississippi.

A Serious HitWhen the curtain came down on SHOW BOAT, audiences were not sure of what to do. One reason was because Hammerstein’s book reinforced the “Ol’ Man River” theme. The musical theme runs throughout the show and it is especially poignant when used in the final moments. SHOW BOAT ends with Gaylord returning to Magnolia after having abandoned her 20 years earlier. When he comes back to the showboat Magnolia takes her errant husband back as Joe and the cast reprise “Ol’ Man River.” This is an ending that while offering forgiveness is fraught with a strange combination of sadness and joy. The journey that the audience had gone on throughout the course of SHOW BOAT was bittersweet at best, as it involved racism, addictive behavior, abandonment, and homelessness. The reconciliation that brings down the final curtain may be a happy one but the happiness is greatly tempered by the years of abandonment that preceded it.

With such serious issues on-hand, Hammerstein, who directed the show, decided that when the curtain went down on SHOW BOAT, it would not go back up for a curtain call. Audiences were left to consider what they had seen. Hammerstein had done something no one else had ever done on Broadway before–he did not give the audiences the opportunity to relinquish their connection to the characters and their situations by having the actors break character and take their bows.

Hammerstein and Kern had created a new model for the America musical, basically reacting against musical comedy. Critics and audiences were enthusiastic about SHOW BOAT and it was a major Broadway hit running for 572 performances.

More from Paul Mrozka at www.broadwayscene.com

SHOW BOAT: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL

Scene from the 1929 film Show Boat featuring Laura LaPlante as Magnolia Hawks and Joseph Schildkraut as Gaylord Ravenal.


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FEBRUARY 2016Wed Feb 3rd @12 pm Lunch & Listen - SHOW BOAT

Tue Feb 16th @ 7 pm SHOW BOAT Final Dress Rehearsal for Students

Thu Feb 18th President’s Council Dinner 6 pm - The Brown Hotel (reservations required)

Opera Preview 7 pm – Brown Theatre Rehearsal Hall

SHOW BOAT Opening Night Performance 8 pm – Brown Theatre

Cast Party Following Performance – Marketplace Restaurant @ Theater Square

Fri Feb 19th Opera Preview 7 pm – Brown Theatre Rehearsal Hall

SHOW BOAT 8 pm – Brown Theatre

Sat Feb 20th Opera Preview 7 pm – Brown Theatre Rehearsal Hall


Sun Feb 21st Opera Preview 1 pm – Brown Theatre Rehearsal Hall


Opera Talk Back Following Performance

March 2016Sat Mar 12th @ 12 pm Speed Museum Opening with KO Singers

Every Thursday night in March

Opera 101: An introduction to Opera course taught by KO Education & Community

Engagement Manager, Aubrey Baker. Contact Louisville Free Public Library at 574-1644

May 2016Mon May 9th @ 10 am - 3 pm How to Festival with Louisville Free Public Library

features KO Singers.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

OPERA PREVIEWS Join Kentucky Opera’s Education Manager, Aubrey Baker, for a free 30 minute multimedia approach to preparing audiences for what they will experience during the performance. Musical and historical topics will be explored as well as Kentucky Opera’s philosophy on produc-tions and new takes on standard repertory. Opera previews are one hour prior to curtain time in the rehearsal hall of the Brown Theatre.

Sponsors of Kentucky Opera’s Brown-Forman 2015/16 Season

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports Kentucky Opera with state tax dollars

and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Louisville East751 Cypress Station Drive

502-899-5959

Mr. & Mrs. Luis E. Prada

Claudia W. Muir

Reverend Alfred R. Shands III

William E. Barth Foundation

Lyndon & Helen M. Schmid Charitable Foundation

Documents

Kentucky Opera Show Boat Ovations!