Gusman Theater. Apr 8 and 9, 2011. 7:30 p.m.
A double bill of Donizetti’s Rita and John Duke’s Captain Lovelock will be presented by New World School of the Arts Opera Theater Ensemble under the artistic direction of Rodney Miller. NWSA faculty member Elena Maria Garcia will provide the stage direction and Maestro Alfred Gershfeld will direct the NWSA Orchestra.
NWSA’s opera double bill will be presented on Friday and Saturday, April 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Gusman Center for the Performing in downtown Miami. General admission is $10 and $5 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at http://nwsa.mdc.edu.
“As director of the College Opera Theater Ensemble, each year I am challenged by two important decisions involving repertoire. First, the choice must consider the abilities of young singers with little experience. Secondly, I want the choice to engage the interest of our audience. Both Rita and Captain Lovelock presented good choices even though they require difficult ensemble singing as well as comedic acting. Above all, our students must sing beautifully and entertain as they grow as young artists” stated Rodney Miller.
The story of Rita, the tyrannical and abusive wife of the timid Beppe, begins at her inn. The life of the couple is thrown into turmoil with the unexpected arrival of Gaspar, the first husband of Rita, whom all believed to have drowned. Believing that Rita has died in a fire, Gaspar has returned to obtain her death certificate so that he can remarry. Beppe, however, sees this as an opportunity to escape from Rita’s abuse and the two men agree to a game where the winnings will be Rita.
A tale of mistaken identity, Captain Lovelock is about the lovesick Terentia, an elderly and wealthy widow from the provinces, who returns for a visit to the capital with very young ideas. Surprising her daughters and her maid, she announces her determination to marry a young military officer with the help of a marriage broker. But, through a clever disguise Terentia soon realizes the mistake she was about to make.
Elena Maria Garcia teaches acting and improvisation at New World School of the Arts. She holds a BFA degree from the University of Florida and an MFA degree from Florida Atlantic University in Theater with an emphasis on Acting and Directing. A member of Screen Actors Guild and Actors’ Equity, Garcia the Educational Director of Bluedog Acting School for Kids where the emphasis is on helping young actors find their gifts and strengths. She is also the founder of Underdog Productions, producer of critically acclaimed productions, Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. She is also a member of Screen Actors Guild and Actors’ Equity and is a winner and two-time best supporting actor nominee for the prestigious Carbonell award for City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Theatre Festival.
With a BM from Birmingham-Southern College and a MM in Vocal Performance from the University of Illinois, Rodney Miller has performed internationally in venues that include the Munich Philharmonic, Teatro Comunale in Florence, and The Holland Festival in Amsterdam and Belles Artes in Mexico City. In the U.S., he has performed with the National Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Seattle Orchestra, Denver Symphony, New York Chamber Orchestra, Wolf Trap, Tanglewood, Boston Opera, and Hawaii Opera to name a few. His recordings include Shostakovich Songs from Jewish Poetry with I Musici de Montreal on Chandos Records, Con Flor y Canto by Rodriquez, and Lohengrin.
New World School of the Arts at the Gusman Theater
174 E Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33131
305.237.7855
http://nwsa.mdc.edu
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