Author Archives: philmusic@aol.com

Red Tape Theater (Chicago) March 3, 2018

  1. 0:02:47 Nicchia
  2. 0:13:19 Lola Montez
  3. 0:20:59 Apollonie
  4. 0:27:55 Cora Pearl
  5. 0:39:30 Camille
  6. 0:53:38 La Paiva

Many thanks to all the wonderful performances and artistry; the singers – Sarah, Samantha, Alexandra, Adreanne, Joelle, Molly, music director Irina, stage director Beth, performers Lauren, Shelia, Danni, production manager Jorge, dramaturg Clare, makeup Zsofia, and especially writer performer Ruth Margraff who inspires us all.

Art Institute Ballroom!

Live Preview

Temptation/s of the Fresh Voluptuous and other new (Working Titles)

by Red Tape Theatre

Description

Temptation/s of the Fresh Voluptuous and other new (Working Titles) by Ruth Margraff – featuring an excerpt from Locket Arias composed by Phil Fried and directed by Beth Milles, poem objects and live music by Iggy Valentine.

Locket Arias featuring:

Sarah Thompson Johansen…….NICCHIA

Samantha Attaguile……LOLA MONTEZ

Alexandra Martinez-Turano…..APOLLONIE

Jorge Silva….production management

Izumi Inuba….choreographer assistant

Irina Feoktistova…..pianist/music director

With special thanks re: casting to Ross Crean and Amy Hutchison

Red Tape Theatre is pleased to bring another offering of (Working Title), our new works program which highlights new performance art and theatre. For our second outing following last months Long Canoe – we bring a Work-in-progress from company member Ruth Margraff.

(Working Title) is a new works program that seeks to develop new, experimental pieces with emerging under-represented artists spanning various theatrical disciplines. This program furthers the Free Theatre Movement, Red Tape’s mission that theatre is a free space for ideas, risks, and art for all people, beyond the main stage season offerings in hopes of future productions and opportunities.

This one-night-only production is offered free to you thanks to our Free Theatre Movement.

Nautilus Rough Cuts Music Theater Studio (Saint Paul) April 20, 2015

Nautilus Music Theater presents “Locket Arias” complete (all six arias) at Rough Cuts.

  • Developed by: Nautilus Music Rough Cuts” Music-Theater Studio (St. Paul, MN); April 20, 2015 
  • Augsburg College Music Building (Minneapolis, MN) April 21, 2015
  • Zeitgeist’s New Music Cabaret /Nautilus  studio (Mpls) Nov 6, 2014 
  • Opera On Tap Twin Cities (Mpls) Sept 8, 2013 

Ben Krywosz director, Jill Dawe music direction.

Casting is complete.

Cast

  • Nicchia  Jen Peden
  • Apollonie Kym Chambers
  • Cora Pearl Janet Fried
  • Lola Montez Vanessa Gamble 
  • Camille Julie Kurtz
  • La Pavia Tracey Zavadil
    Please check back for updates!

Monday April 20

7:30 at the Nautilus music-theater studio First Floor Northern Warehouse                                    308 Prince Street Lowertown St. Paul

$5 dollars Call 651.298.9913 for reservations

Tuesday April 21

7:30 in the music building at Augsburg College, west bank 23nd Ave at Riverside in Minneapolis.

$5 dollars Call 651.298.9913 for reservations email staff@Nautilusmusictheater.org

Locket Aria Demos

Please click the pictures below

Lola Montez

Apollonie_Sabatier-Vincent_Vidal

Cora Pearl

Rough Cuts, Nautilus Music Theater Ben Krywosz Director Jill Dawe Piano Music Director
Janet G. Fried, Kym Chambers, Voice and Jill Dawe Piano

 

Lola Montez 

Featuring Janet G. Fried and Tom Bartsch

 

 

Camille (excerpt)

Featuring Maggie Lofbloom and Tom Bartsch

 

 

 Apollonie

Featuring Janet G. Fried and Tom Bartsch

 

Words Ruth Margraff Music Phil Fried copyright 2014 all rights reserved

 

Nautilus Rough Cuts Music Theater Studio “Locket Arias” (Saint Paul) April 20, 2015

Nautilus Music Theater presents “Locket Arias” excerpts at Rough Cuts

Featuring vocalists Kym Chambers and Janet Gottschall Fried, with music direction from Jill Dawe. Also Hard Times and a special tribute to Stephen Paulus.

Monday November 10

7:30 at the Nautilus music-theater studio First Floor Northern Warehouse                                    308 Prince Street Lowertown St. Paul

$5 dollars Call 651.298.9913 for reservations

Tuesday November 11

7:30 in the music building at Augsburg College, west bank 23nd Ave at Riverside in Minneapolis.

$5 dollars Call 651.298.9913 for reservations email staff@Nautilusmusictheater.org

 

 

Nautilus Rough Cuts Music Theatre Studio (Saint Paul) “Locket Arias” April 20, 2015

“Locket Arias” is an operatic setting of a play of the same title by Ruth Margraff. The work is a series of tableaux featuring six famous 19th century courtesans set as six arias. I saw the work as cinematic, and thought it best to set the text in musical styles of the past with all the trappings of mainstream opera including catchy tunes, vocal display, and arch form. This stylistic choice has been utilized by other theatrical composers. Even 20th century atonalist Hans Werner Henze (“The Prince of Homburg”) assigned distinct musical styles to individual characters. I avoided direct musical quotations from the period, but inhabited the musical world of the opera’s subjects. One was very likely to find these women at the opera house; Cora Pearl herself performed as Cupid in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.
I read Ruth’s play through many times, decided not to change her prose into rhyming verse, but added a few pronouns to keep the scansion for the musical line. Rhyme was a frequent convention of 19th century opera, but Ruth’s prose has revealing power. The music and words together fashion a mask and vision of these women: their character, emotions, and experience. —Phil Fried

Nautilus Music Theater presents “Locket Arias”
at Zeitgeist’s 6th Annual New Music Cabaret Thursday, Nov. 6 at 9:30 p.m.(preceded by Zeitgeist, Enkidu String Quartet, and the Young Performer Showcase) Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200 St. Paul

$10