NLOC receives and OXCAR

Northern Light Opera Company, of Park Rapids,  received an “Oxcar” award for their set designs at the Oxcar Award Ceremony held at the New City Ballroom in Bemidji, on Saturday, December 8. Collin Perry, from NLOC, was honored with an award for his work on set designs. Perry has been working with NLOC and set designs for many years. 

Pat and Paul Dove attended the event, and so did Gail Haller and Brian Ahert, as well as Collin Perry!  Gail performed for the event representing NLOC.  Thank you to Gail!

Two general categories were included in the recognition ceremony: Awards for established works and for emerging works produced by non professional Region 2 Arts Area theater organizations and individuals. Recognition for work in the areas of production, design, direction, performance, and special citations (determined by a group of 8 volunteer evaluators). The official “Oxcar” is a Blue Ox a familiar figure in Bemidji, MN. 

Congratulations to Collin and Northern Light Opera Company!!

Of Thee I Sing performance

"Of Thee I Sing" to be performed

In this an election year, when many advertisements, television broadcasts, commentaries, etc. for candidates running for public office over-inundates people, either for or against a particular candidate, Northern Light Opera Company will put a humorous spin on the political "circus."

If you find current politics intriguing, don’t miss the one-time performance of George and Ira Gershwin’s "Of Thee I Sing" at Armory Square, in Park Rapids, on Saturday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m.

For the first time in 20 years the Armory in Park Rapids will be used to host an event. This is very exciting for the city of Park Rapids - to watch a piece of the city's history come back to life and to be a vibrant part of  downtown!

The story line of this satirical musical, set on American politics in the 1930s, has John P. Wintergreen, running for President of the United States on the "love" platform. However, when he falls in love with sensible Mary Turner instead of Diana Devereaux, the beautiful pageant winner selected for him, he finds himself in political hot water.

Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Presidency, and the democratic process itself are all targets of this satire and specific political parties are not identified.

"Of Thee I Sing" was the first American musical with a consistently satirical tone to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, in 1932.

NLOC presents the concert version - main characters and a chorus to provide the entertainment. Although there will be no sets or costumes, the audience will be surprised at how eerily some of the productions jokes seem to take precise aim, from decades back, at current affairs.

Tickets for "Of Thee I Sing" are available at Beagle Books or by calling 866-766-7372. Seating is limited, so get your tickets early.

This activity is funded, in part, by a Region 2 Arts Council grant through an appropriation by the MN State Legislature and the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund passed by MN voters on November 4, 2008 and also sponsored in part by Park Rapids Community Development Corporation.

Last performance

We just gave our 5th performance of the Sound of Music. We have put in many hours, a lot of heart and soul, and just about everything we have within us to make this story come alive!  It is bittersweet that tomorrow night, Saturday, August 4 will be our last show for Northern Light Opera Company's 2012 show.

I have heard so many wonderful comments and praise of our efforts!  We wouldn't be able to do what we do without an audience - you make our performance alive.  When you laugh, cry, sing-a-long...we know we have touched your heart!

I wish to thank Lisa Dove, Greg Paul, Paul and Pat Dove, the NLOC board, the cast, the stage crew, the orchestra and anyone else involved with this production!!  I deeply appreciate your time and love of live theatre!

And, to our audience - many thanks for coming to the show - there is one more to see - don't miss it!!  We do what we do - for you!

We look forward to providing  you with more great talent when we perform "Of Thee I Sing" on Sept. 22 at the Armory in Park Rapids and when we have our fund raising Soiree on Sept. 29!

Please come to our fianl performance of the Sound of Music, Saturday, August 4 at 7:30 at the Park Rapids High School!

Jennie Anderson
Publicity and Marketing Director, NLOC

Dress rehearsal

Tonight is the last night we get a run-through - it's dress rehearsal night!  Full costume, full make-up, with every cast member waiting in the wings waiting for their turn on stage!  The pit orchestra will be in place by 6:30, warming and tuning, while the cast puts on the finishing touches!

Then, it's curtain call...no stopping tonight. We will go straight through. A dropped line, a dropped note...it's all part of live theater!  Tonight we work the final "bugs" out and prepare ourselves for opening night.

Our stage crew has done phenomenal job on the sets and backdrops - you feel as if you are in Austria, in the Von Trapp home, and in the abbey. I can't say enough at how exquisite the sets are. This is small town Park Rapids, MN. And, we know how to do it BIG!!  This is a big city production!!

Lisa Dove, director; Paul Dove, music director, and Gail Haller, stage manager have made our cast come alive - and just wait until you see our Maria and Captain Von Trapp!  The nuns, the Nazis, the children, Max, Elsa, the house staff, Rolf, Mother Abbess...they will delight the audience!!!  Everyone in the cast has done an excellent job making their character come to life for the audience.

And this production wouldn't be possible without those behind the scenes working on the sets and costumes.  They have put in countless hours (personally, I think they have been living at the high school to get all of this put together!).

I also have to acknowledge the NLOC board, as they have worked hard to help promote and raise funds for our productions!! Ad the funding from the R2AC which also makes these shows possible!!!

You will be amazed and entertained!  Please come, and enjoy the show!!

Three days

It's hard to believe that in three days Northern Light Opera Company will be presenting The Sound of Music.

It's seems like just yesterday - it really was this past April - that we had auditions!  Now we're on the edge of opening night!

But, like with any performance, there are last minute details yet to be done.  Costumes are still being worked on, sets are being finished, lines are still being memorized...and there are a great deal of nerves to be overcome!

Tonight we put the orchestra and the actors together for the first time!  I can feel the excitement building!

I had a sneak peak at the stage scenes last night - our audience will feel like they are in the Austrian Alps!  The photo doesn't do justice, but take a look at the mountain!

This is going to be a great show.  With so many bonuses we don't normally have, such as:
Debbie Turner Larson visiting on 7/27, 7/28 and 7/29 45 minutes prior to each performance!  We also have collector Sound of Music Madame Alexander dolls that we are holding a raffle for.

We look forward to performing for our audience and we hope you want to see the show again and again!

Madame Alexander Sound of Music Doll Raffle

We are excited to announce that Northern Light Opera Company was donated a 10-piece collector's set of Madame Alexander "Sound of Music" dolls.  These are all in their original boxes (actually they have never been taken out of their boxes - even more valuable).

We will be holding a raffle and one lucky winner will be drawn at the final performance on August 4.  These dolls have at least a $1,200 value.

Tickets are available at Beagle Books, Mon-Sat, 11am-1pm, from NLOC board members, and at all the performances.  For one $5 dollar raffle ticket you could be the winner of these 10 beautiful dolls!

Now it gets crazy

Northern Light Opera Company endured the heat and humidity for the 4th of July Parade in Park Rapids as we had a float entered in the parade!  No one passed out, not even Sarah (our Maria) who has been battling an illness.  We tossed candy to the eagerly awaiting children along the parade route and many of us handed out calling cards with the dates of our performances.

We had a sound system playing a few of the songs (Lonely Goatherd, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, and Do, Re, Mi) for the crowd to hear us coming.  Much to my surprise, many folks were singing along!!  They immediately were handed a card!  The parade is a great way for us to invite people to our performances...and since there were that many people singing along, I'm guessing they will be attending! Here we are on the float:

And now it gets crazy, we are 21 days away form opening night!  Wow! has the time flown by quickly. The nuns have been practicing their songs, individual scenes are being rehearsed, there is a ginormous set of stairs on stage,  a few more Nazis have been added, and the pit orchestra has been given their rehearsal schedule. 

Our stage manager Gail Haller, has been keeping a tight reign on the rehearsal schedule, and has been scheduling all the extra needed time.  It gets hectic.  But we love it or we wouldn't do this every year.  We know the value NLOC is to the community and we are appreciative of their support.

Stay tuned.....

Debbie Turner-Larson to visit

Before the curtain opens at three of Northern Light Opera Company’s " The Sound of Music" performances, actress Debbie Turner-Larson, who played Marta in the 1965 movie will give a 45-minute presentation sharing all her behind-the-scenes experiences when filming "The Sound of Music."

Audience members attending the July 27, 28, and 29 Sound of Music performances are asked to arrive at 6:45 to listen to Debbie and meet and greet her. Northern Light Opera Company is honored to have Turner-Larson participate in our summer presentation.

Debbie Turner Larson was seven years old when she was cast as adorable Marta von Trapp, the second youngest von Trapp daughter in the film "The Sound of Music."
"Little did we know that over four decades this movie would still be playing for audiences of new generations and that we would still share the chemistry and friendship that brought us together so many years ago. I consider my film sisters and brothers my ‘other family’" said Turner-Larson.
Debbie grew up in Arcadia, Los Angeles, California. She now makes her home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. She started her own floral design company in 1989, calling it Debbie Turner Originals, and was very pleased to be selected as 'Preferred Florist' for the Republican National Convention in 2008.
 
At the July performances, Debbie will be signing her book, "The Sound Of Music Family Scrapbook." Early orders may be placed by going to: http://somfs.debbieturneroriginals.com.

In the "Instructions" put "NORTHERN LIGHTS OPERA" and Debbie will know that this is for the NLOC event.

NLOC will also be raffling a 10-piece set of Madame Alexander "Sound of Music" dolls. Tickets may be purchased form board members and at the performances.

This activity is funded, in part, by a Region 2 Arts Council grant through an appropriation by the MN State Legislature and the Arts &Cultural Heritage Fund passed by Mn voters on Nov. 4, 2008.

Leaving Austria

I can't begin to image how difficult it must have been for the Von Trapp family to leave their homeland. Especially under the political takeover from the German government; knowing the country you loved; the freedoms you had; and your life as you knew it, would be destroyed.

Yet, this tyranny continues. There is a similarity between the Von Trapp family and friends of mine (names withheld) who fled Afghanistan due to the Communism regime. The father of the family was forced out due to his convictions, leaving his wife and three small sons behind. He had was allowed phone conversations with his wife.  However; they had a code word, that once used in a conversation meant for her to flee, leaving everything behind. That day came and she fled with the three boys, all under the age of five, to secretly leave Afghanistan.  The fear that she must have had, the sadness of leaving everything behind. Unimaginable to most. 

But many have done this.  Many share the story of the Von Trapp family fleeing the tyranny to persevere their convictions.

The Sound of Music brings us the music we love set to the story of political upheaval. We hope you will enjoy our production.

Tickets are now available!

Tickets for the Sound of Music are now on sale!!  We have some great deals on tickets this year and we hope people will take advantage of the offers.

Groups of 20 or more (all attending the same performance) will get a discount of 20% off the ticket price. This is great for church groups, businesses wanting to have an employee appreciation night, senior citizen groups looking for an evening out (or matinee), or groups wanting to be a benefactor to use the tickets as a give-away! Gather your friends and don't miss this show!

We are offering a Family Pack (for attending the same performance) this year - available only at Beagle Books. For $55 you will receive 2 adult tickets and 3 student tickets (this is a $15 savings). Additional tickets are regular price.

The Sound of Music is  great family show - the music is fun and will make you want to sing along!  We also hope you will enjoy seeing our local talent; there are so many wonderfully talented youth and adults in our community who wish to entertain you, while enjoying what they like to do - act and sing!

Tickets are available at Beagle Books and Coborn's in Park Rapids.

We Have a Cast!

   Choosing a cast once the auditions are over is like a magic act; there is a considerable amount of juggling that happens. There are many components and characteristics to look for when putting together the cast for the show: Is the auditioner’s age appropriate for the part; does this person have the correct voice for the part; do they follow direction; will one person blend with the another to create the "magic" needed to make the part believable; and of course, once a part is offered to someone, are they still willing to put the time into the part.

   Such has been the struggle as the cast has been put together for this year’s production of The Sound of Music. Our director, Lisa Dove has made all the calls, and finally, taking a bit longer than anticipated, our cast has been set for this summer’s production!

Maria ............................. Sarah Schultz
Captain .......................... Tom Ellingson
Liesl ............................... Kelsey Adolphson
Friederich ....................... Hawken Paul
Louisa ............................ Faith Kern
Kurt ............................... Charlie Hodge
Brigitta ........................... Victoria Campbell
Marta ............................. Kate Parthun
Gretl ............................... Brielle Krabbenhoff
Max ................................ David Overly
Baroness ......................... April Hodge
Franz .............................. Joe Finn-Bolling
Rolf ................................ Brandon Haller
Mother Abbess ............... Sara Parthun
Sr Margaretta ................. Sandi Kendall
Sr Sophia ....................... Stephany Kern
Sr Bethe ......................... Mary Scully
Herr Zeller ...................... Haaken Vaadeland

Ensemble - nuns, party-goers, Nazi's, chorus:
Theresa Akers, Savanna Day, Taylor Graham, Candi Sanford, Pat Beaumont, Beth Trout, Betty Larson, Marge Nordstrom
Ben Brunsvold, Ronald Hume, Fred Nordstrom, Alan Zemek

Stage Manager: Gail Haller

   Wow! There you have it! Rehearsals start in June - just around the corner. And, before you know it, it’ll be time for our performances!! We want you to be as excited as we are to bring you The Sound of Music!

  Congratulations to all our cast members and best wishes! (I will explain in another blog the reason why I don’t say "break a leg.")

The von Trapp children

I have to start off with a disclaimer - I love Broadway plays, musicals, etc., and I love a good movie!  But for those of us as a viewing audience, the story needs to have appeal!  With that said, Hollywood "trumps" up a story so that we, the audience, will believe in it.  And for the most part the basic story is there.  But sometimes the names are changed "to protect the innocent."

Such is the case with The Sound of Music."  The story is somewhat different from the real life story of Maria and Georg - there would be no possible way you could fit their lives in a 2-hour production!  They were amazing people!

As I have been reading the book "Maria" by Maria von Trapp, I have had to change gears when reading the children's names. My first experience with The Sound of Music was the movie, so I have the children's names as Friderich, Liesl, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl - as do most of us.

Those were stage names - "to protect the innocent."  When the play was written, Maria didn't wish for the children's real names in the transcript, so the above names became part of the story. She had wished for a bit of privacy for her children.

I have done a bit of searching and found the real names of the children - Rupert (Friedrich), Agatha (Liesl), Maria (Louisa), Werner (Kurt), Hedwig (Brigitta), Johanna (Marta), and Martina (Gretl).  Those were the children of Goerg and his wife, Agatha. 

After their marriage, Maria and Georg added three more children to the family: Rosemarie, Eleonore and Johannes.  Maria was pregnant with another child, at the time of Georg's death, and miscarried.

As I continue to read about Maria through her story, I will bring tidbits of information to this site.  I know that when NLOC brings The Sound of Music to our audience we will do our best to capture the spirit and fortitude of the von Trapp famliy!

Anticipation

I am usually a patient person, but waiting for the results of the auditions for The Sound of Music has been making me a bit impatient!  There are several details that go into casting a production, getting the right person for the part, their interaction with others being cast, can the sing or not, can they act or not, and can they take direction. Our director, Lisa Dove, has had difficult decisions casting this year's production. And, she wanted to make sure that everyone she contacted was still willing to take the part they wanted or tried our for.  One of the "Maria's" who was offered the part decided it wasn't going to work out - back to the drawing board. So, we have had a bit of a delay in announcing the cast.

I am reminded of the song "Anticipation" by Carly Simon...

"Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'...."

I'm not really late for anything, but this sure is keeping me waiting....as well as it is for the entire cast!

We have a stage manager...Gail Haller.  Gail auditioned, but decided this year to be a part of the stage crew!!  Bless her - this is no easy task! 

Keep spreading the word...this is going to be a fantastic show!!  Stay tuned...

~Jennie

Other venues

Several of our NLOC family sing with other venues in the community. This past weekend the Park Rapids Classic Chorale, under the direction of Jim Wheeler,  presented their "Seasons of Spring" concert.  The choir was joined by Charmin Michelle, from Minneapolis, on several of the pieces plus her own solos. Gail Haller and Paul Dove both sing in the Choral and Gail had a solo on "When Love is Found."

The area of Park Rapids is filled with talented artist, singers and musicians. These talents make or community vibrant!

On the last printed piece on the program, "The Road Home," the chorale dedicated the piece to the memory of Herman Brocopp who passed away this past February. Herman was a member of the Chorale and Northern Light Opera Company - he is missed.

Kudos to the Chorale for their inspiring and uplifting music!

Auditions are done, so now we wait!

Auditions for the Sound of Music are over - thank you to everyone who came out to audition to be a part of this wonderful production. I wish all of you well! The cast will be announced in the next couple of weeks once Lisa and Paul (the director and music director) finish reviewing the tapes.

Watching the auditions was amazing - there is so much talent and marvelous singers in our area - I can feel the excitement building!

I have a few of the auditions posted on Facebook. And, I will blog on  how all of this happens from beginning to end!!

I'm waiting with bated breath as are all who auditioned - good luck!!

A bit of history...

I remember my parents taking me to see "The Sound of Music" at the Southtown movie theatre in Bloomington, MN when I was about 6-years old. I was in awe of the gigantic screen and how the mountains in the opening scene seemed so real - almost as if f were twirling along with Julia Andrews. And I, at the tender age of six, fell in love with Christopher Plummer.

(I was thrilled this year when Mr. Plummer was finally given credit for his acting by being presented an Oscar!!)

In 1959 the inspiring story of the von Trapp family was brought to Broadway. And in 1965 Hollywood brought the von Trapp Family story to the American public in film. However this was not the first time this story had been made into a movie. Two movies had been made earlier  – ‘Die Trapp Familie’ (1956), and the sequel ‘Die Trapp Familie in Amerika’ (1958), both very popular in Europe.

All of these stemmed from the book ‘The Story of the Trapp Family Singers’ which was published in 1949 and written by Maria von Trapp. German Film producer Wolfgang Reinhardt bought the rights to the story for $9000. Without realizing it, Maria had signed her rights away to any future royalties.

Mary Martin and her husband/manager Richard Halliday wanted to take on a new project and withthe assistance from Broadway producer Leland Hayward, to co-produce the Sound of Music. Hayward and Halliday hired two veteran Broadway scriptwriters, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, to actually write the Sound of Music script. Musical legends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were approached to write an additional song for the play.  

The Sound of Music Broadway Show opened on November 16th 1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in New York, with Mary Martin as Maria, and Theodore Bikel (another Austrian exile, just like the real version) as the Captain. The Sound of Music ran on Broadway for 1443 performances, closing on June 15, 1963. The show won numerous awards, including a Tony in 1960 for Best Musical.

Northern Light Opera is pleased to bring the Sound of Music to the Park Rapids area for the 2012 season! We will also have a special guest join us for the July 27, 28 and 29 performances. Debbie Turner-Larson, who was the original Marta in the Sound of Music film, will be discussing her experience with the audience prior to the NLOC performances!!  We are THRILLED to have Debbie with us!

Park Rapids is alive....with The Sound of Music!

(More on the history of The Sound of Music can be found here (where I found this information to share) at: http://www.the-sound-of-music-guide.com/sound-of-music-broadway.html )

Sound of Music auditions

I can't even begin to express how excited I am to be the Publicity and Marketing Director for Northern Light Opera Company located in Park Rapids, MN.

NLOC began its 11th season with auditions for The Sound of Music. Tonight was the first night of auditions and they continue through Saturday. There were some very talented singers/actors, young and mature (note I didn't say old) this evening and I know there will be more on Friday and Saturday. The energy and excitement is building!

Lisa Dove, NLOC's director, has so much enthusiasm - it's contagious! When you are around her you just want to start singing "The hills are alive...!"

You can find more about NLOC at our webite www.northernlightopera.org

I welcome you to join and "LIKE" us on Facebook!

Jennie Anderson