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.....