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!