Center Stage Opera

For the last few years, I have been singing with Center Stage Opera, a young company in the San Fernando Valley that puts on absolutely excellent operatic productions, with a full orchestra, under the direction of Brian Onderdunk and y directed by Dyland Thomas  The leads are wonderful young artists, that could all hold their own on major opera stages.  Shira and Dylan Thomas lead this wonderful company, and it has been my privilege to perform with them in four different operas to date.  (There would have been a fifth, Rigoletto, but I got one of my respiratory gems and had to drop out.

A scene from Faust

In 2010 they presented Faust, with an unusal twist.  It was set as if an episode of the Twilight Zone,  and everything was black and white, except for lips.  The sets, the lights, all the costumes and even the makeup were in shades of black and white to create the  effect of the old B&W TV shows.  I think by the last performance I finally got all of the French words in the choruses, which was a mouthful, but the music by Gounod was exquisite.

We had one exciting performance, however,  Our Faust, Liam McLachlan, was singing his most gorgeous opera when all of a sudden the house facade onstage began falling toward him.  Dylan and Alex rushed onstage and literally held it up for the rest of the song.  Liam never missed a beat, but you could hear the audible gasps of the audience.

Faust

That fall we did a concert version of La Traviata, which I loved, because I didn't have to memorize all of the Italian...we were allowed to hold music folders.  Shira gave an amazing performance as Violetta in spite of being quite ill.  The rest of the cast were also wonderful.

In February of 2010 we presented (notice I say 'we' like it was my very own doing) Die Fledermaus, set in a disco in the 70's.  It was fabulous.  Not being a drinker, I asked Dylan if perhaps we could find one of the old green coke bottles, and I could be the designated driver for the evening....he got me the bottle.  For costumes, I just pulled old 70's clothes and my 70's wig out of my closet.  (I used to wear a wig to Church every Sunday during that time.  It was very fashionable.)  I don't think many in the cast were even alive in the 70's other than just as young kids, so I actually brought in a picture of me in one of my loud 70's outfits (and I was trés skinny then, too.).   I teased Dylan that he would never be accused of age discrimination as long as he let me sing in his choruses.

My 70's wig

That was a REAL dress of mine.

I plan to be in the world premiere of Marie's Orchard in June.  It was written expressly for Shira Thomas, Center Stage's prima coloratura.


PS  The fourth one I did was my first with them....Cosi fan tutte.