Let’s start where we left off: A Roadkill Operaas performed by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia. Christopher Dews as Marvin, the stage manager for the Roadkill on a Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company, hilariously improvises the prologue at the October 2016 performance by the full Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia of A Roadkill Opera. On the eve of the 2016 elections, Dews is both hilarious and topical as he breaks the fourth wall. Other excerpts from the show are at the bottom of this post.
Larry Boggs, baritone, sings the role of Eddie in the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia’s (SONOVA’s) two free, fully staged performances of A Roadkill Opera at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on October 21, 2016.The cast (left to right): Larry Boggs, baritone, as Eddie; Laura Wehrmeyer, soprano, as Holly; Kelly Curtin, soprano, as Debbie; Christopher Dews as Marv; and conductor/music director/stage director Jeffrey Dokken onstage in the finale of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia’s (SONOVA’s) two free, fully staged performances of A Roadkill Opera at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on October 21, 2016.The orchestra under the baton of conductor/music director/stage director Jeffrey Dokken onstage in the finale of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia’s (SONOVA’s) two free, fully staged performances of A Roadkill Opera at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on October 21, 2016.First rehearsal for the vocalists in A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia.Backstage view of first vocals rehearsal for A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. Allan Decipula is at the keyboard.A Roadkill Opera appeals to fans of all ages, as seen in this gallery crowd at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia. A 4 year old boy is looking at the Roadkill Opera mockup first shown at Artomatic 2004.Two fans inside the exhibit for A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia. Check out the red, white, and blue Chucks suspended from the ceiling.The chamber orchestra workshopping A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia, on June 7.Stephan Alexander Parker hangs lights for the Artomatic 2012 workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera. The lighting strip had been repurposed, having been used for exhibit lighting at Artomatic 2009. The singers found the stage lights at the dress rehearsal too intense, so in the hour before the performance Parker added in these low-power lights. Videographer Ben Ganz (who has since gone on to greater success with Vego Pictures) is in the foreground with his back to the camera. The stages were sponsored by Heineken, hence the sign in the background. The performance was on the Cherry Smash Stage.The multitalented Eric Scholl has his back to the camera. From designing the original 1988 logo for the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company to hanging the black background scrim at the June 9, 2012, workshop concert performance of A Roadkill Opera, Scholl’s drollery has been a continuing influence. Stephan Alexander Parker is on the ladder hanging lights. This is one of his first times lighting a public concert since……the biggest one-night lighting gig of Parker’s audio-visual career: Eddie Murphy, with Riffmaster and the Rockme Foundation as his opening act, at the Varsity Theatre in Evanston, Illinois. The show was produced by Matt Carter, who went on to serve on the board of Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.The scrim crew allowed the video of the 2012 Artomatic workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera to have a consistent black-and-white background for the singers and musicians to comfortably stand out.Three of the scrim crew examine the conductor’s score after the 2012 Artomatic workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera. From left, Cyndi Moran, Roz Scholl, and Nat Scholl. Moran and the Scholls are documentary filmmakers. They were in town to screen two films at the National History Fair 2012. Emma Goldman: The Most Dangerous Woman in the World, by Ellie Kruto, Ella Mardan, and Rosalyn Scholl; and Freer Than a Bird: The AACM and Free Jazz, by Nathaniel Scholl. Peter Kuttner, Cyndi Moran, and Eric Scholl produced directed (with executive producer Denise Zaccardi) The End of the Nightstick, a documentary that aired on PBS’s POV series on July 5, 1994.
Peter Kuttner, Cyndi Moran, and Eric Scholl produced directed (with executive producer Denise Zaccardi) The End of the Nightstick, a documentary that aired on PBS’s POV series on July 5, 1994. PBS described it: “This startling expose unravels a history of abuse of suspects by the Chicago police. For more than a decade, the press and authorities turned a blind eye to allegations of torture — including the use of electric shocks — until persistent grass roots organizations exerted enough pressure to prompt an official investigation, and eventually the dismissal of a ranking police commander.”
The chamber orchestra for A Roadkill Opera‘s Artomatic 2012 workshop concert in the green room on June 9 in Crystal City, Virginia.A backstage view of the workshop concert performance of A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia.Angelo Avellano (at the audio board, far right) provided support to record the audio at the Artomatic 2012 workshop concert of A Roadkill Opera.Screenshot of the Finale of A Roadkill Opera concert performance at Artomatic 2012. Shown (from left to right): Violin III – Kendall Isadore; Violin II – Holly Petty; Cello – Kathy Augustine; Violin I – Frank Peracchia; DEBBY, Soprano – Krista Monique McClellan; HOLLY, Soprano – Laura Wehrmeyer; STEPHAN, Baritone – David Timpane; EDDIE, Baritone – Andrew Webster; DAVE, Tenor – John Dellaporta; Conductor and Music Director – Jeffrey Dokken (hand only). Off-camera: Flute – Martine Micozzi; Clarinet – Jeannine Altavilla; Bassoon – Sarah Robinson; Trumpet & Flugelhorn – Michael Thompson. The full video is at the bottom of this post.This screenshot shows the newest and the longest associated members of the chamber orchestra for A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012. Kendall Isadore, violin, played the viola parts that had been transcribed for violin. Parker had noticed her cello-shaped violin case in the green room–that inspired him to get the signature red, cello-shaped viola case featured in subsequent marketing activities. Martine Micozzi, flute, was the first to see the score and libretto for A Roadkill Opera. She asked if it would be okay to show it her conductor–that is how Jeffrey Dokken got involved in the show. The full video is at the bottom of this post.The stellar cast for the January 2016 world premiere of A Roadkill Opera is at the center of Parker’s display at Artomatic 2015. The display also showcases the photography of DJ Choupin, whose work has been incorporated into the published sheet music for A Roadkill Opera‘s score and parts.Artists and performers in Artomatic 2015 listened attentively as Parker & Dokken discussed the bizarre route of A Roadkill Opera from 1804 Vienna, through Dresden, Paris, and Crystal City to the Washington DC premiere in January 2016The lobby card that greeted lucky theatre-goers at the January 2016 sold out houses announced the cast for A Roadkill Opera – world premiere cast.The use of a viola case for transporting and displaying the CDs and books associated with A Roadkill Opera and If You See Roadkill, Think Opera, was inspired by Kendall Isadore’s cello-shaped violin case.Thousands of art lovers saw the display for A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic@Frederick 2013 in Frederick, Maryland.Brian Jerome Murphy’s Solo (Flight) sculpture was one of the highlights of the 2014 show at Washington National Airport, Artomatic Takes Flight.Artomatic Chair Emeritus and founder George Koch speaking at the opening of Artomatic Takes Flight on July 25, 2014.Before the first rehearsal of A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012, the score and parts had been submitted for copyright protection. Here is a photo in 2013 of the Library of Congress intake of two copies each (as legally required) of the piano/vocal score and all parts for A Roadkill Opera (left) as well as If You See Roadkill, Think Opera.Artomatic 2016 benefitted from the organizational communication skills of Clarence Davis, who was hands-on in working the door, banding those eligible for purchasing alcohol, and (incidentally) sufficiently curious about A Roadkill Opera to read the piano/vocal score.A Roadkill Opera‘s librettist Stephan Alexander Parker and music director/conductor Jeffrey Dokken show their GRAMMY tickets before the Premiere. The Roadkill entourage also included video director Ben Ganz and merchandizing director DJ Choupin.A Roadkill Opera‘s Stephan Alexander Parker and Jeffrey Dokken with photographer/merchandising director DJ Choupin at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.A Roadkill Opera‘s video director Ben Ganz checks on the after-party for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards while librettist Stephan Alexander Parker is pleased he remembers where he parked the car. Ganz, who had been the youngest field producer in American Idol history and had run their social media for 7 years, went on to found Vego Pictures. But first, he single-camera shot the workshop concert in a single take for A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 as well as the iPhone-shot interview of A Roadkill Opera at the 57th GRAMMYs in February 2015.A training mission at a 4-D theatre at Washington DC’s Newseum for the future video crew for the 2012 Artomatic’s A Roadkill Opera. From front to back, Jason Ganz (now Chief Technology Officer at Data For Progress), Ben Ganz (founder of Vego Pictures), and Stephan Alexander Parker. Jason pulled cable while Ben shot A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012.
The workshop for A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City Virginia, taught us several things–including that we needed 10 musicians (not 8) and that we needed a skilled comic in the role of Marvin.
The lyric videos provide the studio recording with supertitles. The whole shebang runs 59 minutes. The overture has credits and still photos.
The first joke for the audience arriving for A Roadkill Opera‘s world premiere performances in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint was seeing a 10-piece chamber orchestra–with timpani–in a 42-seat black box theatre. Christopher Dews (as Marvin) proved so funny in rehearsals that the cast and orchestra were distracted. He opens and closes the January 2016 show.
Holly (Laura Wehrmeyer) and Eddie (Alan Naylor) debate ways and whether it is necessary to punch up the humor of In A Clearing while Marvin (Christopher Dews) tends to the llama in A Roadkill Opera in its world premiere performances in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC.The stellar cast for the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia’s production of A Roadkill Opera returned three players from the world premiere.
