Debby
Oh, what if they are not a hit?
What will happen to them?
I see them being torn apart,
yes, I see them being torn apart.
So, granted, I don’t know them all that well.
And they seem to want different things.
They seem to want different things.
They seem to want different things.
Ah, granted, I don’t know them well,
but I think they want diff’rent things.
Eddie will be tormented
as he pursues acting.
Eddie will, will be tormented,
I see, poor boy,
I see that he will be tormented.
Sure, my hope for him is
that he will be contented.
But I fear instead that
he will be tormented.
I hope he’ll be contented
but I fear for him, I do. Ah . . .
Acting is a tough racket.
Acting is a tough racket
and I fear, I fear for him, oh,
oh, I sure fear for him.
Yes, acting, such a racket.
Poor Eddie, I see he’ll be tormented
as he pursues his craft.
Oh, ah …
He’ll be tormented pursuing his craft.
He’ll be pursuing his craft,
so I fear for him, I fear for him,
I fear for him, I fear for him.
Just when you thought you couldn’t have more fun with karaoke, here is the fresh take on Ferdinando Paer’s music from Leonora recast into comedy gold in A Roadkill Opera, as the producers of an improv comedy troupe in 1988 Jackson Hole, Wyoming, debate the running order of their first professional gig.
Cod Piece Dining
Stephan
What ‘cha saying?
Change the set list?
What ‘cha saying?
Change the set list?
It’s too late to change the set list.
It’s too late to change the set list.
What ‘cha saying?
Change the set list?
Change the set list?
Change the set list?
Whose big idea was this?
(Holly points at Eddie)
You are getting way too cocky.
You are getting way too cocky, cocky.
And you know what that means,
and you know what that means, don’t you?
Super latte, super latte.
Lots of frothing, lots of frothing.
Just a hint of cinnamon.
Lots of frothing, lots of frothing!
Just a hint of cinnamon.
Holly
Just a thought, just a thought;
ever heard, ever heard of decaf?
Stephan(to Eddie, ignoring Holly)
We are ready!
Tell me what sketch
you like the best.
Eddie
Adrenaline, Adrenaline
Adrenaline Adventures?
Stephan
Adrenaline?
Cod Piece Dining!
Holly
Cod Piece Dining!
Eddie
Cod Piece Dining!
Holly
Cod Piece Dining!
Eddie
Cod Piece Dining!
Holly, Eddie
Cod Piece Dining, Cod Piece Dining!
Stephan
We all agree, then, that it will be
Cod Piece Dining Room
that closes out the end of the first act.
What about My Breakfast With Booboo?
My Breakfast With Booboo?
Should it stay in the show,
even if it is a funny bit?
Holly, Eddie
I assure you it belongs in
tasteless tasteless tasteless tasteless
tasteless tasteless though it is.
Stephan
But it really is so rude …
Holly, Eddie
I assure you it belongs in.
Stephan
But it really is so crude …
Holly, Eddie
I assure you it belongs in.
Holly
There is comedy in truth!
Stephan
There is comedy in truth, yes,
there is comedy in truth, yes,
there is comedy in truth. Eddie
Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, tasteless,
tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, tasteless.
There is comedy in truth.
Stephan
You both make very good points here,
I believe you make good points … Holly
I assure you it belongs in, belongs,
tasteless, tasteless, tasteless though it is! Edie
I assure you it belongs in, I assure you it belongs,
tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, tasteless,
tasteless, tasteless though it is!
Stephan
It is really grossly, grossly …
Holly
It belongs in.
Stephan
You’ve convinced me.
Holly & Eddie
Yes!
Stephan
It’s no Cod Piece, this is true.
Eddie
It belongs in.
Stephan
You’ve convinced me.
Beaverzilla! It’s gonna kill ‘em!
Beaverzilla! It’s gonna kill ‘em!
How ’bout My Breakfast with Booboo?
Should it stay, should it be in the show
even though it is a funny bit?
Holly, Eddie
I assure you it belongs, I assure you it belongs,
I assure you it belongs,
Holly
in the show. Stephan
Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, Eddie
tasteless, tasteless, tasteless,
Holly, Eddie, Stephan
Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless though it is.
Stephan
You’ve convinced me that
Holly, Eddie, Stephan
There is comedy in truth!
Stephan
You’ve convinced me that
Holly, Eddie, Stephan
There is comedy in truth!
Holly
Tasteless though it is,
though it is. Eddie
Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, tasteless,
tasteless, tasteless though it is. Stephan
Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, tasteless,
tasteless, tasteless though it is.
Holly
I assure you, tasteless though it is.
‘medy in truth! Eddie
I assure you it belongs in,
tasteless, tasteless though it is.
‘medy in truth! Stephan
You assure me it belongs in,
tasteless, tasteless though it is.
There is comedy in truth!
Stephan
There is comedy in, comedy in truth! Holly & Eddie
Sure, it belongs in. There is comedy in truth!
Holly and Eddie are convincing Stephan that the comedy sketch My Breakfast With Booboo should stay in the show, tasteless though it is.. David Timpane (as Stephan), Laura Wehrmeyer (as Holly), and Alan Naylor (as Eddie) created their respective roles in the world premiere production of A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, in January 2016. Christopher Dews (who created the non-singing role of Marvin) is holding the moose antlers hat. Timpane and Wehrmeyer star in the 2013 studio recording as well, where the vocals for Eddie are supplied by Andrew Webster.
Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly have more fun with the underground opera sensation A Roadkill Opera, there’s this:
Now, you can Do It Yourself. Through May 6, at Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, Virginia, you can lip-sync to the lyric videos or karaoke to the backing tracks from the 2013 studio recording of A Roadkill Opera on the set used for the hilarious 2016 shows at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, and at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia.
Though not nominated, the studio recording of A Roadkill Operagot the creative team invited to the GRAMMYs, which they attended in February 2015. Which led to the January 2016 world premiere, fully staged performances (with sold-out houses) at theMead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC. Which led to performances by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia, in October 2016.
Visitors to Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, Virginia are invited to interact with the set from A Roadkill Opera via this large banner in a doorway on the 5th floor (near the stage). Lyric videos and karaoke videos have been released on the roadkillopera.com website and on the Roadkill Opera YouTube Channel for “Impress Them,” “In A Clearing,” and “Cod Piece Dining.”
Artomatic 2017 was thronged with crowds of art enthusiasts on opening night, March 24. Many attended the live performances. Many came to see the fine arts in the largest unjuried show in the Washington DC area. And then there were the opportunities to experience the unexpected, which seems to be a specialty of Artomatic.
Alain Nu entertained a large audience on opening night of Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, VirginiaTwo new fans admired DJ Choupin’s photos at Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, VirginiaTwo new fans caught a laugh perusing A Roadkill Opera‘s interactive display at Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, VirginiaA man admires DJ Choupin’s photos at Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, Virginia
For the first time, you can try before you buy everything you’d like to see (and maybe a bit more) related to the hilarious underground opera sensation, A Roadkill Opera. And while you are at it, you can see the inspired photographs by DJ Choupin that grace the cover art for the published sheet music and commercially-released CDs for A Roadkill Opera.
Free.
At Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City through May 6. DJ Choupin and A Roadkill Opera are in a gallery room near the stage on the fifth floor.
Most of DJ Choupin’s photos on display at Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, Virginia are shon on the key
A large banner showing highlights of the journey of A Roadkill Opera from Artomatic 2012 to the studio to the GRAMMYs to the world premiere performances in 2016 is found in the doorway on the fifth floor. It invites you to:
Take a selfie on the set
Lip-sync over the studio album
Karaoke over the backing tracks
Send a link to roadkillopera@icloud.com
Visitors to Artomatic 2017 in Crystal City, Virginia are invited to interact with A Roadkill Opera with this large banner in the doorway on the 5th floor (near the stage)
Great news! If you are hoping to fill in your Bingo card for the predecessors of Beethoven’s Fidelio, see what The Washington Concert Opera wrote this week:
—————————— snip 8< ————————————
“The idea of a strong female who ends up liberating somebody who’s been unjustly imprisoned, and helping bring down a powerful, evil person, I think that still really resonates today…” -Antony Walker
For a detailed look at the how a strong woman caused three different settings to spring forth in 1804/1805 based on the libretto for the French Leonore of 1798–Paer (Italian), Mayr (Italian), and Beethoven (German)–see John A. Rice’s excellent Empress Marie Therese and Music at the Viennese Court, 1792-1807.
You’ve already got a head start on your Bingo card by seeing (or hearing) music from Ferdinando Paer’s Leonorain Parker & Paer’s A Roadkill Opera. Most recently, the full Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) performed highlights of A Roadkill Opera in a free performances at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia, on October 21, 2016.
A chamber orchestra performed in the world premiere of A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, in January 2016.
“Parker’s “A Roadkill Opera” pairs the formerly obscure classical music of Ferdinando Paer, one of Beethoven’s contemporaries, with Parker’s semi-autobiographical libretto recounting the hour before the opening night performance of the sketch comedy “Roadkill Live!!!” on Independence Day 1988 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.” [emphasis added]
Paer’s Leonora had been quite popular in its day, from its release in 1804 until the composer’s death in 1839. It was not performed again until Peter Maag revived it in the 1970s, going so far as to perform it on radio and to issue a boxed set of LPs. No other commercially released recording of the music from Paer’s Leonorahas been issued since, with the exception of Parker & Paer’s A Roadkill Opera (studio album released July 4, 2013), which is built on the overture and first act of Paer’s Leonora.
Gaveaux’s 1798 Leonore, which started this chain, is receiving its U.S. premiere this week, on Sunday, February 19, 2017. Beethoven’s first crack at Leonore/Fidelio is receiving its U.S. premiere on Sunday, March 5, 2017. To complete the cycle, all we need are productions of Mayr’s 1805 L’amour coniugaleand Paer’s 1804 Leonora.
Beethoven had a copy of Paer’s score for Leonora in his library, although it is unknown as to when he acquired it. They were friends and both worked in the same circles in Vienna.
The seven generations of Leonore began with Gaveaux’s 1798 Leonore, followed by Paer’s 1804 Leonora, Mayr’s 1805 L’amor coniugale, and Beethoven’s three versions (beginning in 1805) of Leonora/Fidelio, and culminating in Parker & Paer’s 2012 A Roadkill Opera
Exciting news for fans of Ferdinando Paer’s music: over the next few weeks in Washington, DC, you can hear live performances of two of the period operas that sandwiched Paer’s 1804 opera Leonora (the musical basis for A Roadkill Opera):
Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 3 pm, Opera Lafayette presents Gaveaux’s 1798 French escape opera Léonore, ou l’amour conjugal
Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 6 pm, Washington Concert Opera presents Beethoven’s 1805 version (of his more famous 1814 Fidelio) of Leonore
Antony Walker (at the piano) and Ryan Brown discussed the remarkable coincidence of their programming the 1798 French opera Leonore (by Brown’s Opera Lafayette) and Beethoven’s 1805 Leonore (by Walker’s Washington Concert Opera) within weeks of each other.
There was also an 1805 version by Mayr of the same story, under the tile L’amor conjugal, that predated Beethoven’s first attempt. The story of the common genesis of the three Viennese residents, Paer, Mayr, and Beethoven, in Gaveaux’s librettist Bouilly and his enthralled fan Empress Therese is well-told in John A. Rice’s 2003 Empress Marie Therese and Music at the Viennese Court, 1792-1807.
It was Paer’s setting that provided the music that power’s Parker & Paer’s 2012 A Roadkill Opera, which had its premiere under the direction of Maestro Jeffrey Dokken at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC in January 2016, followed by a performance of highlights by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia in October 2016.
The seven generations of Leonore began with Gaveaux’s 1798 Leonore, followed by Paer’s 1804 Leonora, Mayr’s 1805 L’amor coniugale, and Beethoven’s three versions (beginning in 1805) of Leonora/Fidelio, and culminating in Parker & Paer’s 2012 A Roadkill Opera
Ryan Brown, artistic director and conductor of Opera Lafayette, kicks things off on February 19, 2017, at Lisner Auditorium. Antony Walker, artistic director and conductor of Washington Concert Opera, follows up at Lisner on March 5, 2017. The two got together at the Arts Club of Washington on January 26, 2017, to discuss the history and relationship of these operas.
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
Many thanks to the hundreds of people who attended live performances at the Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC in January 2016 and at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia, in October 2016. Thanks, too, to the many others who came to the Gaithersburg Book Festival and to artist talks and installations at Artomatic@Frederick 2016 in Frederick and Artomatic 2016 in Potomac, Maryland.
Our final event for the year was Hungry Men Don’t Swerve, an artist talk at Artomatic 2016 on Sunday, December 4, 2016, at 1 p.m., about A Roadkill Opera‘s journey from Artomatic to the GRAMMYs.
First-time Artomatic attendees from Austria were drawn in December to the Artomatic 2016 artist talk on the path of Ferdinando Paer’s 1804 Leonora to the 2016 world premiere performances of Stephan AlexanderParker’s A Roadkill Opera. The setting: in front of the Artomatic 2016 office, and directly in front of the exhibit space for the artist Rambo!
The crowd was treated to a sneak peak of video from the October 2016 performances by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia, in October 2016.
The Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia performed fully staged highlights from A Roadkill Opera on October 21, 2016, at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia.
Though not nominated, the studio recording of A Roadkill Operagot the creative team invited to the GRAMMYs, which they attended in February 2015. Which led to the January 2016 world premiere, fully staged performances at theMead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC.
It was sold out houses for the Saturday performances of A Roadkill Opera on January 9, 2016, at the Mead Theatre Lab At Flashpoint in Washington DC. The houses were pretty good as well on the previous night of this limited run of the hilarious new opera about the hour before the first professional gig for a sketch comedy troupe in 1980s Wyoming.
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 opera is new: the story is set in 1988 in the hour before the first professional gig for a comedy improv troupe in Jackson Hole—the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company. The music is classical–from the 1804 Leonora by Ferdinando Paer, one of Beethoven’s direct competitors.
This clip shows the Cod Piece Dining Room comedy sketch, recorded live at the 1992 Roadkill!!! Greatest Hits!show on Friday the 13th at the Pink Garter Theatre in Jackson, Wyoming. Doug Henderson, who was starring in the title role of Harvey in the production then running on the Pink Garter Theatre’s stage, proved to be an energetic announcer. Dave Rohrer provided live musical accompaniment, Ed Bachtel and Stephan Alexander Parker were onstage in their final public performance under their legal partnership (dissolved shortly thereafter) in the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company, and the role originated by Holly Danner in the 1988 run was played in the 1992 show by Louise Gignoux.This clip has mild profanity (unlike the family-friendly A Roadkill Opera).
Many of the props from the 1988 show will be recognizable to audiences that attended the 2016 performances of A Roadkill 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 scoreDiana King, retired from the education department of Chicago’s Lyric Opera, is a fan of A Roadkill Opera. She met with librettist Stephan Alexander Parker at a Chicago Bar earlier in 2016 and followed up by telephone in December 2016 to encourage a Chicago productionA Roadkill Opera‘s librettist Stephan Alexander Parker and merchandising director DJ Choupin at the world premiere performances in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint. Parker is holding the Harrison Ford print by the artist Rambo! that was raffled off to attendees who came dressed as Harrison FordThe world premiere cast takes a bow at a January 2016 performance of A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DCThe audience for a performance of A Roadkill Opera, just before the show in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC. A GoPro video of a performance is on the Roadkill Opera website and YouTube channelThe audiences for the world premiere run of A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC in January 2016 included Katie Lerner-Lam, Nina Parker Ganz, Eva Lerner-Lam, and librettist/executive producer Stephan Alexander Parker, seen here holding the Rambo! print that went to the lucky audience member who dressed as Harrison Ford (and won the raffle)
Cheers to those of you who came to see the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) perform selections from A Roadkill Opera on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia. It was thrilling to hear a full orchestra perform with the singers. Even if you missed it, keep an eye out for the videos shot that night.
A full complement of Roadkill Opera swag was available at the performances. A selection is also available now through December 9 at the Roadkill Opera display that is part of Artomatic 2016. Come out to see any of the acts performing live on the 5th floor at 12435 Park Potomac, Potomac, MD. The Roadkill Opera display is next to the stage. You are sure to find the perfect gift for the person who has everything and didn’t know they were missing chopsticks, bottle openers, 100% cotton baseball caps, or CDs and sheet music.
You can play along or do it yourself–we recently released A Roadkill Opera, Wanted: Vocals. The backing tracks from the studio recording are now available minus the vocals, so you can shine on your own. Check out the tracks through Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon.com, or your favorite download site.
Special pricing on A Roadkill Opera‘s merchandise is available if you show up in person. Come to Artomatic 2016 in Potomac, Maryland.
Ferdinando Paer, a direct competitor of Beethoven’s, wrote 55 operas. The music from Paer’s 1804 Leonora has been edited to a fun, fast, 59 minutes for the screwball backstage comedy A Roadkill Opera, which will be presented in two FREE shows by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia.
There were sold-out performances in the world premiere run at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, in January 2016. Come early to get the best seats in the 200-seat theater in Falls Church. Shows at 7:00 and 8:30 pm. You will be in our video recording of these shows!
The stellar cast for the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia’s production of A Roadkill Opera returns four players from the world premiere
A Roadkill Opera, the underground opera sensation that had its world premiere performances in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC, will be presented and accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) for two shows on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia. From the January 2016 show are pictured Holly (Laura Whermeyer), Eddie (Alan Naylor) and Marvin (Christopher Dews)
Laura Wehrmeyer and David Timpane, who have been with A Roadkill Opera from the very first workshop at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, will return in the roles they created in the world premiere performances in January 2016 at theMead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC. Laura and David also performed the roles of Holly and Stephan, respectively, in the 2013 studio recording. Also returning from the world premiere cast are Alex Miletich IV and Christopher Dews. The four returning cast members are joined by Kelly Curtin and Larry Boggs. These six dynamic entertainers will be accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) under the direction of Jeffrey Dokken.
The Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) will present two FREE performances of A Roadkill Opera at 7:00 and 8:30 pm on Friday, October 21, 2016 at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia
The studio recording of A Roadkill Operawas released on July 4, 2013, on Amazon.com and subsequently on CD Baby, AmazonMP3, andiTunes. It is now available worldwide on nearly all platforms. This comic opera with music in the style of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is recommended for fans of PDQ Bach, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Tom Lehrer, and The Rutles–but only if you like classical music with infectious hooks.
Though not nominated, the studio recording of A Roadkill Operagot the creative team invited to the GRAMMYs, which they attended in February 2015. Which led to the January 2016 world premiere, fully staged performances (with sold-out houses) at theMead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC.
The opera is new: the story is set in 1988 in the hour before the first professional gig for a comedy improv troupe in Jackson Hole—the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company. The music is classical–from the 1804 Leonora by Ferdinando Paer, one of Beethoven’s direct competitors.
A Roadkill Opera tells the story of the hour before the first professional gig for a bunch of amateur improv sketch comedians in 1980s Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Below is a clip showing the classic sketch “Cod Piece Dining Room” recorded live at the 1992 Roadkill!!! Greatest Hits!show on Friday the 13th at the Pink Garter Theatre in Jackson, Wyoming. This clip has mild profanity (unlike A Roadkill Opera, which is suitable for all ages). Doug Henderson, who was starring in the title role of Harvey on the Pink Garter Theatre’s stage, proved to be an energetic announcer. Dave Rohrer provided live musical accompaniment, Ed Bachtel, Louise Gignoux, and Stephan Alexander Parker were onstage in the final public performance by the the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company, the troupe portrayed in A Roadkill Opera.
The props will be recognizable to audiences that attend A Roadkill Opera.
October 21, 2016 at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia
Jeff Dokken to Direct and Conduct
Great news for comedy and music fans who missed out seeing the sold-out world premiere performances of A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC in January 2016: several of the stars are slated to reprise their roles in two FREE performances that the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) is producing. Shows are at 7:00 and 8:30 pm on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church, Virginia. Jeff Dokken is directing and conducting, as he did for the world premiere.
The lobby card that greeted lucky theatre-goers at the January 2016 sold out houses announced the cast for A Roadkill Opera – world premiere cast
Soprano Laura Wehrmeyer and baritone David Timpane have been with A Roadkill Opera at every stage since the first workshop rehearsal at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City. You can hear them on the commercially released 2013 album. They created the roles of Holly and Stephan, respectively, in the 2016 world premiere performances, with Alex Miletich IV creating the role of Dave.
A Roadkill Opera is a mashup of a backstage screwball comedy set in 1988 Wyoming with music from Ferdinando Paer’s 1804 opera Leonora. It tells the story of the hour before the lights go up on the first professional gig for a comedy improv troupe–the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company–at the legendary Silver Dollar Bar in the Wort Hotel in Jackson Hole. During that hour, they find out their showroom will be torn down.
The Roadkill!!! comedy review played 22 shows over 8 weeks at the Silver Dollar Bar during the Yellowstone fires of 1988. The Wort Hotel is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. One of the current Wort “regulars” built theatre flats for the 1988 troupe and is fictionalized as “Marv” in A Roadkill Opera.
Conductor and director Dokken has developed A Roadkill Opera into a hilarious 59-minute show based on the original story and English script (opera people call it a libretto) by Stephan Alexander Parker, first at the 2012 workshop at Artomatic in Crystal City, Virginia, through the Montgomery County, Maryland, recording sessions for a 2013 commercially-released album that led to an invitation to attend the GRAMMYs in February 2015, to the sold out world premiere performances at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC in January 2016.
In addition to the studio album of A Roadkill Opera, Parker commercially released the sheet music in 2013 and in August 2016 followed up by releasing the rehearsal tracks album as A Roadkill Opera, Wanted: Vocals.
For more information, visit www.sonovamusic.org or www.roadkillopera.com, or contact Parker at roadkillopera@icloud.com.
Many thanks to Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head brewery, for taking this selfie when we were catching up at the Gaithersburg, MD location of Dogfish Head Ale House a few weeks ago.
We meet again; Sam Calagione took time for follow-up questions on A Roadkill Opera–and this selfie–in June 2016
Sam was working a home brewers clinic and was kind enough to ask how A Roadkill Opera was going. Sam, we now have news:
Save the date! Friday, October 21, 2016. Two fully staged, FREE performances of A Roadkill Opera directed by Jeffrey Dokken and produced by the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia. 7 pm & 9 pm at the James Lee Community Theater, Falls Church, Virginia.
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July 4 is a time to celebrate several anniversaries and near-anniversaries:
July 4th weekend, 1988: opening night of the improv sketch comedy review Roadkill Live!!! in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The show ran for 8 weeks in the Silver Dollar Bar of the Wort Hotel. Every performance ended with a performance of The Star Spangled Banner, which—decades later—would be celebrated in song in A Roadkill Opera.
The audience is encouraged to get involved in the grand finale, as Eddie (Alan Naylor) prepares to play the national anthem, by harmonica, by nose, with the support of the stage manager Marvin (Christopher Dews), Debby (Shaina Martinez), Holly (Laura Wehrmeyer), Stephan (David Timpane) and Dave (Alex Miletich IV) in A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC in January 2016
June 9, 2012: workshop concert performance of Opening Night: A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic in Crystal City, Virginia—the first time music from Paer’s 1804 Leonora is heard in the United States in essentially its entirety—the first act, anyhow—albeit with Parker’s new story and libretto about the hour before the first professional gig in 1988 Jackson Hole for the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company.
All this time I thought there was not even a tenuous connection between the Americana themes in A Roadkill Opera and the plot of the original operas including Paer’s Leonora), only to see this article that says one of George Washington’s key staff during the American Revolution may have been the inspiration of Leonora. The article also gives detailed breakdowns on the similarities and differences among Bouilly’s, Paer’s, Mayr’s, and Beethoven’s versions of Leonora/Fidelio.
July 4, 2013: A Roadkill Opera is commercially released on CD. While not nominated, the recording led to the creative team behind A Roadkill Opera being invited to (and attending) the GRAMMYs in February 2015.
Is Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, a fan of A Roadkill Opera? Only time will tell….
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA TO PERFORM UNDERGROUND OPERA SENSATION A ROADKILL OPERA
FREE PERFORMANCES AT THE JAMES LEE THEATER ON OCTOBER 21, 2016
Jeffrey Dokken, Music Director and Conductor for the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, directed sold-out shows at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC in January 2016
Studio recording released on July 4, 2013, got the Roadkill Opera creative team invited to the GRAMMYs
Show was conceived at Artomatic 2004 & workshopped at Artomatic 2012
ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 25, 2016) — The creative team behind the Artomatic 2012 workshop performance and 2013 studio recording of A Roadkill Opera who followed up their visit to the Grammys in 2015 with world premiere performances in January 2016 announced today that the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) will produce FREE fully staged performances at the James Lee Theatre on Friday, October 21, at 7 and 9 pm. Jeffery Dokken, conductor and music director for SONOVA, conducted and directed the world premiere performances of A Roadkill Opera in January 2016 at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint.
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
A Roadkill Opera is a new opera written by Stephan Alexander Parker and first workshopped at Artomatic 2012, the Washington area’s largest free creative arts event. A mash-up of a classic screwball backstage comedy and Ferdinando Paer’s 1804 opera Leonora, the 59-minute opera tells the story of the hour before the lights go up on the first professional gig for an amateur improv comedy troupe in 1988 Jackson Hole, Wyoming. During that hour, they find out their showroom at the Silver Dollar Bar is going to be torn down.
“Parker’s new story and English lyrics are hilarious, and he kept Paer’s music intact,” said Dokken. “Classical music lovers will enjoy it, opera lovers will enjoy it, and your random fans who have maybe never seen an opera before will enjoy it, too.”
Peter Maag called Paer’s Leonora “an inspired, imaginative work, technically worthy of the highest praise…The orchestration is faultless and complements the vocal parts beautifully.”
Pam Schipper wrote in the Gaithersburg Town Courier that A Roadkill Opera’s “[s]ongs like ‘Impress Them,’ ‘Cod Piece Dining,’ ‘Jello,’ and [Gonna buy my old granddad a] ‘Geo’ pair offbeat humor with beautiful vocals and music.”
Paul Barrosse, writer/performer with Chicago’s Mee-Ow Show and Practical Theatre Company, and Saturday Night Live, called A Roadkill Opera “…a very, very, cool thing…exceptionally well done…”
Dokken and Parker, video director Ben Ganz (who spent 7 years at American Idol and has now formed Vego Pictures), and merchandizing director DJ Choupin attended the Grammys in February 2015. Composer Ferdinando Paer was not available to attend, as he died more than a century ago.
Maestro Dokken became involved with the project after long-time Artomatic exhibitor Parker completed this new English libretto, begun and roughed-out during Artomatic 2004. A search for interested producing partners was launched at Artomatic 2009, continued at Artomatic@Frederick in 2011, and ended in 2012 when Dokken received a copy of the score through a mutual friend, Martine Micozzi, who plays flute for SONOVA and on the studio recording of A Roadkill Opera. The Artomatic 2012 workshop performance of A Roadkill Operain June in Crystal City, Virginia, was “sprawling room only—every seat was taken and people were sprawled out in all directions,” said Parker.
Parker and Dokken gave invited artist talks in the Washington DC area at Artomatic 2015 and at Artomatic@Frederick 2016.
Music from 1804. Action set in 1988. A new opera (in just 59 minutes)
The 2012 performance at Artomatic was one of many featured at the month-long arts event. Artomatic 2012 was the largest ever event, featuring work and performances by more than 1300 artists, performers, musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers, and creatives of all kinds in a 380,000 square-foot office building in Crystal City, Va. The 6-week event attracted more than 80,000 attendees—not all at the same time, obviously.
FREE performances of A Roadkill Opera will be held at 7 pm and 9 pm on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA 22042. Watch for more information at http://sonovamusic.org and www.roadkillopera.com.
**MEDIA AVAILABILITY: To schedule an interview with Maestro Jeffrey Dokken or librettist Stephan Alexander Parker, or to arrange photo opportunity, contact Stephan at 240.277.6640 or roadkillopera@icloud.com.
Jeffrey Sean Dokken (Music Director and Conductor). Maestro Jeffrey Sean Dokken is one of today’s most exciting and vibrant conductors, composers, and tenors. Northern Virginia Magazine wrote, under Maestro Dokken’s direction “NOVA has a world-class symphony in the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia.” Over the past decade, Dokken has performed all across the United States in some of America’s greatest venues, including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Marie Collier Baker Theater and many more; internationally, he’s performed at Teatro Sanchez Aguilar, Teatro Centro Civico Eloy Alfaro, and Teatro Bolivar. From 2012-2014, Maestro Dokken has had the distinct honor of conducting at the White House in Washington D.C. as part of the “Holidays at the White House”.
In addition to being the Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA), Maestro Dokken is also the Music Director of CoroAllegro in Wilmington, Delaware, Delaware’s preeminent chamber choir. Dokken has recently been guest conductor with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Guayaquil, Loja Symphony Orchestra, Opera Guild of Northern Virginia, American University, The Washington Men’s Camerata, The Reformation Festival Choir and Patrick Lundy, and the Ministers of Music. In December 2013 and 2014, Maestro Dokken returned to the Kennedy Center to conduct a combined choir of 250 voices in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah”.
After earning his degree in vocal performance from the prestigious University of Redlands School of Music, Dokken pursued graduate degrees in music education and conducting at California Lutheran University and Shenandoah Conservatory, respectively. Maestro Dokken has studied conducting with Dr. Steven Cooksey and Jeffrey H. Rickard, euphonium and trombone with Dr. Phil Keen, piano with Dr. Angelica Prodan, and voice with Mrs. Patricia Gee and Dr. Anthony Zwerdling.
In addition to being an accomplished conductor and composer, Maestro Dokken is in high demand as a vocalist. As a singer, Dokken has performed with innumerable world-class soloists, including Andrea Boccelli, Kelli O’Hara, Brian D’Arcy, James and David Archuletta, among others. Dokken has performed as a vocal soloist throughout the country with various instrumental and choral ensembles, including recent performances with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and St. Marie’s Choral Arts. In August 2014, Dokken performed a solo Broadway recital at Lenna Hall in New York, accompanied by renowned musician Jeanne Kelly. In October 2015 and May 2015, Dokken performed a series of acclaimed duet concerts in California and Virginia with South America’s finest pianist, Juan Carlos Escudero.
Dokken has composed for, conducted and performed on a number of opera, classical, and musical theatre CD’s and DVD’s. Most recently, he conducted and co-produced, and sang the tenor role on Stephan Parker’s 2013 adaptation of Ferdinando Paer’s classic opera “Leonora”, released commercially in July 2013. Additionally, Dokken was the Musical Consultant and Composer in Residence for the largest health care corporation in America, Kaiser Permanente.
About SONOVA
The Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA) began as a small, government funded, Arlington County orchestra. Wildly popular with audiences and musicians alike, in 2011, the conductor, Maestro Jeffrey Dokken, and the committed musicians established a large, independent professional-quality symphony. Delighting audiences throughout the region, SONOVA’s home theater is the beautiful George Washington Masonic Memorial Theater. Additionally, SONOVA has performed at such venues as Arlington’s Spectrum Theater, the historic Church of the Reformation in Washington, DC, and for three years in a row, the White House, and Colonial Williamsburg’s historic Bruton Parish. SONOVA has been invited to perform throughout the Mid Atlantic region with arts organizations as wide ranging as renaissance choirs, tap dance companies, symphonic choirs, and Broadway artists. SONOVA routinely performs with world class guest artists, conductors, and musicians, and places special importance on collaborations and American and world premieres. SONOVA has given premiers of works by Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, Peter Rauch, Paul Leavitt, Michael Ream, and William Burdett, and has been joined onstage by world renowned soloists and conductors Jorge Saade-Scaaf, Juan Carlos Escudero, Krystal Rickard-McCoy, Jackson Caesar, Laura Wehrmeyer, Bakaari Wilder, David Timpane, Barry Hemphill, and many others. For more information, visit http://sonovamusic.org.
About Artomatic
Artomatic creates community, builds audience and expands economic development by transforming available space into a playground for artistic expression. Open-entry events showcase creative work including visual art, music, film, performance, poetry and fashion. Artomatic is a non-profit organization headed by a volunteer Board of Directors and funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.artomatic.org.
About A Roadkill Opera
A Roadkill Opera tells the story of the hour before the lights go up on opening night for a comedy improv troupe in 1988 Jackson Hole, Wyoming—the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company. Based (loosely) on a true story from a fast-developing tourist town, this original English libretto by Stephan Alexander Parker is set to music from 1804 by Ferdinando Paer (Napoleon’s maitre de chapelle). A synthesized piano karaoke version of A Roadkill Opera was posted online in April 2012. Maestro Jeffery Dokken assembled five opera singers and an 8-piece chamber orchestra to workshop and perform a concert version of A Roadkill Opera at Artomatic 2012 in June. He reassembled most of the singers and players between January and June 2013 for a studio recording of A Roadkill Opera, commercially released on July 4, 2013. The creative team behind A Roadkill Opera was subsequently invited to the GRAMMYs based on that recording, which they attended in February 2015.
Come have a conversation about how the creative team behind this very funny show workshopped at Artomatic ended up at the GRAMMYs. From a computer mock-up at Artomatic 2004 to recruiting producers at Artomatic 2009 and Artomatic@Frederick 2011, to the week of public workshops culminating in a workshop concert (see it on YouTube) at Artomatic 2012, Artomatic has been central to the development of A Roadkill Opera. The June 2012 Artomatic workshop concert led to a studio recording released commercially on July 4, 2013, with all the sheet music also released commercially and available through your local bookseller or luthier.
Though not nominated, the studio recording of A Roadkill Operagot us invited to the GRAMMYs, which we attended in February 2015. Which led to the January 2016 world premiere, fully staged performances (with sold-out houses) at theMead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington DC. Hear how it happened from the creative team: music director, conductor, and director Jeffrey Dokken, together with Stephan Alexander Parker, who wrote the thing. The opera is new: the story is set in 1988 in the hour before the first professional gig for a comedy improv troupe in Jackson Hole—the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company. The music is classical–from the 1804 Leonora by Ferdinando Paer, one of Beethoven’s direct competitors.
“Weird Al” Yankovic won Best Comedy Album for “Mandatory Fun.” He and his wife sat just across the aisle from A Roadkill Opera‘s music director/conductor Jeffrey Dokken at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards in February 2015. Then Jane Seymour sat down right in front of us with Glen Campbell‘s kids. They produced the Best Country Song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You.” Dokken in the studio (top). A Roadkill Opera dropped July 4, 2013. While not nominated, our studio recording got us invited to the GRAMMYs. Librettist Stephan Alexander Parker, Dokken, and merchandising director DJ Choupin at the Premiere (above, left) and the Telecast (below, left). Video director Ben Ganz is checking on the after parties (below, center) while Parker is just glad he remembers where he parked the car.Stage manager Marvin (Christopher Dews) presents a frozen roadkill on a stick to Stephan (David Timpane) while Dave (Alex Miletich IV) looks on with amusement in A Roadkill Opera at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC in January 2016. Strings play pizzicato as Holly (Laura Wehrmeyer) performs at the stand-and-sing workshop performance at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia in June 2012. The classic Cod Piece Dining Room comedy sketch – 1980s Wyoming. Free! Hilarious videos at the Roadkill Opera YouTube channeland at roadkillopera.com.
