Valley Light Opera 2007 Auditions May 5th and 6th

Welcome!

Valley Light Opera has been bringing exceptional productions of Gilbert & Sullivan and other operettas to the Pioneer Valley since 1975. Along the way we've developed some very special traditions -- an adventurous (and slightly irreverent) spirit, an emphasis on fun and community, and a wonderful mixture of newcomers and company veterans working together. Each year nearly a third of our cast and crews are new to the organization. Everyone volunteers his or her time, and everyone works together to create the best show possible. If you like to sing, come to auditions and try out for one of the principal roles or chorus. If you'd like to get involved behind the scenes, give us a call -- there are always plenty of jobs for every level of skill and time commitment. (See below for a list of crews and positions.) Join us for VLO's Fall 2007 annual autumn production -- you'll have a great time!

The Mikado
or
The Town of Titipu

For our 33rd fall production (performances on November 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10), VLO returns to Gilbert and Sullivan's most successful light opera, The Mikado. The Mikado premiered at the Savoy Theatre on March 14, 1885, and ran for 672 performances. Since then it has been presented by amateur and professional companies over and over again, possibly more often than any other opera. Ostensibly set in Japan, the plot engages universal human foibles that can be found in any time and place. Gilbert manages to poke fun at royalty, politicians, pompous bureaucrats, capital punishment, the legal system, arranged marriages, competing beaux, middle-aged spinsters, marriageable young women, and various other subjects. Sullivan weaves all of this into some of his most enjoyable and memorable music.

Michael Greenebaum returns to VLO as music director. He was music director for VLO's first production of The Mikado in 1977. He was also VLO music director for The Yeomen of the Guard ('90), H.M.S. Pinafore ('84), Ruddigore ('82), Orpheus in the Underworld ('94) and Patience ('98), and has been stage director for Iolanthe ('76), The Gondoliers ('80), Princess Ida ('81), H.M.S. Pinafore ('93), The Vagabond King ('97) and The Merry Widow ('05).

Nicholas Dahlman is making his VLO stage directing debut, but has directed plays by Constance Congdon and David Ives, as well as several shorter pieces, at Amherst College. He is well known in the Valley for his many performances on stage, not only with VLO, but with Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire Shakespeare Company and Amherst Leisure Services Community Theater.

Graham Christian will choreograph our production of The Mikado, having choreographed our three most recent productions -- Ruddigore ('04), The Merry Widow ('05) and The Gondoliers ('06).

The producers for this year are Glen Gordon, Kurtiss Gordon, Lee Pershyn, Nina Pollard, Lucy Robinson, Elaine Walker, and Jim Walker, all veterans of many, many positions both on stage and off with VLO shows.

Questions about Auditions? Call or e-mail us!

You've never auditioned before? Very few of our chorus members had auditioned elsewhere before they tried out for us that first time! While auditions can be nerve-wracking for newcomers and seasoned veterans alike, we try to make them as simple and non-threatening as possible. You will sing before a small committee of five or six people. We look for voice projection, intonation, musical quality, diction, and stage presence. You will be asked to perform a short and simple bit of choreography.

An accompanist will be provided, and scores for all G&S operas will be available. If you bring your own music for a non-G&S piece and want piano accompaniment, please bring a copy for the accompanist as well. Remember, the accompanist will probably be sight-reading your piece -- so please keep it simple!

The piano/vocal score and an audio CD of The Mikado are available for copying at the circulation desk of the Jones Library in Amherst.

Callbacks: If we feel we need more information in some cases to cast principals, we will hold a callback session on Monday evening, May 7, at Amherst Regional High School auditorium.

Directions to First Congregational Church: From the traffic light in the center of Amherst (Bank of America on one corner, Subway sandwich shop diagonally across), take Main Street east two blocks. The church is on the right, just beyond the police station. You may park in the lot at the rear of the church, or on the street. You'll be greeted in the hallway near the sanctuary.

Chorus -- Prepare one verse of a song preferably from an operetta or musical, which is straightforward and simple, not too long, and displays your range, projection, diction, and ability to sing on pitch.

Principals -- Prepare a solo from some Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. It is not necessary to sing something from The Mikado. You will also be asked to read some dialogue.

Because we depend on one another, we take our rehearsal policy very seriously. We start and end rehearsals on time, and we work hard. If you are asked to join the company, you are required to attend all your scheduled rehearsals (except for sickness and real emergencies), and to arrive early enough to begin on time. Everyone who auditions will be asked to agree to this policy in writing, and anyone who cannot adhere to it may be dropped from the cast. You will also be expected to take a turn working on scenery, costumes or other production tasks, as is appropriate for any community theater company.

The Mikado: Bass (F - d') The Emperor of Japan. A warrior-king who wants to be loved as well as feared but can't suppress his vicious streak. Should have a rich, powerful voice with a solid low F. He sings the bottom line in the Glee.

Nanki-Poo: Lyric Tenor (c - a') Romantic lead; an exiled young prince who leaves court with the soul of a poet and returns with a head for politics. Should have a secure and unobtrusive high range, including a soft high G. Sings the lower part and inner parts in ensembles.

Ko-Ko: Baritone (G - e') A Lord High Executioner who abhors violence. A witty man so buffeted about by forces beyond his control that he occasionally manages to walk on air. As the comic baritone, he should have excellent diction and projection and needs to manage a single low G. Sings bottom or inner parts in ensembles.

Pooh-Bah: Bass/baritone (B-flat - d') Lord High Everything Else. A gleefully corrupt aristocrat-turned-bureaucrat who suddenly gets in over his upturned chin. Must be commanding and haughty with a voice that always threatens to break out in a yawn. Carries the bottom line in ensembles.

Pish-Tush: Bass/baritone (F - e') Voice of the noblemen of Titipu, who plays Virgil to Nanki-Poo's Dante. Must have good diction and breath control with a sonorous low F. Has one major solo and sings bottom and top parts in several ensembles. Sings with the chorus when not otherwise occupied.

Katisha: Contralto (g# - f') The power behind the throne, she shares the Mikado's bloodthirstiness and Nanki-Poo's desire to be loved. She needs a large voice that can cut through the full ensemble. Has several major arias and one duet requiring good breath control (and lots of breath). She should display wrath in her singing but also an arch coyness.

Yum-Yum: Lyric Soprano (d' - b-flat") Romantic lead, beloved of Nanki-Poo. The beautiful popular girl who's not quite ready to grow up (or be buried alive). Should have a pure voice that projects both innocence and inner confidence with good breath control and a feeling for the long line.

Pitti-Sing: Mezzo-soprano/soprano (b-flat - g#") The funny popular girl who dives in to save her best friend Yum-Yum and discovers she's in hot water. A large role with much ensemble singing, on the top, in the middle and on the bottom. Should play well with others. Ideally, the voice should also project dark comedy when appropriate.

Peep-Bo: Soprano/mezzo-soprano (d' - d") The painfully honest popular girl who is smart enough to sidestep the emerging crisis. A few small solos, but major work as the middle voice in ensembles.

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