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Act Too Studio

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November 1, 2015 by Melinda Beasi

ATS Fall fundraising appeal!

11900073_10207097553055782_8284510379157403525_nAs the air cools, we’re already deep into the year’s Opera Workshop projects! Our students are already working on music for their spring scene night AND for the summer Monteverdi project, which is growing more exciting by the minute!

We raised nearly $8000 in 2015, in online, check, and cash donations, to fund our spring scene night and 2015’s summer opera, The Medium, which was a stunning success for us, both artistically and in its reception by the community.

We’re so grateful to everyone whose generous donations helped make 2015’s program happen. Now heading into 2016, we need to do it all again, plus some!

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

c85ba68d0cfb380eaf0ad4e076200e9449ec6d3eThis year, as you may know, with the assistance of classical radio host and early music expert James David Jacobs, we’ll be assembling a collection of Monteverdi madrigals and opera fragments to create a new narrative of our own (tentatively named Il sogno d’Arianna), in our own new edition with new English translations adapted specifically for our singers. We’re very grateful to have James on board, and are especially looking forward to him working with our students to deepen their understanding of material.

This is an incredibly ambitious project, and we have all hands on deck as we work to have our new editions ready for our students to work on by the beginning of 2016. Cast members are already learning some pieces in the original Italian to aid the project along. The production will also be utilizing ballet to tell its story, led by Workshop alumna Anna Plummer, which is extremely exciting, and will be the perfect companion to Monteverdi’s sublime score.

We’re currently working on booking the production into the Academy of Music, which will be the ideal venue for its mix of beautiful music and ballet. But we need your support to keep these projects afloat!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

For the first time, we’ll be seeking business sponsors for our program, specifically to help us obtain the on-site expertise that will make our summer production truly shine (if your business or a business you are connected with is open to sponsoring local arts programs, please get in touch!), but we still rely on individual donations as the program’s bread and butter. This year, we’ll need pianists for our rehearsals, fall recital, and scene night. We’ll need rehearsal space for the summer opera. We’ll need to pay for our time (and technical staff) at the Academy. We’ll need choreographers, musicians, costumes, and set pieces. Our teens are grateful for any help that you can give!

Every dollar counts! And if you can’t contribute monetarily, consider showing your support by sharing this post with your friends!

WHERE CAN YOU DONATE?

falogoYou can make your tax-deductible donation by credit card online here:
Act Too Studio Opera Workshop

If you prefer, you can also donate by check. Checks should be made payable to Fractured Atlas, with “Act Too Studio Opera Workshop” in the memo line. Please contact us for our mailing address.
[Read more…] about ATS Fall fundraising appeal!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured News, fundraising

September 15, 2015 by Melinda Beasi

Opera Workshop Fall News!

We’re pretty excited here at the Act Too Studio Opera Workshop as we head into the new school year! After the resounding success of our first fully-staged summer opera, The Medium, we’re gearing up for an even more ambitious season ahead.

First, in the fall, we’ll be putting together a formal recital of art songs and arias to showcase our students’ studio work, while also beginning work on our second annual evening of opera scenes to be presented in the spring (dates for both to be announced soon). Though the program for the scene night is still in-progress, look for possible selections from Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), L’enfant et les sortilèges (Ravel), and, continuing our tradition of operatic musical theater repertoire, Carousel (Rodgers & Hammerstein), among others.

Our most ambitious project, however, will be the summer opera. This year, with the assistance of classical radio host and early music expert James David Jacobs, we’ll be assembling a collection of Monteverdi madrigals and opera fragments to create a narrative of our own, with arrangements and new English translations adapted specifically for our singers. Watch this space or follow the Workshop on Facebook for updates on this project as it progresses!

For a detailed look at the Workshop’s history, including clips from The Medium take a look at our latest video:

Please consider sharing our video and fundraising link with your family and friends! And if you need something more easily digestible to share, here’s our 3-minute quick look!

More to come as the year gets underway!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured News, News Tagged With: opera workshop

August 17, 2015 by Melinda Beasi

The Medium: Your Feedback?

family-timeWe’re still recovering from this weekend’s performances of The Medium here at the studio. We could not be prouder of our students and the hard work and passion they poured into this production.

Though we need to set our focus almost immediately on the question of what to do next year, we’d still like to take some time to dwell on our triumph. We’d also love to get your feedback! If you saw one of The Medium’s three performances, please consider taking a moment to let us know what you thought! Your comments give us direction going forward and also provide us with tools for talking to the community about what it is we really do.

Use the form below to tell us what you thought of the show, and you may find your comments posted for the world to see!

Again, thanks to every one of you who made the trek to Eastworks this weekend! We hope you felt how special this project was for us and for our teens.

See more dress rehearsal photos from photographer Anthony Lee.

Did you see The Medium? Comment on the performance here!

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Click here to see what people are saying so far!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured News, front page

August 1, 2015 by Melinda Beasi

The Medium: Video Diary #9

We’re two weeks in and we’ve staged the show in its entirety! There’s so much work still to do, but we’re feeling great and having fun. We’re also getting pretty anxious to show this thing to people, so please consider joining us on the 13th, 14th, and/or 15th at Eastworks in Easthampton!

Tickets are FREE. Reservations highly recommended.

For more information, join our Facebook Event. Reserve your FREE tickets online at artful.ly.

You can continue to support our workshop at Fractured Atlas

Filed Under: Blog, Featured News

July 25, 2015 by Melinda Beasi

The Medium rehearsals begin!

REHEARSALS FOR THE MEDIUM HAVE BEGUN! We have completed our first week of rehearsals, and have finished staging most of the first act, with the rest to come next week! Our latest video diary entry offers a glimpse of our process. Also, cats.

Please join us August 13th-15th, 8:00 PM, at Eastworks in Easthampton!

For more information, join our Facebook Event. Reserve your FREE tickets online at artful.ly.

You can continue to support our workshop at Fractured Atlas

Filed Under: Blog, Featured News

July 16, 2015 by Melinda Beasi

The Medium: THANK YOU!

The latest installment in our video diary series comes on the heels of the full funding of our Indiegogo campaign! The Medium IS HAPPENING, and it’s thanks to YOU.

A full list of our campaign donors will be available online, and will also appear in programs for the production. 75 people donated to our digital campaign, and it is all of them, our cash & check donors, *and* the many more who did everything they could to spread the word who made this thing possible. We are humbled by your generosity and your willingness invest your money and your hearts in our wild ambition. We will do everything we can to make you proud of what you’ve wrought.

Please join us August 13th-15th, 8:00 PM, at Eastworks in Easthampton!

For more information, join our Facebook Event. Reserve your FREE tickets online at artful.ly.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured News

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