Arts Wrap: Inland Northwest Opera kicks off season with ‘The Maid Turned Mistress’
After staged performances, “Opera on the Go” pop-up concerts and a traveling children’s production of Seymour Barab’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” Inland Northwest Opera’s 2021 season program is aimed squarely at bringing live opera back to the people.
The season will open with INO’s annual opera cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene, this year featuring G.B. Pergolesi’s comic opera “The Maid Turned Mistress.” Local opera stars Heather and Derrick Parker star as Uberto, an old man, and Serpina, his maid.
When Serpina tells Uberto to stay home and follow her orders for a change, Uberto plots to rid himself of her by finding a wife. A series of absurd events ensues until, finally, Uberto realizes that the love of his life is much closer than he’d thought. Sung in English with English dialogue, “The Maid Turned Mistress” is at 7 p.m. July 18-19. Tickets for groups of two to 10 are available in limited supply.
Following the cruise, INO’s annual gala will be at Hayden Lake Country Club at 6 p.m. on Aug. 22. Between live-auction events, the outdoor gala concert will feature entertainment including fan-favorite performances of popular arias. Patrons will be able to purchase in-person tickets for groups of four to eight, but an option to attend virtually will also be available.
INO will close out the season with a fully staged production of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice.” “When Eurydice passes away, her husband, Orpheus, is given a chance to lead her out of the underworld, but there’s just one catch that may cause him to lose her forever.”
Sung in Italian with English supertitles, “Orfeo ed Euridice” is at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 and 3 p.m. on Oct. 31 at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. Tickets will be available in August. For more information on all three performances and events, visit inlandnwopera.com.
Bailey CD set for June release
Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey will release his second complete recording of J.S. Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello during the first week of June. The album, to be released through Octave Records, was recorded using Direct Stream Digital or Super Audio, an advanced musical recording software that will dramatically improve the listening experience, Bailey said. For more information, visit zuillbailey.com.
‘SVST Rising Stars’ 2021 cast
Spokane Valley Summer Theatre’s 2021 “Rising Stars” concert will celebrate SVST teens and young adults in two performances at 4 p.m. June 26 and 1 p.m. June 27. Featuring musical numbers from “Cinderella,” “Hadestown,” “West Side Story,” “Once on This Island,” “Anything Goes,” “Newsies” and “Grease,” among others, the “Broadway-in-concert”-style event will take place on the West Lawn at CenterPlace Regional Event Facility in Spokane Valley.
Under the direction of Amanda Guarisco and Collin Pittmann, and music directors Andrea and Drew Olsen, the cast of “Rising Stars” will include Kyle Adams, Mary Davidow, Adeline Dibble, David Eldridge, Noelle Fries, Alexandra Lewis, Faith McConnell, Shawn Mulligan, Ellie Parish, Piper Quimby, Daniel Renz, Gunnar Rorholm, Jordan Santiago, Jillian Selley, Elly Sims, Casey Weeks and Sophia Williams.
For tickets and more information, visit svsummertheatre.com and call the box office at (509) 368-7897.
Awards for SFCC Bigfoot Drama club
Spokane Falls Community College’s fall production of Taylor Mac’s “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus,” as well as student members of the cast, earned top regional and national prizes at this year’s virtual Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
Organized by SFCC’s Bigfoot Drama club and starring students Megan Jones, Jaz Vega and Sarah Plum, the production was awarded a Special Achievement in Dramaturgy by the Kennedy Center ACTF National Committee and was one of only four shows selected to play during the virtual festival from Feb. 17-20.
Regional recognitions went to Jones, who won a scholarship to California State University’s Stanislaus Summer Arts Program, and Vega, who advanced to the final 16 of the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition.
“I am so incrediblyv proud of the work these student actors, artists and technicians have done,” SFCC Drama Program director and production director Ashley DeMoville said, explaining the extra behind-the-scenes work required of each student. “Putting on a theatrical production in normal times is challenging enough, but to do it during a pandemic is a truly amazing feat. I can’t tell you how challenging it is to film over Zoom!”
The Bigfoot Drama club will return to the stage June 4-6 in “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure.”