Project Description

Overview

The Ladysmith Story project is made possible by the joint effort of two arts organizations: the Fourtissimo! Coalition of Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Flambeau Valley Arts Association of Ladysmith, Wisconsin. The chamber opera by Christopher Gable will be produced in Ladysmith, Wisconsin during the third week of July 2010. The performances will coincide with the annual Northland Mardi Gras carnival sponsored by the local Jaycees organization, and with the 125th anniversary of the city’s founding in 1885. The opera will be the culminating event of several community art and sporting events held during the month of July. Two performances will take place at the Ladysmith High School theatre: Friday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 18th at 4:00 p.m. The theatre space seats approximately 460 people and will be the venue for both of the Ladysmith performances.

The Minnesota premiere of The Ladysmith Story will take place at the Red Eye Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two evening performances and one matinee will be scheduled between July 23, 24, and 25, 2010. The Minneapolis performances will represent a partnership with the annual summer opera/musical theatre workshop produced by David Walsh, director of opera theatre at the University of Minnesota. The summer workshop strives to provide young performing artists the opportunity to explore and develop their techniques in an open, supportive, and creative environment. A critical component of the workshop is the close collaboration between the student artists and professional instructors. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with the composer and creators of The Ladysmith Story and help to create their own roles in the opera.

Community Involvement and Outreach

The adult and children’s choruses in the opera will be composed entirely of local community members from the respective locations of Minneapolis and Ladysmith. In addition, the production will draw upon local artists and community members to participate in other aspects of production such as constructing scenery, sewing costumes, assisting with make-up, and stage-managing. (Personnel and biographies.) This partnership will be used as a foundation for an educational outreach program for local area schools and communities in Ladysmith and Minneapolis. While the professional artists hired to participate with this project are in residency for the production, they will provide workshops, classes, and other outreach programs to share their knowledge of their respective areas of expertise. In addition to educational outreach programs, historical lectures and pre-concert discussions will precede both premieres in Ladysmith and Minneapolis. These events will feature local historians, expert historical scholars, librettist Merie Kirby, and composer Christopher Gable.