Monthly Archives: February 2011

WTOC 1981: Enchanted Child, Rapunzel & a Barns Delay

The Company returned to the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods in ’81 with two terrific vehicles – Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges and Brooks’ Rapunzel. I find it amazing and charming that these TITW operas in the early days were done with orchestra! There’s a missing piece of the puzzle in 1981 – there are references to a

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WTOC 1981: The Marriage of Figaro

The 1981 season was a bit more conservative than the previous summer’s offerings. The Filene Center was host to two performances of Figaro, in a production rented from New York City Opera. Donald Gramm returned to the Company as a director, and Richard Woitach (who was to become instrumental in my own path to WTOC)

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Wolf Trap Opera Training Program 1980

It must’ve been a crazy summer. From big star appearances in Falstaff (Donald Gramm) and Fledermaus (Anna Moffo) to the unthinkable challenge presented by Sarah Caldwell’s Der Vampyr – I’m sure a good time was had by all. In addition, the young artists made what I believe was their first foray in the woods over

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WTO 1980: Die Fledermaus

Anna Moffo was the big draw for the August 1980 Die Fledermaus at the Filene Center. Nat Merrill directed, Franz Allers conducted, and Adele was sung by Erie Mills. Press wasn’t particularly favorable, focusing mostly on the adaptation used – called the “Rosalinda version”, with additional music by Korngold. Iconic Washington Post critic Paul Hume

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WTOTP 1980: Falstaff

Celebrated baritone Donald Gramm returned to Wolf Trap in 1980 to lead a cast of young artists in Falstaff. Didn’t find much in the files, but there were a few lovely photos.

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WTOTP 1980: Der Vampyr

Marschner’s Der Vampyr marked Sarah Caldwell’s return to the Wolf Trap Company, and expectations were certainly high. It was scheduled for a highly-anticipated, ambitious, most unusual 12:00 midnight performance in mid-July. The production files are full of various reports on the phase of the moon and its rising/setting in summer 1980. There were to be

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Wolf Trap Opera Training Program 1979: Overview

1979 was a year of transition for Wolf Trap Opera. It must’ve been a huge relief to see the company rebound after the 1978 hiatus. But it seems to have come back in two incarnations: the Wolf Trap Opera Company was the producing organization for performances at the Filene Center (Kiss Me, Kate and The

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WTOC 1979: The Taming of the Shrew

A wonderful pairing with July’s production of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate, Giannini’s version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew took the Filene Center stage in August 1979.  John DeMain conducted, Peter Mark Schifter directed, and guest artists included Anna Moffo and Spiro Malas.

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Observations from the Way-Back Machine

A month ago I started working my way through the WTOC’s 40-year history. (The 1970’s tag will show you the list of posts so far.) I was in search of a way to showcase this most unusual company that is in equal parts laboratory and real world – a place where it’s acknowledged that everyone

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