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., I LEON WILSON CLARK OPERA SERIES SHEPHERD SCHOOL OPERA presents SOME ENCHANTED EVENING A Revue of the Musical Theater Works of Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) Debra Dickinson, director Keith Chambers, pianist September 17, 18 and 19, 2004 7:30 p.m. Wortham Opera Theatre ~~rd RICE UNIVERSITY School ofMusic · ( PROGRAM Overture: The Carousel Waltz ; j • from Carousel (1945) It's A Grand Night for Singing from State Fair (1945) Company A Cockeyed Optimist from South Pacific (1949) Max Wier IV Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' from Oklahoma (1943) Maggie Malone The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music (1959) Calm Estridge I Enjoy Being a Girl from Flower Drum Song (1958) Alexandra Boule-Buckley, Kelly Duerr, Maggie Malone There is Nothing Like a Dame from South Pacific Company It Might as Well Be Spring from State Fair Alexandra Boule-Buckley Love, Look Away from Flower Drum Song Kelly Duerr Don't Marry Me from Flower Drum Song Alexandra Boule-Buckley, Calm Estridge, Maggie Malone, Max Wier IV Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific Company People Will Say We 're in Love from Oklahoma Alexandra Boule-Buckley, Max Wier IV Stepsisters' Lament from Cinderella (1957) Kelly Duerr, Maggie Malone All at Once You Love Her from Pipe Dream (1955) Calm Estridge, Max Wier IV Kansas City from Oklahoma Company Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? from Cinderella Calm Estridge Something Wonderful from The King and I (1951) Maggie Malone This Nearly Was Mine from South Pacific Max Wier IV I Have Dreamed from The King and I Company DIRECTOR'S NOTES Rodgers and Hammerstein were groundbreakers in the American musical theater even before their first collaboration on Oklahoma in 1943. Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, paired with composer Jerome Kern, blurred the dis tinction between entertainment and art with the first musical play in 19 2 7, Showboat. This score, which was a cohesive development of characters through music and lyrics, unlike previous works which tended to provide mindless, escapist entertainment, established the viability of serious theater on the Broadway musical stage. Richard Rodgers, in collaboration with Lorenz Hart on the smart and sophisticated Pal Joey in 1940, broke the rules and introduced controversy to the musical theater by creating shady, realistic characters who represented the seamier side of life. But it is the shows that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together that had the most impact on musi cal theater, leaving a legacy which has greatly influenced every Broadway composer and lyricist for the last sixty years. Oklahoma was the first musical in which music, lyrics, narrative and dance all seamlessly contributed to telling the story, a concept modern audi ences take for granted but which was revolutionary at the time. The charac ters are real people, and the songs and dances are not "star turns," but either further the action or illuminate the emotional state of the characters. The comedy and the dramatic moments, and there are both within the show, are not imposed on the plot, but grow out of the situations in which the charac ters find themselves. At the heart of the musical are serious issues: how a primitive society comes to terms with lawlessness as it prepares to enter civi lization by becoming a state, and how Americans view their own destinies. Rodgers and Hammerstein's subsequent collaborations followed the same successful formula. They courageously tackled difficult subjects in their musi cal plays. Carousel, for example, is about the possibility of eternal redemp tion for the antihero Billy Bigelow, a thief and wife abuser. South Pacific deals with racial prejudice in Americans fighting the Japanese during World War II. The King a11d I theatricalizes the conflict between Eastern and Wes tern cultures, and Flower Drum So11g portrays the generation gap brought on by the westernization of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The geni us of Rodgers and Hammerstein is that they managed to make these dramatic themes entertaining enough to stand the test of time. Most of their shows were made into movies and are still being revived in theaters and even opera houses today, still stirring audiences with new pro ductions that place even more emphasis on the moving stories and rich char acterizations that are the hallmark of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. This evening, we remove some of these familiar songs (and a few you may not know) from the context of their stories, to present in a revue format. We invite you to Listen to the beautifiil melodies and the joyful Lyrics - the gentle reminders ofsweeter times, the reflection of a buoyant America. BIOGRAPHY DEBRA DICKINSON is Artist Teacher of Opera Studies for Acting and Movement at the Shepherd School of Music. Ms. Dickinson was a professional singer and actress in New York for fifteen years before starting her career as a director. She pe,jormed with Richard Burton on Broadway in Camelot and as Guenevere opposite Richard Harris in the subsequent national tour. Favorite roles she has played include Jellylorum in the German language production of Cats at Theatre an der Wien in Vienna; Adriana in The Boys from Syracuse at the Goodspeed Opera; and Azuri in The Desert Song at Central City Opera and Chautauqua Opera. She began her directing career by serving as Assistant Director for Naughty Marietta at Beverly Sills' New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and later she was the Associate Director of The Pajama Game there as well. Other directing credits include Werther, Cosi fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Die Fledermaus, Albert Herring, The Pirates of Penzance. and Amahl and the Night Visitors here at the Shepherd School; The Tender Land at the Monteux Opera Festival in Maine; A Grand Night for Singing at the Pittsburgh Public Theater; Die Fledermaus at Florida State University; and She Loves Me and The World Goes Round at Stages, an Equity theater in Houston. Ms. Dickinson received an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and a graduate degree from Hunter College in New York City. This winter she will direct for the apprentice program at the Hartford Opera. She has taught master classes in acting and movement for Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ebony Opera, and the Berkshire Opera; was the acting instructor for the Chautauqua Opera for four years; and was the re cipient of the She/fer Chair in Music Theater at Florida State University. She has been on the faculty of the Shepherd School for ten years, where she directs scenes programs and teaches Opera Workshop, Acting for Singers, Movement, and Directing. She also teaches workshops in auditioning for opera and musi cal theater, ballet, and waltz, and gives private aria coachings. ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF Director . Debra Dickinson Musical Supervision and Vocal Coaching . Susan Lorette Dunn Musical Director . Keith Chambers Rehearsal Pianists . Keith Chambers, Michael Franciosi Stage Manager . Alex Stutler Cover. Audrey Walstrom Lighting and Set Design . Graf Imhoof Technical Director . Grafimhoof Costume Design . Debra Dickinson Followspot Operators Lindsay Boulware, Andrea Trusty Running Crew. Aline Carnes, Raines Taylor • > ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Flower arrangement provided courtesy of Cornelius Nursery, Dairy As~ford. ) > Special thanks to Lupita Rodriguez and Eddie Russell of Cornelius Nursery, and to Betty Dickinson. This production is made possible by a generous endowment from the late Dr. Leon Wilson Clark. SHEPHERD SCHOOL VOICE DEPARTMENT AND OPERA STUDIES FACULTY Kathleen Kaun, Professor of Voice and Chair of the Voice Department Janet de Chambrier, Artist Teacher of Opera Studies Debra Dickinson, Artist Teacher of Opera Studies for Acting and Movement Susan Lorette Dunn, Lecturer in Voice Joyce Farwell, Professor of Voice Michael Franciosi, Artist Teacher of Opera Studies Thomas Jaber, Associate Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, and Vocal Coach Stephen King, Professor of Voice RICE .