Tag Archives: Richard III

Creative Class of 2015: Stephanie Smittle

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resized_99263-smittle-v_47-16964_t300A few weeks ago, within the space of a few days, Stephanie Smittle went from originating two roles in an opera to singing with a Klezmer band.  This shows not only her versatility, but also the wide range of music offerings in Little Rock.

A lyric soprano, she is a native of Cave Springs and  holds a Bachelor’s of Philosophy degree from Hendrix College. Comfortable in a variety of genres, Smittle composes and performs her original work with the jazz-Americana group “The Smittle Band,” sings with acclaimed metal band Iron Tongue, leads an Arkansas-music-based duo called “Stephen y Stephanie,” and performs traditional Yiddish music with the Meshugga Klezmer Band.  From venues of a few seats to several hundred, there are few stages in Little Rock on which she has not performed.

Smittle’s operatic roles include: Fiordiligi in Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” with Opera in the Ozarks, Queen Anne and Queen Elizabeth Woodville in the premiere of Karen Griebling’s “Richard III: A Crown of Roses, A Crown of Thorns,” Second Lady in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, performances with Opera in the Rock, as well as summer study in Italy as a scholar with the Oberlin Conservatory. Her oratorio performances include Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde,” Rutter’s “Requiem,” and Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem.”

Scenes from new opera on Richard III to premiere on Saturday, August 22

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R3 OperaScenes from a new opera will premiere on Saturday evening in downtown Little Rock.  Composer Karen Griebling’s third opera Richard III: A Crown of Roses, a Crown of Thorns will be performed at 7:30pm at Christ Episcopal Church.

The performance will take place on the 530th anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth Field.  The scenes will be under the direction of conductor Geoffrey Robson. Timothy Allen is the répétiteur.

The cast features: Matthew K. Tatus, tenor, as Richard III and Kara Claybrook, soprano as Princess Elizabeth of York.  Other roles are performed by sopranos Jaimee Nicole Jensen and Arlene Barkley Biebesheimer; lyric soprano Stephanie Smittle; mezzo soprano Hannah Smashey; tenors Chase H. Burns and Daniel Foltz-Morrison; baritones Ronald McDaniel II, Robert Holden, Andrew Morgan and Jerry Biebesheimer; bass/baritone Phillip J. Murray; and bass George Mayo.

In addition to writing operas, Griebling is a violist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Cross Town Trio, and Professor of Music at Hendrix College, Griebling founded and conducts the Hendrix College Chamber Orchestra and teaches music theory, composition, and world music.  She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas. http://www.karengriebling-composer.info

HAMLET takes stage at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

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PrintMurder, grief, love, betrayal, humor, madness, and revenge–this renowned story of mystery and intrigue has it all!  Prince Hamlet, haunted by his father’s suspicious death and his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle, seeks truth and justice in a fallen world.  In the process, he learns not only what it means to be a man, but what it means to be human.

This production welcomes back Robert Quinlan (director of AST’s acclaimed Richard III, 2012), whose stunning vision of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedy gives you a glimpse of the backstage drama of Denmark that will leave you breathless.

This production is mounted in a three-quarter setting on the stage of Reynolds Center. Seating is limited so be sure tickets are purchased in advance.  It opens tonight at 7:30 at the Reynolds Center on the UCA campus and continues at 2pm Saturday the 21st, 7:30pm on Tuesday the 24th, 7:30pm on Thursday the 26th and 7:30pm on Saturday the 28th.  The final performance is at 2pm on Sunday the 29th.

Jordan Coughtry essays the title role with Paige Reynolds as his mother Gertrude, Dan Matisa as Claudius and the Ghost, Robert Gerard Anderson as Polonius and the Gravedigger, Kelly Karche ans Ophelia, and Brendan Marshall-Rashid as Laertes.  Others in the cast are Benjamin Stidha, Garrett Whitehead, Matthew Schmidli, Jonathan Altman, Keving Browne, Holly Ruth Gale, Chris Fritzges, Andrew Martin, Jordan Breckenridge, Evan Tyrone Martin, Sarah Guinee, Elena Wiltgen, Aaron Eley and Joey Whisenhunt.

 

Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre 2014 Lineup

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AST_logoLittle Rock native Rebekah Scallet, the artistic director of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, has announced the lineup for the 2014 season.  In announcing the season, she has described the shows as being about people in search of their identity.

Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
Enjoy a romantic evening under the stars with Shakespeare’s comedy of best friends divided by love, featuring wise-cracking servants and a playful pup.  This will be performed outdoors at the Hendrix Village in Conway and in North Little Rock.  One of Shakespeare’s early plays, it features romantic mixups, disguises, deception and a happy ending, all of which would become hallmarks of Shakespeare’s comedies.

Pippin featuring libretto by Robert O. Hirson and score by Stephen Schwarz
Based loosely on the lives of Charlemagne and Pepin, it tells the story of a young prince named Pippin who undertakes a musical journey of self-discovery that celebrates the magic of theatre. The current Broadway production was the winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Revival.  This will be presented in the Reynolds Center on the UCA campus.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Perhaps Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, Prince Hamlet seeks to revenge his father’s death.  Directed by Robert Quinlan, who helmed the acclaimed 2012 production of Richard III, it will be presented in an intimate on-stage setting.

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
This will be the touring production in a pared down special adaptation of Shakespeare’s rip-roaring farce, perfect for kids of all ages.

Specific dates and further details will be announced soon.

On Shakespeare’s birthday, a look at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre events

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AST_logoToday is the traditionally accepted birthday of the Bard of Avon.  He also died on this date in 1616 at the age of 52.  The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre has an event later this week and is preparing for the 2013 season.  In honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday, today’s entry looks at some upcoming AST events.

On Wednesday, April 24, Robert Quinlan, who directed Richard III last season for AST, will speak in the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center on the UCA campus (next to Reynolds Performance Hall) at 7 p.m. about his particular process and explorations involved in directing Shakespeare.  The event is sponsored by the UCA Foundation.

Quinlan is a freelance director based in Chicago. His other recent directing credits include the world premiere of The Magic Bicycle, #thisrocks, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Illusion, Iphigenia, Other Daughters, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, and Killer Joe.

He was the assistant director to Tina Landau on productions of Superior Donuts on Broadway and The Tempest at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Internationally, he has directed The Maids and Proof at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. He holds an MFA in directing from Illinois State University.

The 2013 Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre season will open on June 6 with a production of Much ado About Nothing.  The other productions this summer, which will alternate in rotating repertory, are Oliver!, King Lear and a special one-hour version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.