In December of 2002, Downtown Opera premiered three newly created works written especially for the Czech-American Experimental Opera Project sponsored by the Long Beach Opera and underwritten by the Trust for Mutual Understanding, New York City. The three short chamber operas were performed back to back on two separate evenings at the Barka Theatre in Brno, Czech Republic, and the Roxy Club - Experimental Music Space in Prague, Czech Republic.

Visit the gallery of images from the productions here.

 

About the operas

 

Vrac (The Doctor)

Music and libretto by Ivo Medek based on a stage adaption by Byungkoo Ahn of A. Chekhov's story, The Doctor

Staged by Ivo Medek

Lighting Design by Danny Walker

Cast features Marketa Dvorakova as the Mother, Petr Matuszek as the Doctor, and Tomas Krejci as the Boy

Musicians include members of Ensemble Ars Incognita - Katerina Novotna, flute; Libor Novotny, clarinet;

Ensemble Marijan - Marketa Dvorakova, keyboards; Jan Kavan, 'cello;

Dama Dama - Dan Dlouhy, percussion

Conductor - Emil Skotak

 

 

The Doctor

Music by Martin Herman

Libretto by Tom Curley, based on a stage adaption by Byungkoo Ahn of A. Chekhov's story, The Doctor

Production Design and Staging by Byungkoo Ahn

Lighting Design by Danny Walker

Costume Design by Ji Hea Lee

Cast features Paul Berkolds as the Doctor, Jacqueline Bobak as the Mother, Kati Prescott-Terray as the Boy

Musicians: Vicki Ray, synthesizer, computer playback

 

 

Ve Stinu Klobasy (In the Shadow of a Sausage)

Music and libretto by Miroslav Pudlak based on a story by H. C. Artmann

Staged by Miroslav Pudlak

Lighting Design by Danny Walker

Cast features Petr Matuszek as the Man, Marketa Dvorakova as the Woman, and Tomas Krejci as the Sausage Seller

Musical Ensemble: Why Not Patterns

Conductor - Miroslav Pudlak

 

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