Shelley Cooper Brings Award-Winning LA DIVINA: THE LAST INTERVIEW OF MARIA CALLAS To United Solo Fest

Shelley Cooper will bring her award-winning solo work, La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas, to United Solo Theatre Festival on October 8th at 7PM. Ms. Cooper's captivating performance as Callas has had more than a dozen productions in the U.S. and abroad and has won numerous awards including at the Hollywood Fringe (Pick of the Fringe-Hollywood Fringe 2021) and Orlando Fringe (Best Individual Performance in a Drama Orlando Fringe 2021).

There will be one performance only at United Solo on October 8th at 7PM at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets for United Solo Shows at $46.50 including online fees and can be purchased here: https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/united-solo-theatre-festival-2022/. On the site, scroll to the bottom of the list of shows and enter your date and time (Oct. 8 at 7PM). La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas was conceived and written by Shelley Cooper and is directed by Mariangela Chatzistamatiou. Accompanying Ms. Cooper will be Saul Nache.

In La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas, the audience eavesdrops on La Divina's interview with journalist Mike Wallace (silent and invisible) and journeys through the life of the extremely complex, legendary artist. Ms. Cooper, a classically trained soprano, masterfully treats the audience to several operatic gems including "O Mio Babbino Caro," "Habanera," and "Vissi d'arte." The show provides fascinating tidbits from the singer's life -how opera kept Callas alive during World War II - and delves some into her complicated relationship with Aristotle Onassis while offering insight into the singer's own torments

When Shelley Cooper was 17, she was urged by her teacher to pursue opera. Knowing absolutely nothing about the art form, she did what any teenager would do to find opera music: she turned to an illegal downloading site and the first thing she heard was Maria Callas singing the famous aria "Vissi D'Arte" from Puccini's Tosca. It affected her deeply, and she knew she wanted to learn to sing like that. Since then, she has performed all over the world for a number of companies including Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Fringe, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Monroe Symphony, Chicago Summer Opera, Opera Quad Cities, Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Shawnee Summer Theatre, Redhouse Arts Center, Varna Opera Theatre, Bangkok Theatre Festival, Simbiose Produções (MOVE Studio) in São Paulo, Brazil, and the Venetian Macao in Macau, China. Her most noted performances are "Johanna" in Sweeney Todd starring Tony-Award Winning Actress, Faith Prince, "Nellie" in South Pacific, "Cinderella" in Into the Woods, "Ariel" in The Little Mermaid, "Armida" in Rinaldo, "Edith" in Pirates of Penzance, "Berta" Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Varna Opera Theatre in Bulgaria and the Soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with Bangkok International Orchestra. She is also an active director and educator.

Director: Mariangela Chatzistamatiou was born and raised in Greece. She specializes in Italian Baroque vocal music of the 17th and early 18th centuries, as well as in French post-romantic repertory of such composers as Debussy, Satie, Ravel and Poulenc. She is also a versatile performer whose repertoire ranges from Mozart to Schoenberg to traditional music and electronic music. Ms. Chatzistamatiou is also an active educator both in the fields of vocal technique and in language coaching for singers. She has been on the faculty of the College of Music in Mahidol University, Thailand, where she taught classical voice and languages-related courses. During the same period, she also served as a visiting specialist at the United Nations related New International School of Thailand in Bangkok, while maintaining a private studio, and collaborating with other ensembles and organizations, including the German and French embassies, The Goethe-Institute of Bangkok, the Southeast Asian Youth Chamber Orchestra, and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Chatzistamatiou now resides in her native Greece, regularly traveling to Belgium, Italy and England to perform.

Accompanist, Saul M. Nache, is a music director, vocal director, performer, and pianist in great demand across multiple genres and disciplines. As a performer he has been seen regionally and abroad in operas and as a soloist in concert masterworks including the role of "Figaro" in The Marriage of Figaro and "Papageno" in The Magic Flute with Opera Quad Cities; "Curio" in Giulio Cesare with Red River Lyric Opera Festival; "El Dancaïro" in Carmen with Teatro Lirico d'Europa; and "Dandy" in Ballad of Baby Doe with Opera Illinois. He has performed as an oratorio soloist with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, Peoria Bach Festival, Danville Symphony, and the Galesburg Community Orchestra. As a music director, Mr. Nache has worked with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival on their productions of Mr. Burns, a post electric play, and Romeo and Juliet with new compositions added by singer/songwriter Heather Christian. Other credits include Avenue Q and Pippin with Nebraska Repertory Theater and a new underscoring to the Thornton Wilder classic Our Town composed by Craig Woerz; Big River and Dames at Sea with the Mississippi Bend Players; Honk! Jr. and Big Fish at St. Ambrose University; and six musicals with Illinois Wesleyan University.

The Annual United Solo Festival, the world's largest solo theatre festival, presents a selection of local and international productions including storytelling, puppetry, dance, multimedia, improv, stand-up, magic, musical, and drama. Since its inaugural year in 2010, United Solo has featured more than 1,000 productions from all over the world. In 2021, United Solo launched a new virtual platform (United Solo SCREEN) to present shows for its global audience and theatre enthusiasts.

 

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