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MTAP Incubator Reading of ME, MYSELF AND OTHERS Set for August 29th
By: Nora Dominick Aug. 09, 2016
Me, Myself and Others was originally conceived as a song cycle, Modern American Art Songs with a Twist, by mezzo-soprano Eva Rainforth. After presenting several incarnations as recitals for invited audiences in New York and Pittsburgh, she is now reworking the piece in a more theatrical direction. Originally written for one performer, the new version is expanded to three actors and, according to Rainforth, is an attempt to create an actual storyline with a protagonist and a dramatic arc. Rainforth felt connected to the idea of three sisters navigating through their mother's death and having to sift through their childhood home and their mother's things.
Joe Domencic, who serves as MTAP guest producer and creative advisor, was drawn to the piece because "Eva offers a distinctive musical voice, something fresh and different, especially when placed in the world of musical theatre. She combines storytelling with a richness and musical complexity that isn't often heard in contemporary musical theatre. This work-in-progress is truly in the 'incubator' stage, and Audience members will play a valuable role in responding to this new direction. The MTAP Incubator is a wonderful opportunity for local writers to test out these unfinished pieces and for the theatrical community to be a part of this exciting creative process."
In addition to leadership by Domencic, the creative team working with Rainforth through the writing process includes award-winning playwright Frank Gagliano and music director Camille Rolla. Gagliano is a member of ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild, an alumnus of New Dramatists, and a founding playwright of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He has received several prestigious playwriting fellowships and grants, served on panels and boards that adjudicate playwriting, helped found Carnegie Mellon Drama's "Showcase of New Plays," and served as Artistic Director of the University of Michigan's Festival of New Works. Camille Rolla has spent six years as music director, accompanist and arranger at Point Park University. She has spent several summers as music director at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins, Utah and has worked with almost every theatre company in the Pittsburgh area including Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre and Pittsburgh Musical Theater, where she has served as Resident Musical Director for over four years. Rolla has also worked regionally and on tour and her hands made their television debut in Legends of the Haunted Lighthouses for the Learning Channel. Stage management support will be provided by Catherine Gallagher will also read the narrator.
Rainforth, reflecting on her experience working with a team and MTAP, says "I am extremely humbled to be learning and working with such a supportive, talented and giving group of artists."
About Me, Myself and Others
The original song cycle had its songs connected through Rainforth's poems and monologues, and the tone of the piece ranged from the deeply disturbing to the poetically poignant. The piece began as an imaginary out-of-the-box perspective of the people we meet and the moments one has during a life, after death and just before birth. In the course of the incubator process, the piece has evolved into the story of three sisters returning to their family home following the death of their mother. Sorting through old pictures and past perceptions, they are thrust into dealing with their own individual struggles and relationships to their mother and ultimately into finding out how to move on with their lives.
Eva Rainforth (music/lyrics/book), originally from Sayville, Long Island, this Mezzo Soprano is no stranger to Pittsburgh audiences, having sung as a soloist with the Mendelssohn Choir, The River City Brass Band, The Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, and Seraphic Singers. She has performed leading roles with The Florida Studio Theatre, New England Lyric Opera, Opera Northeast, and The American Light Opera which she also co-founded. She can be seen in the PBS broadcast of Showboat, produced by The PaperMill Playhouse, and has sung the role of Pitti-Sing in The Mikado at City Center in NYC. Rainforth currently sings with the Pittsburgh Opera Chorus and recently sang with The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall. She holds a vocal performance degree from the State University of New York (Fredonia), has the highest level of certification in Somatic Voicework, The LoVetri Method, and currently teaches voice at Point Park University. Rainford started her musical studies in composition, and is excited to have the opportunity to showcase some of her music within MTAP--Musical Theatre Artists of Pittsburgh's Incubator program.
Beth Johnstone Bush has performed everything from opera to straight theatre. She attendEd Smith College (B.A.), and studied at both the New England Conservatory and Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Some of her favorite roles include, Amahl and the Night Visitors (The Mother), Die Fledermaus (Orlovsky), Fiddler on the Roof (Tzeitel), Evita (Eva Peron), Apartment 3A (Annie), and The Good Doctor (Governess / Creature). Beth currently teaches voice at Point Park University.
Zanna Fredland has sung, acted, taught voice, and directed all over the USA. Favorite roles include Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, and Maxene Andrews in Sisters of Swing. She has appeared with the Pittsburgh Public Theater, Saint Vincent Summer Theatre, Front Porch Theatricals and the Arizona Broadway Theatre. Zanna has been a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native, Zanna is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.
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