TOURING INFORMATION s acclaimed revival of Rimsky- Korsakov s crime- thriller two- man opera is now available for touring, following successful performances in various venues in London and Vienna/Austria.
ABOUT Villainy and genius can never be compatible? Antonio Salieri is a respected composer who enjoys a high position and is dedicated to his art. However, he can no longer deny his jealousy of Mozart s talent, who he considers an idle character not worthy of such God- given genius. He invites Mozart to join him for dinner, and plans to poison him. Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov (1844-1908) used the short play Mozart and Salieri by Alexander Pushkin as libretto for his opera, which also inspired Peter Shaffer s famous stage play and film Amadeus. Rimsky- Korsakov s rarely performed two- hander is a character study, it is a close- up of Salieri and his tormented mind. He s not just the villain in this story, we see a generous man committed to the art who praises Mozart s work, but is torn between admiration for his fellow composer and his own jealousy. Director Pamela Schermann s inventive production is unique to every venue it appears at and uses the venue as part of the setting. When the story unfolds around us, the intimate setting makes us witnesses, if not conspirators of Salieri's plan to poison Mozart. In a new English translation and staged by an award- winning team around musical director Andrew Charity (MD of the OLIVIER- award winning La Boheme production in 2012 by OperaUpClose), this take on the famous story of Mozart and Salieri captivates its audience. The opera can be performed in a theatre with a full set, provided by. Previous full scale productions took place at the Arcola Theatre in London (main auditorium, 200 seats). Alternatively, due to the intimate character of the piece, it also works very well in non- theatrical spaces (bars, country houses, etc) where the space becomes part of the setting, creating a truly immersive experience for the audience who find themselves in the centre of the action previous site- specific performances took place at Broadway Theatre Catford (theatre bar), The Masonic Temple Andaz Hotel Liverpool Street, Phoenix Artist Club Covent Garden, London, and Skybar Vienna/Austria. Running time: approx 1h (including a 12- min Prologue with excerpts from Mozart s letters) Cast: 2 singers & pianist Overview performance history 8 13 August 2016: Arcola Theatre, London, Grimeborn Festival (main space) 13 July 2016: Broadway Theatre Catford 2 July 2016: The Masonic Temple, Andaz Hotel Liverpool Street 20 23 April 2016: Phoenix Artist Club, Covent Garden May 2014: Skybar Vienna/Austria
REVIEWS Engaging singers and clever staging places us right in the midst of this unfortunate tale... the intimate and immersive nature of the setting perfectly suits this opera Fringe Opera (reviewed at Phoenix Artist Club) A magnificent piece of entertaining that keeps the audience enthralled all the way to its very last note. The clever staging of this production sees action taking place throughout the bar and amongst the audience. London Theatre One (reviewed at Phoenix Artist Club) Crime- thriller tension... strong, believable performances... entertaining A Younger Theatre (reviewed at Phoenix Artist Club) One of Grimeborn s most striking rediscoveries...very well worth seeing The Spectator (reviewed at Arcola Theatre) Mozart and Salieri is a gem. Peter Shaffer s play is well known as is the overacted film Amadeus, but few realise these pieces derive from this short opera by Rimsky- Korsakov with a libretto by Pushkin. With such talented progenitors, it is no wonder that the original has a humanity and gentleness that the more theatrical variants don t have. The medium of opera works so well as the music gradually shifts back and forth between Rimsky- Korsakov s long tones and sharper Mozartian passages. Depending on just two singers, it keeps an intimate tone." Hackney Citizen (reviewed at Arcola Theatre) Pamela Schermann and the Grimeborn team bring the audience into the centre of the action, a factor rarely seen in opera but one that allows individuals to experience and connect with the music on a more intimate level. Exeunt Magazine (reviewed at Arcola Theatre) The text is delivered in English with remarkably crisp diction that leaves no word obscured the singing is excellent Live Theatre UK
CAST NICK DWYER (Salieri) Nick has performed with Garsington Opera, Grange Park Opera, Buxton Festival Opera, Clonter Opera and British Youth Opera amongst others, with roles including Marcello (La Bohème, OperaUpClose, Soho Theatre. Also recently sang role with Heritage Opera), Don Alfonso (Cosi Fan Tutte, Clonter Opera), Sid (Albert Herring, Hampstead Garden Opera), Zaretsky (Eugene Onegin, Grange Park Opera), Yamadori (Madama Butterfly, Bury Court Opera), Schaunard (La Boheme, Opera Loki), Guglielmo (Cosi Fan Tutte, Cooper Hall Young Artists), Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro, OperaUpClose, Escamillo (Carmen, OperaupClose), Javert (Les Miserables, Pimlico Opera Prisons Project). Cover roles include Eugene Onegin (Grange Park Opera), Angelotti (Tosca, Grange Park Opera), Geronimo (The Secret Marriage, British Youth Opera), and Adolf (The Jacobin, Buxton Festival Opera) Nick Dwyer as Salieri, Arcola Theatre JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER (Salieri, alternate) Praised for his hearty baritone voice, Bermudian Jonathan Christopher has led quite an exciting career thus far. He has performed in musicals and operas throughout the United States and Europe, including the musical Why Don t I Have A Girlfriend! (Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, New York Awarded Outstanding Ensemble Acting), Collins in Rent (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), The Count in Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro (Concert IA, Iowa), Morales in Carmen (New York Opera Exchange), Donkey in Shrek The Musical (Way Off Broadway, Iowa), Anthony in Sweeney Todd (Syracuse Opera, New York), Figaro in Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro (Vero Beach Opera, Florida), and Sonora in Puccini s The Girl of the Golden West (Eugene Opera, Oregon). www.jonathan- christopher.com Jonathan Christopher as Salieri, The Masonic Temple, July 2016
ROGER PATERSON (Mozart) Roger Paterson started his training at the Junior Academy of Music of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). He went on to study at and graduated from the University of Glasgow with an honours degree in Music in 2007. He has since studied with Iain Paton and Paul Farringdon. Since 2015, Roger has been a full- time opera singer and has sung with Ilford Arts Opera (Un Ballo in Maschera, Verdi), Arcola Theatre (Grimeborn Festival), Secret Opera (Goro in Madama Butterfly, Puccini) and this summer performaned with Opera Holland Park (La Cenerentola, Die Fledermaus). Roger Paterson as Mozart, Arcola Theatre Cast subject to change.
CREATIVES PAMELA SCHERMANN (stage director) Pamela trained as a director at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London, and obtained an MA in Theatre at University of Vienna/Austria. Directing credits include: Othello (Rose Playhouse, Bankside, Waterloo East Theatre, National tour 2015-2016 and New York City), Veils (The Theatre Room, City), Low Level Panic (Bread and Roses Theatre, 2016), Rendezvous at Midnight (Rose Playhouse, 2015), Iphigenia in Tauris (Rose Playhouse, Bankside 2015), Shoot, I didn t mean that (Tristan Bates Theatre), The Last Days of Mankind (Tristan Bates Theatre), Orpheus and Eurydice (Rose Playhouse, Bankside), The Taming of the Shrew (Rose Playhouse, Bankside), Ernest (Etcetera Theatre), Abe & Hans (Theatre503), Salome (ZOO Southside, Edinburgh & Etcetera Theatre), Werther's Sorrows (ZOO Southside, Edinburgh), The Last Day (Waterloo East Theatre), Dorian Gray (Cockpit Theatre), Debris (Karamel Club), Mozart & Salieri (Opera by Rimsky- Korsakov, Vienna), La Traviata (Opera by Verdi, Kirchstetten/Austria, 2009), Short plays and New Writing Events include work at Theatre503, the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse and Arts Theatre West End. Her work has been supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum London, the Austrian Cultural Ministry and Arts Council England. ANDREW CHARITY (musical director) Andrew Charity studied at the Royal College of Music and the London Opera Centre, winning prizes for conducting. He is a freelance conductor and singing teacher/coach, with strong links to two of the London Drama Schools, he is resident conductor of madrigal singing at RADA. Besides conducting a large opera and choral repertoire the latter until 2013 with the Barnes Choir - he was the Musical Director for the award- winning OperaUpClose production of La Boheme, for Woodhouse Opera, and for Nonsuch History and Dance. He was Musical Director for New London Opera Players/ Secret Opera (2011-2015), and is currently Musical Director for The Wedding Collective/ Opera Machine (Finding Butterfly, The Consul) and others, Recent work includes: Finding Butterfly (Limehouse/Soho); Le nozze di Figaro, Opera Gala, La Boheme, Don Giovanni (Woodhouse opera); La Boheme, Orfeo ed Euridice, Suor Angelica, Die Walküre, La Traviata, The Trousered Traviata, Carmen, carmen, The Magic Flute, Elektra, Tosca, Fidelio, St.Nicholas (all New London Opera Players/Secret Opera); The Secret Consul (Limehouse/Soho), Orfee et Euridice (Time Zone Theatre at Rose Playhouse, Bankside), The Mikado (Wimbledon Light Opera), The Turn of the Screw (Moon- Little Productions), The Magic Flute (Mantissa Opera); La Boheme (OperaUpClose, Cock Tavern Kilburn, Soho Theatre, King's Head Theatre, and tour, OLIVIER award Best New Opera Production and WHAT'S ON STAGE award Best Off West End); The Shoreditch Consul (Shoreditch Festival); Trouble in Tahiti, Candide (ArtsEd); Scenes and Philip Langridge Memorial Gala for Co- opera Co.; Phedre, Pierrot Lunaire (Arcola).
THE COMPANY TIME ZONE THEATRE is a London- based theatre company founded in 2011, which aims to encourage collaboration between British and International Artists. We produce bold and daring work with the opportunity for experimentation and innovation and we embrace diversity in the arts. was awarded Arts Council funding for Shoot, I didn t mean that / The Last Days of Mankind, a project that commemorated the outbreak of WW1. This year, Time Zone Theatre teamed up with the New York- based company Luvas Theatre to present Contemporary Shakespeare, a season of contemporary Shakespeare productions which involves artists from five different continents to examine different approaches to Shakespeare and the ongoing relevance of Shakespeare plays all over the world. The season brought a physical theatre adaptation of Titus Andronicus, directed by South Korean director Jung Han Kim, to London s stage, and Time Zone Theatre s acclaimed production of Othello to Theaterlab in New York City. For photos and reviews of past productions, please visit www.timezonetheatre.com.