August 9, 2008 – As the summer winds down to a close and the Department gets ready to welcome the new freshman class, some of Fredonia’s faculty and students are spending these final weeks lending their talent to the Chautauqua Opera Company’s upcoming production of Street Scene. Based on the Broadway play of the same title written by Elmer Rice, with lyrics by Langston Hughes and music by Kurt Weill, Street Scene is a slice-of-life set in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City circa 1933. The opera follows the fortunes of the Maurrant family over two hot summer days.
Dr. Jim Ivey as Sankey
Leading the talent pool is Dr. Jim Ivey, playing the role of Steve Sankey. Sankey, a local milkman account collector, is the secret lover of Anna Maurrant, who is married to a jealous and suspicious husband. Dr. Ivey has appeared in previous Chautauqua Opera productions, most recently as Charlie Cowel in The Music Man. Tom Loughlin plays the role of City Marshall Henry, the man who comes in to evict the Hildebrands from their apartment. His assistant, Fred Cummings, is played by sophomore Mike Valvo from Jamestown NY. The wise-cracking tough-guy cab driver Vincent Jones is played by sophomore Kyle Blount from Erie PA. Rounding out the Fredonia talent is adjunct acting teacher Christina Rausa, playing the role of Shirley Kaplan, a spinster school teacher supporting her father and brother.
Working backstage are two Fredonia students from the technical program. Casey Nellis, whose Fredonia credits include work as assistant technical director, technical director, and member of the RAC student technical staff, is on the backstage crew, and Kana Otani (‘08), who worked as master electrician and lighting designer as a student, is on the light crew for the company.
Street Scene will have two performances; Friday August 15 and Monday August 18. Performances begin at 7:30 PM in Norton Hall on the Chautauqua Institution grounds. Click here for ticket information.
