 Arrrrr, Pirates is in full swing and has gotten nothing but 5-star reviews from critics! It's officially a hit! You still have a chance to see it this coming weekend, but tickets are going quickly, so get yours before they sell out! To give you a bit of a preview, we talk today with one of our fearless pirates, Kevin Schellhase.
What's your role in the show? I play a Pirate for both acts. Is this your first time in Pirates? If no, how many Pirates productions have you been in? This is my first time! When and how did you first get involved with VLOC? Pirates is my second show with VLOC. I got involved last winter when [director] Kate Huntress-Reeve asked me to fill in for an ensemble member who'd dropped out of The Yeomen of the Guard. I love Gilbert & Sullivan's works and was thrilled to find a local group doing them, so here I am. It's been a blast. What's your favorite part about being in a show (this particular one, or any show)? The singing experience is the most rewarding part of any show for me. I studied classical vocal performance in college, and approach any production mostly from a vocal standpoint. Although I'm trained as a baritone, I have enjoyed singing tenor in ensemble roles for both VLOC shows this year. What's your least favorite or the hardest part of the rehearsal process for you? Probably dancing. I don't take well to lots of movement on stage. It's not as much of a chore as it could be, though. Felicity is a great director for bad dancers like me, and Amanda's choreography work is fun enough to be worth the effort most of the time. When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.) I work in the administrative department of the Washington College of Law in northwest DC, and I round out my income with the occasional piano student or singing gig. I enjoy singing as a chorister at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, and I'm working on starting a career in voiceover acting. When I have time, I love to run, play racquetball, or spend time with friends and family. What's your Gilbert & Sullivan show and why? (If you don't have one, pick a favorite musical or opera) H.M.S. Pinafore was the first Gilbert & Sullivan show I ever saw, and it's been my favorite ever since. I feel it strikes the perfect balance G&S were looking for: delightful staging, clever lyrics, and withering satire of contemporary cultural trends. I can't wait for Pinafore to come around in VLOC's rotation! The Yeomen of the Guard is a close second, after Kate's brilliant direction of that show this spring. What is your Pirate name? Alistair "Lefty" Graham.
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 The Pirates of Penzance previews in just four days! Do you have your tickets so that you can see the fearsome band of pirates discover the Major General's daughters? Today, you get to meet one of the Major's daughters before the pirates do - we talk with Kris Devine about her Pirates experience.
What's your role in the show? I play one of the Major General’s many wards. My character is bossy and a bit snobbish. Though just shy of 20 years of age, she sometimes behaves like a naughty child, but when “She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed” (the head governess) is about, she does just that--obey! Is this your first time in Pirates? If no, how many Pirates productions have you been in? Yes! When and how did you first get involved with VLOC? Last fall, I happened upon an audition notice for The Pirates of Penzance. I looked at some video clips of past VLOC productions and was intrigued. During my short time with the company, I have been treated with much kindness and courtesy. Perhaps that is VLOC’s secret to achieving so much with very limited resources. What's your favorite part about being in a show (this particular one, or any show)? Every show is an opportunity to dream out loud. Opera is a delicious mix of a world bounded by a stage and a score, yet unbounded by imagination. I relish participating in the heightening of the senses that occurs when all the theatrical elements come into focus. As a performer I strive not only to fulfill my obligation to deliver my role according to plan, but to add just enough color and texture of my own. What's your least favorite or the hardest part of the rehearsal process for you? Managing my time! Rehearsals and study take a lot of time. I want to perform my best and that doesn’t happen just by wishing for it. Ideally, I like to be thoroughly prepared before I step into rehearsal. If I am not at that point from the start, I get anxious. Good preparation frees me to be spontaneous and experimental and to adjust to what is happening around me. When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.) I am a military spouse busy with family and church. I enjoy hiking, ballet, Crossfit, and Praise Hula. What's your Gilbert & Sullivan show and why? (If you don't have one, pick a favorite musical or opera) My latest project is always my favorite, so hurrah for the Pirate King and all the rest! Anything else you want to share? Everyone has a unique role to play in life. Find yours. You’ll know it when you experience it. What is your Pirate name? My pirate name is Henrietta Sinclair. Her parents were lost at sea. Due to the incompetency of the Court of Chancery, she was placed with a distant relation instead of her beloved uncle, the Rev. Blythe Piett. Two days after the court finally appointed Piett as legal guardian, he died of quinsy. Henrietta has been under the General’s care for twelve years. Have you ever seen a brilliantly performed show and wondered about all the work and rehearsals that went into that fabulous production? Well, today you get a sneak peak into the planning and the rehearsal process for VLOC's run of The Pirates of Penzance! Before the rehearsals get underway, the production staff carefully puts together a plan for the set and and fleshes out the choreography for the entire show. Below, choreographer Amanda Jones and director Felicity Ann Brown work on scene choreography. 
A model of the set is put together so that the set crew can get to work on construction and bring Penzance to life. 
Then it's time to rehearse! Music rehearsals begin first under the tutelage of music director Joseph Sorge, then the choreography team (Amanda Jones, Felicity Ann Brown, and Helen Aberger) come in to work with the cast on their movement and hone their dancing skills. Below, both the maidens and the pirates practice their moves. 
And some cast members have even perfected their fearsome pirate faces. 
Please give a virtual round of applause to the cast and crew for all the hard work they've been doing! The show opens in exactly one week. If you don't have your tickets yet, get them here!
 We're in the home stretch, folks. Only ten days until the pirates unleash their fury at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater in Rockville! Today we talk with one of our pirates, Ed Vilade, to find out just exactly how one goes about becoming a pirate.
What's your role in the show? Pirate/Policeman Is this your first time in Pirates? If no, how many Pirates productions have you been in? One -- many years ago When and how did you first get involved with VLOC? Around 2006, I suddenly regained my singing voice, which I had lost to a throat operation 10 years earlier. I had seen several quality VLOC productions, and immediately auditioned. I was cast and have been in most VLOC productions since. What's your favorite part about being in a show (this particular one, or any show)? The people -- so many wonderfully talented -- and nice -- people associated with VLOC, in production and as performers. Coming together over a period of months to produce something special is a matchless experience. What's your least favorite or the hardest part of the rehearsal process for you? Dancing and moving. I wish I was 40 years younger. When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.) I am a retired writer. I play golf, hike, sing in a senior citizens' chorus with my wife and travel around America and overseas. What's your Gilbert & Sullivan show and why? (If you don't have one, pick a favorite musical or opera) The Grand Duke. I love all Gilbert & Sullivan but The Grand Duke is so under-appreciated -- complicated, bizarre, quirky with some wonderful music, and funny situations. What is your Pirate name? Fearsome Fintan O'Malley Thanks, Ed! VLOC's presentation of The Pirates of Penzance opens with it's preview performance on Thursday, June 12th. Get your tickets and don't miss out on Ed and the other pirates in action! |
AuthorThe Victorian Lyric Opera Company Archives
January 2019
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Victorian Lyric Opera Company is supported by funding from Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County,
Maryland State Arts Council, and City of Rockville.
Maryland State Arts Council, and City of Rockville.
Victorian Lyric Opera Company
PO Box 10391
Rockville, MD 20849-0391
PO Box 10391
Rockville, MD 20849-0391
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