Opening night of The Grand Duke is almost upon us! We have one final cast interview before the first performance. Please welcome Frances Mitchem-Diago!

Name
Frances Mitchem-Diago

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Bertha (one of the 4 girls)

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
I just finished my master of music in vocal performance at George Mason University in Fairfax and a friend of mine had a good experience singing with VLOC in the past so I thought I'd audition and see what happened. I want to fill as much of my time as possible with music as I figure out what's next for me. Also, I sang Fairy Queen in Iolanthe my last semester at GMU last year and Katisha in Mikado with Capitol Hill Arts Workshop a few years ago and it was such a joy singing both of those roles that I knew another Gilbert & Sullivan production would be similarly uplifting. 

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
Seeing and hearing all of the different styles of talented singers and all of their characters develop. The size of the chorus is exciting as well. Joe Sorge & Debbie Grossman are really good at keeping us all engaged and pushing us to go further. 

What is your dream role/job?
Carmen. I've done Carmen scenes before but it has definitely been a dream/goal to eventually sing the whole thing. I've been told by a couple of coaches/teachers along the way that I was "born" to play Carmen...we shall see. But beyond singing, a job behind the scenes in the arts management realm somewhere would be divine. Currently trying to find a way to do both! 

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
My father took me to see Les Miserables when I was probably 9 or 10 and I just remember crying a lot, getting chills from the music & basically watching enraptured the entire time. I'm not a musical theatre person per se as much as I'm an opera person but the singing definitely reeled me in. 

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
My day job is at a non-profit that provides students in Virginia with disabilities with different types of accessible learning materials. Outside of work- yoga, family, friends, music, laughter, love, & smoothies! 

Thank you, Frances! You can still get tickets to the 8/30 and 9/1 performances of The Grand Duke, and you can even get them for half price with the code DUKE50! Tickets are available online HERE or through the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre box office - call 240-314-8690. We hope to see you at one of the shows!

It's the week of the show, and we can't wait! Everything is coming together, the cast is having lots of fun, and the sausage rolls are delicious. To start off the week leading up to opening night, we are stoked to have Laura Fuentes, who sings the role of Lisa, as our next cast interview subject!

Name
Laura Fuentes

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Lisa

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
In addition to singing, I'm also a librettist, and work with DC-area composer Sean Pflueger. VLOC produced the world premiere of our first operetta, Do Not Disturb, in 2016 for the Capital Fringe Festival. We were recently commissioned by College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod to write a one-act curtain raiser for Pirates of Penzance to open their 50th Jubilee Season. Our piece, The Pier Point Lobster Race, premiered in late June, and we had a fantastic time seeing it come to life. When I saw that VLOC's G&S Sing-Out was coming up, I knew I wanted to be involved in some way, so I auditioned for this production. I'm excited to meet other G&S aficionados, and to see if Sean and I can develop relationships with some other G&S societies. We would love to write some more G&S-style repertoire!

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
It's been a while since I've performed any Gilbert and Sullivan, so it's been fun to work on it again as a singer. I think there's a kind of uninhibitedness about some of the rhymes in this libretto that add an extra layer of comedy ("diskivver," "ghoest," and "shoeses," I'm looking at you).

What is your dream role/job?
Pirate King. I hear it's pretty glorious.

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
I can't remember my first one, but I have an infant son, Javier, and I can tell you about his! We took him up to Cape Cod with us for the premiere of our operetta, and I had him with me during one of the rehearsals. The company was running a scene with a big double chorus, which ends with some great high notes (thanks, Sean!). The number crescendoed and crescendoed, and the final high notes hung in the air for a moment, then the singers and piano all cut off together, and there was a brief moment of silence as everyone held their ending pose. Javi totally lost it and started to wail at the top of his lungs. I guess he's not a fan of ensemble singing!

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
In addition to writing opera libretti, I also work in development for Johns Hopkins University, as an Associate Director of Foundation Relations. I'm completing an MA in Communication, also from Johns Hopkins. My husband and I are proud parents to 10-month old Javier, who enjoys mashed banana, percussive noises, and waking up early.

Thanks, Laura! The Grand Duke is showing on August 30th and September 1st only, so be sure to get your tickets! Purchase online HERE or call the F. Scott Fitzgerald box office at 240-314-8690!

The Grand Duke opens next week! We are beyond excited to bring you this funny and brilliant operetta, and we're excited about our latest cast interview with Meribor Matusow!

Name
Meribor Matusow

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Chorus- Soprano

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
I love performing and I love Gilbert and Sullivan (even though the lyrics are tongue twisters), I just can't believe I didn't find VLOC sooner.

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
I love the rehearsals because singing makes me happy but I can find that anywhere. What I can't always find are those 10 minutes in the middle of rehearsals where the cast socializes. Every rehearsal I get to talk to kind and friendly people who love the same thing I love, singing. Everyone there is super encouraging and great to talk to (They also have an affinity to Star Trek like me).

What is your dream role/job?
I want to be a professional opera singer.

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
The first opera (and live performance) I ever saw was The Magic Flute. I learned about the opera at school and when I finally got to go see it, I was hooked. The Queen of the Night was by far my favorite character with the best music. I met her after the show. To me, she was gloriously decked out in silver, majestic and regal when in reality, a lot of the silver was plastic and she was just wearing five inch heals. Either way, she was and still is the reason I fell in love with opera.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I am about to start my freshman year of college at Montgomery College where I am studying as a music major.

Thanks Meribor! The Grand Duke is only showing on August 30th and September 1st, so get your tickets! Call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre 240-314-8690 or get your tickets online HERE. We hope to see you at the theatre! 

The Grand Duke ​opens on August 30th, and there are only 2 chances to catch this concert-version gem! Find out more about Bob Gudauskas, who sings the role of Lugwig in the show. Snag your tickets soon so you don't miss this hilarious show!

Name
Bob Gudauskas

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Ludwig

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
After having been introduced to VLOC and Gilbert and Sullivan in 2017, my life in the theatre has taken a sharp turn. Once I discovered that G&S operettas were basically my favorite genres mixed together, I was hooked. Working with VLOC on The Mikado and Patience happened to be all the convincing I needed to audition for The Grand Duke.

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
I am absolutely ecstatic about the huge chorus, especially for a show like The Grand Duke. This piece has some of the most impressive choral work that I've heard yet out of Gilbert and Sullivan, and to see such a large and talented group fills me with excitement. I get chills at some of the amazing sounds this group has produced so far. Also ... sausage rolls.

What is your dream role/job?
Being in a professional Gilbert and Sullivan troupe for a living would be a dream come true. Granted it's a new dream, but that's okay, right?

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
It's hard to put my finger on the very first thing I've seen, but it would be a toss up between Willy Wonka (1971) or Little Shop of Horrors. Both of these were movie versions, but they changed me from an early age and put me on the path toward singing in musical theater. 

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I moderate teleconferences and webinars with Intellor Group based out of Gaithersburg, MD. It gives me a chance to use my voice and acting experience, which I am extremely thankful for. Of course, I am always looking to take the next step with my acting. I do take on the occasional paid work in film here and there, but ultimately, there is nothing quite like live theatre.

Thanks, Bob! Call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre at 240-314-8690 or go online HERE to get your tickets to see The Grand Duke. Bonus - the September 1st show includes a sing-through (sans dialogue) of The Pirates of Penzance as part of the 6th Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing Out!

The Grand Duke is opening soon, and we are getting excited to bring you this super fun show! We're also excited about our newest cast interview with Ryan Carroll - check it out!

Name
Ryan Carroll

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Dr. Tannhäuser, a Notary

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
I've always had a deep appreciation for the musical talent of Gilbert and Sullivan. Sullivan's rich sense of musicality and Gilberts appreciation for absurdity resulted in so many weirdly wonderful works. The Grand Duke, though perhaps less successful during its time, does not disappoint on either front. It is the kind of ridiculousness you come to expect from them, and it's paired with incredibly exciting and charming music. I always said if a posting for the show ever came up near me, I would audition. It did, I did, and I could not be happier.

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
There are not many works that challenge singers and actors like those of Gilbert and Sullivan. This production features so many talented singers and gives me the chance to work on some excitingly difficult music. 

What is your dream role/job?
I am lucky enough to say that I have found my dream job, working as a music therapist and providing group music psychotherapy for mental health consumers in the Washington, DC area. If I were to have chosen a different path in life though, I think I would probably be baking bread and pastries in a small community bakery. As for a dream role, I am still hoping to one day join a production of Andersson and Ulvaeus "Chess".

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
I grew up watching home taped copies of The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins on repeat, the performing my own versions of them for any family member who stood still long enough. It was not until I was older that I saw my first staged show. I am not entirely sure, but my best guess is that it was most likely A Christmas Carol.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I work as a music therapist and serve as the director of music training at a general adult and forensic psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C. In addition to my clinical work, I have had the opportunity to present my research on cultural competent mental health care and the use of music to increase psychiatric insight.   In 2006, I worked with the Sister of Charity at Seton Hill University to co-found the Seton Art Service Corp, an organization designed to bring the art, theater, music, and dance to underserved youth in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. 

Thanks, Ryan! Tickets for The Grand Duke are on sale now - you only have 2 chances to see this semi-staged concert production! Call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre box office at 240-314-8690 or go online HERE. We hope to see you at a show!

Are you getting excited about The Grand Duke and the 6th Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing Out yet? Well, we have another Grand Duke cast interview for you to keep you pumped up! Welcome Christine Pash!

Name
Christine Pash

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Chorus

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
I had heard of the Victorian Lyric Company because I was involved in Rockville Musical Theatre, which shares a theatre with VLOC. A few years ago, as I was becoming more interested in classical music, I went to see VLOC's production of H.M.S. Pinafore. I absolutely loved it and decided to audition for The Grand Duke now that I am in the area more permanently.

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
I love this show's music. It has some really colorful harmonies, but it is also catchy and fun to sing. I also appreciate the friendliness I've seen from other company members thus far.

What is your dream role/job?
If I could have any voice type/fach, I would love to sing romantic coloratura roles, like Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata.

When you're not per forming in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
In my free time, I run, swim and hang out with friends and family. My parents have two small dogs, who I adore.  The picture is from my study abroad in Milan and was taken at Teatro alla Scala, where I got to see several productions.

Thanks, Christine! Tickets are on sale for The Grand Duke now. Your only chances to see it are August 30th and September 1st, so grab your tickets now! Call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre box office at 240-314-8690 or go online HERE. The September 1st performance will be part of the 6th Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing Out, so you'll get a bonus post-show sing-through of The Pirates of Penzance that night! We hope to see you at the theatre!

We are happy to bring back our cast interview series for our upcoming production of The Grand Duke! Let's kick things off with Madeleine Adele Koon - welcome Madeleine!

Name
Madeleine Adele Koon

What's your role in The Grand Duke?
Soloist / Ensemble

What made you decide to get involved with The Grand Duke?
I've known about VLOC for most of my life. My mother sang the role of Princess Ida with them in 1991 while she was pregnant with me, and when I decided to move to this area after college it was one of the first companies she told me about. I knew I had to audition, just to say I did.

What are you enjoying most about working on The Grand Duke with VLOC?
I have greatly missed choral music, so it's been great to be part of a wonderful choral sound again. G&S has written some phenomenal music, and I believe The Grand Duke's chorus role is integral to the story and just a ton of fun.

What is your dream role/job?
Amalia in She Loves Me and Marian in The Music Man.

What is the first musical/opera/play you ever saw and what effect did it have on you?
I genuinely can't remember the first show I ever saw, but my parents got me involved at the age of 6 in children's opera choruses for shows they were in themselves, and it honestly felt like only a matter of time before I admitted to myself I wanted to do the same thing.

When you're not performing in community theatre, what do you do? (job, hobby, family, etc.)
I work as a professional actor, but when I'm not at my day job or in rehearsal, I love to sew. I've made my fair share of Halloween costumes from scratch!

Thanks, Madeleine! Tickets for The Grand Duke are on sale now - call the F. Scott Fitzgerald box office at 240-314-8690 or purchase online HERE. You only have 2 chances to catch this semi-staged concert version performance - Thursday, August 30th and Saturday September 1st.

The Sept. 1st performance also includes a post-show sing-through (sans dialogue) of The Pirates of Penzance as part of The 6th Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing Out.