It’s our sweet music-maeven’s birthday and we love her so much we wanna SING IT SO LOUD SHE CAN HEAR IT ALL THE WAY IN LA…oh that’st not working? Well a blog post it is. – Heidi

Happy Birthday, Candy!

“Candy is sweet and funny and has a wealth of knowledge about random important things like copyright law and video games!  She is an amazingly talented musician and composer!  And she is a dedicated SU member, Skypeing in to almost every meeting!  I miss her and wish we all got to see her more often!  Love you Candy!  Happy Birthday!” – Christina

“Candy is the sweetest, which should go without saying, but sometimes it has to be said. I miss her, I’m partly jealous that she’s in L.A., I love her talent and her studious and methodical nature and I want great things for her. And not just great things like sunshine and hanging out with us (although I want those things too) but the world should hear her music. Happy birthday!” – Carl

“Candy is a quiet and calm collaborator with an easy, unassuming presence. She and her music are like rain – beautiful, soft, with a hint of something deeper that pulls you to listen closer. Her artistry is alert and present, thoughtful and curious, pressing but with a twist of fun. The thing you won’t notice when you hear her first measures of overture or shake her hand at a meet-and-greet is that she is completely ready to be play and be silly. It’s unexpected and refreshing in a world of Super Serious art making. Above all, she believes in her collaborators. You know and feel that she trusts you. So when someone says jump, just hold onto Candy’s hand and go!” – Amber

“Sweet lady full of ideas- so much talent it’s sick, and also the kindest heart hiding behind that wit.  Miss her, love her, wish LA had a teleport to MPLS.” – Rachel

“Candy and I have very little face to face interaction under our belts, and yet I feel that I’ve gotten to know her. This is a testament to how involved she manages to stay from afar.  I love that Candy and I share a slightly goofy sense of humor, and I’m always excited to hear  her ideas because they are so original and lovely.” – Mason

“As I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around the enormity of Candy’s awesomeness, I’ll share three things. 1. Candy makes a very funny voice to personify a can of beans. It’s pretty great. Proof of a great sense of humor and a willingness to be very silly. 2. Candy wrote music for a show I was in at the Bedlam, and I still think about that song all the time. It haunts me. Proof of an immense talent. 3. I went swimming in a lovely heated pool in San Diego with Candy but three short months ago. Proof of what a good friend she is (driving several hours in order to see me for a shorter period of time than the amount of time she was in the car), and of her excellent taste in swimming suits (very cute). While we were swimming we day dreamed about having a SU retreat in California. Proof of never fearing to dream big, even if things seem preposterous to begin with. I lover her dearly. Happy Birthday, Beans.” – Laura

“If Candy were a song, she’d be all the things. Sometimes cheerfully melodic; sometimes contemplative and dissonant; sometimes loud and exciting; sometimes soft and comforting. She’s curious and complex — and asks us really difficult questions that make us think about things in a new way. I’m going to kidnap her from California because I want to see her every day. Just kidding. But seriously.” – Hannah

“Candy is such a musical power-house. I’ll still listen to songs from “Leaves” just because they’re that good! She’s also my Savage Umbrella fellow nerd! You want to talk web-comics, because we can talk web-comics. And she’s one of the nicest people you can meet! Happy Birthday, Candy! Hope you’re having a fun-in-the-sun California birthday!” – Russ

“Thank goodness for the Internet, or I wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know Candy at all. That being said, I feel a constant longing to have here, in the room with us, to bathe us in the light of her beauty, grace, and intellect directly. She is wise and complicated and I really hope she has an amazing birthday.” – Blake

“Candy is so thorough and diligent and thoughtful, whether it’s in creating an opera or creating the password for SU’s Twitter account. She’s such a trustworthy collaborator and friend. Many happy returns, Candy!” – Tanner

“Candy is so cute and sweet. She’s insanely knowledgeable about…like…more things than I can list here and it is amazing. Gosh, I wish she lived in town but I’ll settle for her brief but sunshine-y visits and Google hangout silliness. HBD Cutie!” – Heidi

Part of our upcoming production Rain Follows the Plow takes place in the Dust Bowl, so we’ve spent a lot of time looking at pictures from that time. And man, some of these shots are incredible. For your edification, here are some of them in no particular order, with links to where we found them on the interwebs. If you know of other images or stories from the Dust Bowl, comment or email with the link.

And after you check out these pics, be sure to reserve your tickets to Rain Follows the Plow, playing July 5-20 at The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis! /Tanner

Dust storm outside of Stratford, TX. No matter how many times you see an iconic shot like this, it still scares the bejesus out of you.

(Source: http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/big/theb1365.jpg)

A car submerged in dust.
(Source: http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/big/dust_car_gs.jpg)

A homestead buried in dust outside of Dallas, South Dakota.
(Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Dust_Bowl_-_Dallas,_South_Dakota_1936.jpg)

Refugees fleeing the dust. Nearly 2.5 million people left the Great Plains, most heading west.
(Source: http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/the-dust-bowl/dust-bowl-refugees.jpg)

A farmstead damaged by a dust storm in Oklahoma.
(Source: http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/the-dust-bowl/sand-dune.jpg)

The dark clouds of a dust storm approach a small town in Kansas. This particularly massive storm stretched from Texas to Canada. It hit on Sunday, April 14, 1935 and became known as ‘Black Sunday’. Images like this make it seem more reasonable that some thought the mega dust storm was the end of times.
(Source: http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/graphics/approaching_dust_storm.jpg)

Masks meant to protect the good people from dust inhalation and suffocation.
(Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AX4XPAo4Zts/UQpmniBZC7I/AAAAAAAAAAw/xNPr–UUMxY/s1600/80729789-dust-bowl-masks-bdcb7392edb1b938fe6bf692cfafbee5642d6f03-s6-c10.jpg)

This little guy toughs out the dust in Oklahoma.
(Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/hard-times/ok_old_small.jpg)

RAIN FOLLOWS THE PLOW
written by Rachel Nelson // directed by Laura Leffler-McCabe
July 5-20, 2013 // All performances at 7:30 p.m.
The Playwrights’ Center
2301 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55406

> > > Purchase your tickets now! > > >

It was Heidi’s idea to start the ol’ birthday wish blog series, and now we get to honor the honor-er. Here are just a few of the reasons we love that ball of sparkles and energy. Happy birthday, Heidi!

HEIDI. Omg wtf she is the absolute sweetest person.  She juggles a million projects and a zillion details, and goddamn it if she doesn’t make it look easy/cute.  The only thing bigger than her ability to accessorize/get things done is her heart. I can’t even say how many grumpy moments have been saved for me by her sweet smile and kind words.  I hope that her birthday brings her nothing but joy/relaxation. – Rachel

Heidi. Smart. Fun. Sassy. Organized. Great brainstormer. She has an amazing singing voice (Love Me or Die, ya’ll), great comedic timing. and is overall, the coolest. She brings so much to SU through savvy, sparkle, and the best mix of business slash creative. Also, I love the way she says, “Obvi.” No one else makes Twitspeak and modern language so fun!! – Amber

Heidi be fierce! She has fabulously wonderful ideas, and the drive to see those ideas put into action.  I love her ability to make the most of whatever life throws her way, and to do it with style. If anyone could make fetch happen, it’s Heidi. Thanks for being my Prairie Haze soul mate! – Mason

Heidi is a sass machine — in the sweetest, smartest, and most stylish way. She knows how to have a good (okay… AWESOME) time… and when to ‘tell it like it is’. We are better in so many different ways because she’s around. She inspires us to updraft. – Hannah

If you’re ever in a crisis – spiritual, artistic or fashion-related – Heidi’s your go-to fix. If nothing else, she’ll yell indignantly at the problem and make it slink away, and then offer you drinks and solace. She’s a cosmopolitan force of nature, a girl who will GET SHIT DONE and with the sweetest smile tell you that you are full of it. I’m so happy that I get to call her my friend, because I would hate to be her enemy. Bless her for that. DAJE HEIDI! – Carl

Girl can WERK IT! Heidi is the kind of person everyone wants on their team. When productivity gets a little slow you can bet she’ll be one of the first to sound the trumpet to get everyone back in gear. And when there has been nothing but work she reminds us all that we could use a little party-time. Heidi keeps us honest with what needs to get done whether it’s being non-profit rawk-stars or just good old fashioned party-till-it-hurts rawk-stars. Also you can’t ask for a more fun scene-partner! Happy Birthday Heidi! – Russ

Heidi is smart, bold, funny, loyal, beautiful and a great listener. She is also incredibly glamorous and the best noraebang singer I know.  Basically, she is amazing, and I am lucky to call her my friend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LADY! – Blake

Heidi is a fierce, passionate woman. She knows how to punch life in the face and take what she wants from it, and doesn’t waste time on bullshit. Basically, I want to be part Heidi when I grow up. Happy Birthday, Heidi!  - Candy

Heidi is sassy, energetic, creative, thoughtful, and very funny!  I love her sense of style and her innate knowledge of pop culture!  She is mega organized and when given a task… gets it all done and then some!  I love all the little emails and tweets she sends out daily… (sometimes hourly)… Heidi is a wonderfully loyal friend and is always so excited about everyone’s projects and triumphs!  She is everyone’s number one fan! – Christina

Heidi enjoys many things I don’t: glitter, bright colors, abbrevs, sensitivity to the feelings of others, Joe Halvarson, general happiness, blog posts where we have to say nice things about each other, and the list goes on. With this in mind, I am loathe to admit that on more than one occasion, her cheerful demeanor and bright spirit have forced this old grinch to (sigh) smile. I’m very fortunate to know her. Obvi. – Tanner

Her twitter profile says “like kettle corn: a little salty, a little sweet,” and I only mention that here because of how very true it is. She can be the most crass, profane, hilarious sass-master out there, but then will spin 180 on you and be the most compassionate, thoughtful, lovely appreciator of beauty you’re lucky enough to know. And perhaps most amazing of all, she wrote that twitter profile (duh) which shows a level of self-awareness and self-honesty that I think anyone celebrating the 7th anniversary of their 21st birthday can be proud of. Happy Bday, beautiful! – Laura

Today’s in everyone’s favorite bow-tie wearing scene partner’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Ruskins! – Heidi

Happy Birthday, Russ!

“Russ is a sweet, open spirit and makes a bow tie look like the perfect accessory for every occasion and every day. He is the actor I want to cast absolutely every time I’m directing, because he’s THAT GOOD.  He’s the kind of performer that makes it all look effortless – and maybe for him it is because I’m telling you, he’s oozing with talent. Did I mention I like him on stage? Because I do. A lot. Russ, you are the actor of my dreeeeams. Happy, happy birthday!” – Laura

“Russ has a warm heart in life and fearless heart on stage. He also rocks bow ties and neck beards with the best of them. Happy birthday, ya big nerd!” – Tanner

“Russ is a calm, positive, solid, creative force in SU.  He is absolutely brilliant onstage creating and portraying characters with amazing depth and life! He adores his wife and finds such joy in the small, beautiful, everyday comings and goings of the world!  I love that he and I share a great appreciation and excitement for comic books and graphic novels…  And he can turn just about anything into a fabulous stringed instrument!  Go! Go! Can-jo! Happy Birthday Russ!” – Christina

“Russ is like the best possible Midwesterner. He’s humble, multi-talented, sunny, super interesting, really nice, and can grow a mean neck-beard. Happy Birthday Russ!” – Candy

“Russ is full of surprises. Just when I think I’ve got him pegged: he zigs when I think he’s gonna zag. Also: he is handsome, kind, and generous, and he is a pleasure to direct and to watch on the stage. Wishing you so much joy, birthday boy.” – Blake

“Russ’ smile makes all the babies coo. And by babies, I obvz mean SU company members. And by coo, I obvz mean smile, too. He brightens up every room and reminds us all that it’s okay to be silly and ourselves. When he’s excited about something… you know it… and you can’t help but be excited, too!” – Hannah

“Russ really is the best – he epitomizes what it means to be an open and generous actor, setting himself and his scene and life partners up to be the best they can be. He’s got the chops – acting, mutton and otherwise – to take him as far as he wants to go, and we’re so happy he’s ours. Happy birthday Russ!” – Carl

“As a scene partner, Russ is an absolute dream. He’s aware, intuitive, and extremely giving. While he looks great in his quirky bow ties and sharp suspenders, it would be fun if he wore shortie-shorts like in the One-Minute Play festival. That was funny.” – Heidi

Anyone can tell from about a mile off that Mason is everyone’s very favorite sweetheart. To borrow from RuPaul, his “charm, uniqueness, nerve, and talent” make his an amazing friend and company member. – Heidi

Happy Birthday, Mason!

“The sweetest and most thoughtful member of SU. A deep reader of people and the best person to giggle with. Couldn’t hope for more! Love beams!” – Rachel

“Mason is so silly and wonderful. I wish I could spend more time around him! I love that he can be serious in a second but is naturally so cheerful. Happy Birthday, Mason!” – Candy

“‘Mason’ was the most popular boy’s name in Minnesota in 2011, and you should see that as an homage to your soul-singing, sweet-hearted, fabulously-dressed pioneer spirit. Also, your birthday is really close to mine, and that makes me happy. Happy happy birthday!” – Carl

“Puh-leez. Could you get a better package? Dreamy brown eyes, to-die-for style, super sweet personality, tons of talent, smarts, a honey-sweet singing voice, and witty with a naughty sense of humor? SIGN ME UP.” – Laura

“Mason could do whatever he wants. I mean, he’s got a huge pair of Mahonés swingin’ between those legs. (Watch yeh head!) We’re lucky enough that he channels his energy into making theatre, perpetuating memes, and wearing tight pants.” – Tanner

“Mason is smart and sassy!  He works and plays hard!  He is kind, compassionate, and a fabulous listener!  He is brilliant on stage and a creative problem solver!  (I love that he lives in Saint Paul and we get to carpool together for almost all SU meetings and activities!)  He loves all art and … if you ever can’t find him… check the Muddy Pig!  Watch ur head! ” – Christina

“Mason is fun, hilarious, creative, stylish, and more! I wish I could spend more SU face-to-face time with this person. Mason is lovely, and I’m excited to see more from this artist and friend!” – Amber

“I adore Mason. He’s the kind of upbeat person that makes you excited to work! I don’t care what kind of day I’m having. When I get to a meeting, or rehearsal and Mason is there, I know good times are going to be had!” – Russ

“Mason is the Mason-est person I know. There is no one quite like him. His unique blend of talent, charisma, kindness, and FIERCENESS is unrivaled. Lucky us, we get to see his smiling face almost EVERY SINGLE DAY. It’s like Christmas with cocktails on the beach… all the tiiiiiime!” – Hannah

“Mason is cute, sweet, thoughtful and talented as hell. His sass never fails to send me into a giggle fit AND he can rock an 80′s sweater like you wouldn’t beleive. However, the BEST thing about Mason is that you could call him up at any time with any problem and he would do anything in his power to help. It’s super humbling to be around such an amazing person.” – Heidi

The thing about Carl is that he’s so good at friggin’ EVERYTHING that it makes most of our heads spin and before we can even be a little jealous of him, he goes around being super nice and giving. Always tied up in a super-fly ensemble, it’s like today’s birthday boy is SU’s birthday gift, year-round! – Heidi

Happy Birthday, Carl!

“Carl is like the David Bowie character from Labyrinth- that sexy magical puppet master we all remember from childhood- complete with impeccable fashion and incredible eye contact. He has so many talents and does so many things so well. Like the Shamrock Shake, its kind of a mystery. I don’t know how he does it, but I sure hope he never stops. Happy birthday, Carl!” – Rachel

“Carl is so kind and generous of heart. He asks all the questions I never think of. He humbles and inspires me, and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to make theater with him through this crazy adventure called Savage Umbrella. Happy Birthday, Carl!” – Candy

“Carl is the wackiest combination of too, too cool and super nerdy that I’ve really enjoyed puzzling over during the past four years that I’ve known him. Just when I become overwhelmed by how handsome, how well-dressed, how well-spoken, how worldly, how intelligent, how thoughtful, how knowledgeable (about music, art, theatre, soccer, non-profit skillz, and the hip-kid scene in Minneapolis), how talented, how driven, and how kind he is, he goes and cracks the laaaaamest joke. And then I know he’s just my kind of wacky. Big love to you, cas.” – Laura

“I’m convinced that Carl stole Hermione’s time-turner, because he’s everywhere, knows everyone, and does everything. Either that, or he doesn’t sleep. Nonetheless, he pulls it all off while still looking stylish and dapper.” – Tanner

“One of the biggest ways you can tell if you have a good friend is if they Show Up. You know? Not just physically but also emotionally, like an awesome and constant high-five. Carl can’t help but support his colleagues, friends, collaborators, family, neighbors, strangers, in such an intensely human way. Carl Shows Up. It’s humbling and beautiful.” – Amber

“You know those personalities that bowl you over and draw you in all at once? That’ Carl. I still remember when I first got to really work with him was “Ex-Gays”. He was so fun and intense and playful! And the dude is smart, like, woah. Pretty much a number one pick for any creative team!” – Russ

“Carl has this generosity of spirit that you can feel flowing in, around, and through you when he looks you in the eye, and even more so when he gives you a warm, strong hug. I wish that I could have a hug from Carl every day for the rest of my life. He also must be in possession of a time turner, because no one gets more done in a day than Carl. (Don’t forget to eat your lunch, birthday boy!)” – Blake

“Carl is the busiest person I know, and he is always so put together…I think he might have clones, and I think that each and every one of them is doing their best to make the world a better place. Something I think we can all aspire to!” – Mason

“I love Carl’s sense of style and personal voice!  He comes to every table with an infinite number of life experiences, expertise, and creative ideas.  He opens his heart and home (literally) to all artistic endeavors and adventures with love and joy!  Carl strives to make this world a far better place to live, learn, and play… always!” – Christina

“Carl is… actually, I don’t think there is any way to succinctly explain how incredibly creative, kind, and generally awesome Carl really is. I suppose if I tried, it would be something like: WHOAAAAHHHEEeeeiiooooooooosshhhhhkaAA! … yep, I think that’s it. BIRTHDAY!” – Hannah

“Carl keeps us stuck together by pinch hitting for each of us when we need it. He offers help and support in this totally reckless way that’s terrifying, not because you think he’s going to let you down but because you know in your heart place that you can never be as recklessly giving as he is so you just have to accept it and hope you’re spreading enough good karma around to cover it. Also, Carl is my soccer buddy and even when I’m being crazy and dramatic he listens totally engaged and rarely rolls his eyes. Also, he’s pretty.” – Heidi

In preparation for Friday and Saturday’s workshop production of THE GOLDEN CARP, we asked the performers some questions about their thoughts on broken hearts and dangerous love. Do you have a haiku about dangerous love? Share it in the comments! /Blake

This weekend is your chance to add your voice to the discussion on love and magic, fish and fairies.  Join us!  Reserve your seat now. 

THE GOLDEN CARP Workshop Presentation
April 19 and 20 7:30 pm
Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center
3749 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

1. Who was the first person to break your heart?

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy

Jake Gyllenhaal, when I found out he wasn’t gay

A girl broke up with me on my birthday when I was 22. She said it just seemed like I liked her more than she like me.

This kid in middle school.  We were both nerds, and we danced at the Valentine’s Day dance.  Then he got popular. Sad face.

I actually don’t think I’ve ever truly had my heart broken. Especially watching my parents heal after their recent divorce, I feel like nothing I’ve experienced compares. If we’re talking first time I had deep romantic feelings for someone that was unrequited – that would be my friend, Andy Hunt, in 9^th grade. He was dating my other friend. It was awkward.

2. Who was the first person whose heart you broke?

His name is Adam and I still feel bad about that one.

Too many to write about.

I once accidentally took a girl on a date.  It was a misunderstanding, it ended badly.

When I was 16, I broke up with a guy on his birthday.  BUT I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS!! Cause he was silent and awkward and never spoke! Which is why I wanted to break up. Anyway, a couple weeks later, people told me he did a song about me dying at his band’s show.  Yikes.

Uhhhhh …  no one? Probably? I’ve had some friends who’ve been interested in me and I didn’t feel the same way, but I don’t think it was that intense.

Middle school girlfriends, perhaps, but hopefully they get it now?

3. Write a haiku about dangerous love:

Watch out for that boy
He’ll break your heart I swear it
Love me instead please

You know it’s not good
But you cannot stop yourself
You learn from mistakes

Good girl gone bad – oops
Rhianna, please be careful
You are so pretty

I will break your heart
And mess around with your head.
Just because I can

4. What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done for love?

I flew to another continent all by my lonesome.  But once I got there, it wasn’t scary at all!

I’m on OkCupid

I drove to Rhode Island.  It wasn’t that scary, except when I slept in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in Wisconsin.

I don’t know! I’m lame.

Told the person I was in love with how I feel.

5. Tell us about a time that you (or someone you know) lost themselves completely in their love:

My dog and a bag of chocolate

People too lost in love are annoying.

I feel like I’ve know lots of people who’ve been lost in love.  The most difficult experience I’ve had as a friend is watching someone be in a verbally abusive relationship and not be able to convince her to stop/leave him. All I could do was console her and hope one day she’d stop loving him.  She did! *whew*

I don’t really know who my dad is anymore, since the divorce. He’s dating someone younger, and I think he’s going through a mid-life crisis.

6. What are the symptoms of dangerous love?

Never sleeping – always lying

A high fever, chills, sweaty pits, and voice cracks

I think the entire Twilight series about dangerous love.

Racing heart
Leather-wearing
Shortness of breath
Crazy fantasies
Delusions of grandeur
Excessive smoking, drinking
Crazy piercings
Not taking care of yourself

Co-dependency, letting your significant other make decisions for you, blocking your loved ones from your life … being reckless, impulsive …

You have to lie about it to other people you love.

7. Of unrequited love?

Every moment gives you one step forward in hope and three steps back in sadness. 

Everyone who was dorky in middle school/high school knows all about unrequited love.

Crying
Big sweaters
Bad television
Long, awkward emails
Headaches
Excessive comfort food eating
Not showering enough

Spending time with your loved one, even though you know they’re not interested. Dwelling on that person, imagining being with that person.

8. Who do you still pine for, just a little (or a lot)?

BEYONCE

Jake Gyllenhaal … And that one guy from that show I did

My wife

Paul McCartney .,, I just … I can’t move on from the fact that in another life, we were soulmates. And it was beautiful.

An old friend who was one of those almost-boyfriends/friend-I-made-out-with-a-few-times.  I’ll probably always feel something for him, but I’m over wanting a relationship with him. He was a really good kisser, too. Damn him.

Tanner Curl, 4EVER AND ALWAYZ

Here in Minneapolis, we are working away to expand and explore the story of THE GOLDEN CARP with our presentation coming up next week. In another season in the not-so-distant future, this story will find it’s full life as a chamber opera, so I talked with creator and project leader Candy Bilyk out in California. We talked about opera, what it means to her, and how it will allow this story to be expressed. /Blake

We know she’s singin’, but it ain’t over!

(Please note: the upcoming workshop of THE GOLDEN CARP will be acted, but not sung. Join us now for the story; stay tuned for the future full opera!)

THE GOLDEN CARP Workshop Presentation
April 19 and 20 7:30 pm
Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center
3749 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Make reservations here!

Blake Bolan: Can you give us a beginner’s definition of opera, and how it connects to other forms of music-theater?
Candy Bilyk: I don’t want to get myself in hot water here, but the “big” forms of music-theater in the Western tradition are the opera, musical, and ballet. The most important thing is that music-theater is a spectrum, not a neat set of drawers or folders with zero overlap. And no matter how you define each form, even the big “established” ones, there will be people out there to argue that you’re wrong.

CB: When I was in high school, my orchestra took a field trip to see a final dress rehearsal of Turandot, performed by the Minnesota Opera. It sounds corny, but I just fell in love. Some people are really into movies with visual overload, like Moulin Rouge. Opera is like the aural equivalent of that to me. When I sat in that audience I felt like I was surrounded and inundated by sound; it wrapped around me and I was inside the music. That is what I love most about opera. Since then I’ve also played in opera pits many times, and it is my favorite thing by far to play.

The pyrotechnical spectacle of Puccini’s La Bohème at Opera Philadelphia.
Can WE have fire, TOO?!

BB: How does working on an opera differ from your other experiences in music-theater?

CB: Well, really the biggest difference for me is that I’m the driving force on this project. In all the other music-theater pieces I’ve done, the idea was generated by someone else and the music was designed to serve the story and a particular purpose that was markedly subservient to everything else going on and could have been written by other people. But things like the rehearsal process are all really similar, it’s just that opera is all music and musicals usually have less music and more speaking and blocking. The only real difference I’ve experienced as a violist is that in musicals we have less music to play, and the viola parts are frequently pretty boring and easy. I’ve never played ballet music outside of the concert hall or written for ballet, so I can’t speak to that experience.

The carp (Evan Boyce) sings his own praises at Savage Umbrella’s Night of New Works last summer.

BB: How do you think the form helps to tell the story of THE GOLDEN CARP?

CB: That’s a good question. I’ve heard opinions from other people about this, like opera is somehow the most unrealistic art form and therefore a fantastical world is more accepted in it. I disagree with that, but maybe there’s something to it in the collective consciousness. I just really wanted to make it an opera. I partially wrote a short story several years ago about a fairy and a fish (which barely resembles the story today), and the more I revised and added to it, the more crazy duets and arias started popping into my mind. But I think any story can work in multiple forms, this is just the way I’m excited about telling it. It could be a really cool stage play if told differently.

In less than a month, we will share the culmination of brainstorms, ruminations, schemes, and improvisations around the characters and story of THE GOLDEN CARP. This project began it’s public life with a presentation of three songs in last year’s NIGHT OF NEW WORKS, and we dream of its eventual life as a glorious, puppet-filled chamber opera. Here, now, in the present, we have begun the delicious task of workshopping the basic storyline with performers, writers, and a director all in a room together. We will write and improv, together and separately, and we will turn over every stone – sometimes more than once – and try everything. 

Goal: Try all the things.

IN THE ROOM

Performing
Kelsey Cramer
Emily Dussault
Bryan Grosso
Megan Hadley
Mason Mahoney
Jake Scott

Writing
Laura Leffler-McCabe
Tanner Curl

Directing
Hannah Holman

THE FIRST EXPERIMENTS

Act 1, Scene 2: The Embarrassment
Fay counsels Olivia on her failed beguiling spell.

“You have to think it’s going to work, you have to feel it.”

“What if it does work? Have you ever seen a fish mouth?”

Act 1, Scene 3: How to Beguile
Toad shares his wisdom with the fairies.

“The wind is the tight sailor’s knot of the field and flowers.”

“It’s not what you eat, it’s how you eat it.”

“I’m just a toad. A fish is a harder sell.”

FRESH EXCITEMENT

Hannah: I’m excited to see how the humor and relationships help to tell such a dark story:
the story of a fish trying to devour a fairy.

Tanner: I’ve not ever written in a totally fantastical realm. I’m excited to explore the different options it gives, the range of storytelling.

Laura: I’m excited to work with the performers. Three are old hands, and three are people who are new (or fairly new) to Savage Umbrella. It’s dynamic and exciting!

THE GOLDEN CARP Workshop Presentation

April 19 and 20 7:30 pm
Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center
3749 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Make reservations here.

An incredible group of talented performers joined us for auditions earlier this month for Rain Follows the Plow, and we are honored. Final casting decisions have been made, and we are set to begin rehearsals when the flowers are in bloom. For now, we dream of rivers and dams, dust and drought.

Rain Follows the Plow
by Rachel Nelson
directed by Laura Leffler-McCabe

A huge pile of sandy grit is heaped in the center of the space. There is a geography under the sand–unexplained ridges and odd angles, as if a house is buried there, or the emerging spine of a giant animal. A small staircase extends up to a small platform that overlooks the space, creating an outlook, a refuge. Weird things poke out of the grit; a briefcase, various bits of trash and old clothes, a potted cactus, a music box, various unidentified shapes and colors and textures. It is 1934. It is the present day. It is a dreamscape.  

THE CATALYST
an apparition, a memory, a fantasy, a hope
(Mason Mahoney)

INGRID
a wife on the edge of something
(Blake E. Bolan)

CLARENCE
a husband blinded by privilege
(Michael Ooms)

CLARA
a young woman, grappling/reeling
(Emily Dussault)

JACK
a young man searching for meaning
(Neal Beckman)

BEN
a closeted big business type from DC
(Bryan Grosso)