Holiday CONCERT December 19, 2020 - Opera House Players
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Holiday CONCERT December 19, 2020
Welcome! On behalf of the Board of Directors, I welcome you to the Opera House Players’ Livestream Holiday Concert, featuring our Ovation choir group! It is no secret that this there is nothing normal about what is happening in our world right now. If you have seen our shows before, you know we take pride in bringing high-quality musical theater to the North Central Connecticut area. We are unable to do that right now, but we are very grateful that you are joining us for some holiday music and cheer! And whether this is your first time watching one of our performances, or if you have been watching us for years, we thank you. For without your support, these performances would not be possible! It’s been about 10 months since our last live performance. We are in a different world now, where the utmost importance is placed on health and safety. In order to make this performance happen, we have diligent- ly and carefully followed guidelines to ensure the safety of every person involved. This is no small undertaking, and there are so many people that we have to thank that allowed us to get to this point where we can perform again. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you! While there is no cost to watch this live stream, there are different avenues you can go about to offer a donation. By doing this, you are assisting us in getting back to performing the musicals we are itching to be perform- ing again! The lack of ticket sales has definitely hurt us this year, but we are committed to being back better than ever in 2021. We have a variety of events and smaller shows currently being discussed and considered, both virtually and at our 100 High Street location. We are also holding on to the hope that our main stage 2021 season can still happen! And any donation you are considering making will help with that. But for now, it’s time to listen to some holiday cheer! From all of your families to yours, we want to wish you a joyful, peaceful, and healthy holiday season. Spread magic and love this holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you all soon! Thank you, Joshua Prouser Board President
Director’s Note Ovation began as something very small. We were but a handful of singers caroling at the Enfield mall as a way to thank them for the generosity of hosting our rehearsal space for Beauty and the Beast with Opera House Players. When a previous board member asked if “anyone was interested” and I volunteered, I never thought that this is where we would be three years later. And, oh boy, what a place to be! In a terrifying global pandemic, after months of difficulties on personal, professional, and emotional levels— but we decided even with all of that, we simply MUST have music. I established a strict Covid-19 safety policy with strict mask guidelines. These choir members didn’t touch anything but their chair when they entered and the door on their way out (which was hurriedly sanitized!) and they never complained. They sang masked, far apart, and in small groups. The tenors didn’t even meet the altos until dress rehearsal! They fought so hard to get to this point and I am so proud of them. They’ve stayed positive, cheerful, eager for more, and trusted our production team the entire time. I am so grateful to have had this experience with them and to have their trust and their talents. This wasn’t easy. I can’t even make a joke about it! This was a ridiculously difficult feat that we should never have been able to actually pull off! However, once it became clear that we simply need music in the world right now, we knew what our job must be. We knew what we must make happen. And each bump in the road, each dead end, each hardship, we looked to each other and we fought forward. That is the performers’ way; we fight onward. We will always fight onwards, and we will continue to do so, better and better each time, until we reach the end of time. This music would never have happened without the production team I have at my side. Jess Glasser, as the Events Manager of the Opera House is my guiding light. She makes sure this choir wants for nothing. Maya Matthews, as Public Relations Manager, is not only one of the strongest women I know, but also one of the fiercest publicity managers you could dream of. You know us because of her. Nate Ferreira, as the Technical Director of the Opera House overhauled our performance space to ensure our HVAC system was prepared, our space was set, our
method of protections thorough, and our wipes and cleaners always stocked. Not only has he been a man I can rely on to help me move chairs around, but his videography made a dream of mine a reality with the four stunning music video releases we present this holiday season. Josh Prouser as the President of the Opera House Players has not only been a bass in the choir, and then a tenor, but also an incredible force of support in this entire adventure, and it is so greatly appreciated. Thank you, Jess, Maya, Nate and Josh for everything you have done for me and this choir. Thank you to my section leaders for their devout work to this choir, Erica Hoffman, Colin Norris, Carleton Whaley, Adam Dabkowski, and especially Mal Sillars—without whom the voices before you would not be as won- derful as they are, and I would be a far less sane woman. Lastly I wish to thank you, our audience. Your patronage is what keeps us going here at the Opera House Players. You are the reason we sing. So please, join together with your loved ones. Lift your voices up with us and sing aloud as we do, and join us for this, the first of many, Ovation Holiday Concert. With overwhelming love, hope, and gratitude, Stevie Norman
OPERA HOUSE PLAYERS BOARD President – Joshua Prouser Vice President – Erin Dugan Secretary – Reva Kreppel Treasurer – Harry Evagelou Executive Producer – Moonyean Field Technical Director/Facilities Manager – Nate Ferreira Public Relations Coordinator – Maya Matthews Events Manager – Jessica Glasser House Manager – Khara Hoyer Box Office Manager – Susan Choquette Volunteer/Diversity Coordinator – Stevie Norman Contracts – Manager Marge Stepansky
PRODUCTION TEAM Director – Stephanie Norman Events Manager – Jessica Glasser Video and Lighting Production – Nate Ferreira & Cole River Wood Public Relations Coordinator – Maya Nicole Matthews Music Production – Matthew Glasser Multimedia Graphic Designer – Sarah Stephens Social Media Coordinator – Sarah Rose Stack Webmaster/Email Blasts – Gene Choquette
STEPHANIE NORMAN
Stevie holds a Bachelor of Music, specializing in opera,
from the UNC School of the Arts where she attended
all four years on a full talent scholarship from the Kenan
Foundation. Some favorite past performance credits
include; Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast), Ursula (The
Little Mermaid), Dragon voice/Mama Bear (Shrek), Mayzie
(Seussical), Betty Paris (Ward’s The Crucible), and the one that started it
all, Alexandra (Blitzstein’s Regina). She is a performer with the Six Flags
New England entertainment department where she has been in various
vocal ensembles as well as music directed the Classic New England Carol-
ers, written and directed The Academy for Gifted Ghouls and performed
the titular role in Mrs. Claus’s Christmas Eve. She is the founder and
owner, as well as Mrs. Claus, with “The Wonderland Works Company.”
During the day she masquerades as a licensed daycare provider and voice
teacher, though recently she is spending time performing as a profession-
al Mrs. Claus in this difficult holiday season. Stevie is also the Volunteer
and Diversity Recruitment Manager on the Opera House Players’ Board of
Directors. Facebook.com/stephanienormansoprano
RYAN BIRD
If he didn’t have a mask on, you might recognize Ryan
from past OHP shows Spamalot, Fiddler on the Roof,
Bright Star and others. Ryan lives over in Somers, CT
and works in the solar industry by day but his dream is
to open a chain of $2 stores for people who want a more
upscale experience than your typical dollar store. He
was drinking flavored seltzer before it was cool, survived
a plane crash, has lived in 5 states and thinks that Macoun apples are
the best. Ryan sings low bass with Ovation but tenor in his church choir.
While in college, Ryan sang with the University of Wisconsin Men’s and
mixed choirs and was invited to sing at the Joseph Haydn festival in
Eisenstadt, Austria. He has also sang in Germany, Belgium and Switzer-
land. ‘Qui bene cantat bis orat.’
ADAM DABKOWSKI
Adam is extremely excited to be performing with Ovation
as the bass section leader after this hectic COVID-19
summer. He has been choral singing since seventh grade
inspired by his first teacher, Erin Hanson. Adam’s biggest
accomplishment was singing as a choir-member with
Rocktopia: LIVE on their national tour. In addition to this,
he has been seen on stage with Opera House Players in Matilda and
Legally Blonde, with some other favorite roles including Mother Gearth
in ’Til Death Do Us Part, Billy Ray in On Golden Pond, and Paul
Sycamore in You Can’t Take It With You.
JESSICA GLASSER
Jessica Glasser is thrilled to be partaking in the first Vir-
tual concert for Ovation! She has been a part of our holi-
day choir since 2018, and is also the Events Manager on
the board at OHP. You’ve previously seen her at OHP in
Bright Star, Little Women, The Mystery of Edwin Drood,
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, La Cage
Aux Folles and will be in the future presentation of Mamma Mia. Other
roles include: Piper/Eve (Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Eve) and Marilyn Monroe
(Dead Legends Live) at Six Flags New England and Natalie (All Shook
Up), Donna (Taffeta Christmas), Frenchie (Grease) at Connecticut Caba-
ret. She sends her love to her husband, Matthew, 3 pugs (Curtis, Ursula,
and Stitch), and Fitzgerald. “You outshine the morning sun, my son.”
KHARA HOYER
Khara Hoyer has been singing her whole life, music
and theatre have been a passion since she was about
six years old. Performing in various choirs and theatre
groups as a youth, she even went to school to study
Music Education with concentration in voice. Khara now
stays very busy working with OHP and other area theatre
groups, as well as performing with the Fort Singers at the
Student Prince in Springfield and previous seasons with the OHP carol
era. She is so excited that our carolers have developed into this amaz-
ing choir, so happy to perform with them and look forward to what is to
come!
KATHERINE MARCIL
Katherine discovered the Opera House Players in the
past year and was elated to join the cast production of
Legally Blonde! Christmas is always her busiest time of
year for singing, as she volunteers for holiday choruses
and is contracted to sing solos for special services. Bring-
ing joy to people throughout the holidays is what makes
Katherine the happiest. Having sung with professional
choruses like the Springfield Symphony Chorus Katherine finds the
closeness and camaraderie that you get from a chorus such as Ovation
much more endearing. She excited to sing with such a wonderful com-
pany of people ready to give out the happiness and joy when we need
it most!
ANN-MARIE MESSBAUER
Ann-Marie has played violin in the pit band for five
shows with the Opera House Players since 2016, the
most recent one being Bright Star. She appreciates the
OHP community and is happy to raise her voice with the
Ovation Choir. Besides teaching at the Community Music
School of Springfield, Ann-Marie also exercises her vocal
chords by singing traditional folk music with Three of
Cups and folk-rock tunes with Rising Tide.
LAURIE NICKERSON
Laurie is beyond grateful to sing with Ovation. She
moved back to her hometown in Massachusetts after an
18-year hiatus out west. She ventured to Los Angeles to
join The Young Americans–a choral group founded in
1962 which was the first show choir–and went on to work
with Walt Disney Entertainment. Upon graduating with
a BFA from Otis College of Art & Design, Laurie worked
as an Art Director for an advertising agency in Las Vegas for 12 years.
Wanting to use her creativity to be a bit more “hands on,” she started
her own company dyeing Muppet skins. Her studio is now the primary
supplier of fleece and fur for the TV, film, and entertainment industry.
SHANNON PLANKEY
Shannon is a 3rd year nursing student at the University
of Massachusetts Boston- although she is currently living
with her family and studying from home in Amherst, MA.
Every year, Shannon starts privately celebrating Christmas
in August. When the weather cools off and Christmas
carols become socially acceptable again, Shannon is in
her happy place. Shannon also loves musical theater (performing and
attending), her cat, creative writing, silly dancing, and spending time
with her family (and other family pets).
JOSH PROUSER
Josh’s first experience with Opera House Players was as
an actor in their November 2014 production of Fiddler
on the Roof. From that experience, he realized OHP was
his home. He has since appeared on stage in a number
of shows with OHP, as well as working on numerous
production staffs. Some of his favorite shows with OHP
are She Loves Me (actor), My Fair Lady (actor), The Robber Bridegroom
(actor), Annie (assistant director) and Matilda (assistant director). Josh is
currently OHP President, and is thrilled to be involved in an organization
that is committed to bringing the arts to Enfield, and the Ovation Choir
that is bringing the community holiday cheer!
EMILY VANDAL
Emily Vandal is15 years old and attends Enfield High
school and GHAA as a junior. She love to sing and act
and has been in multiple shows including Seussical and
The Wizard of Oz. She also participates in choral activi-
ties such as the CMEA all state music festival. Other than
music, some activities she loves to participate in include,
archery and playbill collecting!
TAMMY YOUNG
Tammy (Soprano) is mom to three kids and two doodle
dogs. She works as an English teacher by day and dab-
bles in theater and music on the side. She is a cantor
at St. Joseph Church in Windsor. She was pleased to
appear in Hearts and Ghost of a Chance with Suffield
Players and South Pacific, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady,
Annie and Sister Act with the Opera House Players. Tammy is grateful
for the opportunity to sing with this talented Ovation group and thanks
her husband for his unending support!THANK YOU, DONORS!
T
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