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Professional Theater & Opera in the Green Mountains of Vermont

GREATER BURLINGTON, VT: International opera performers, Actor’s Equity professional theater artists, world renowned opera and musical directors, Broadway actors and directors, emerging opera artists, summer stock performers, and Vermont artists will all come together this spring and summer to perform in the Green Mountain of Vermont.

The Green Mountain Opera Festival is a three week operatic Vermont sojourn in its third year under internationally acclaimed artistic director and bass, Taras Kulish. The Green Mountain Opera Festival begins on June 1st and explores the art and beauty of opera with concerts, open air events, free open rehearsals, and free master classes throughout the Mad River Valley culminating with two fully staged and costumed performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, accompanied by the Green Mountain Opera Orchestra at the beautifully restored Barre Opera House.

“You won’t want to miss any of these fantastic events coming up in our 3rd annual opera festival. I couldn’t be more proud and excited to present you all these established and emerging artists in the gorgeous Central Vermont landscape. High quality opera and breathtaking nature…what more could you want?!” exclaims Kulish.

Saint Michael’s Playhouse is an eight week theatrical masterpiece enjoying its 61st season as Greater Burlington’s only professional summer theater. Under the esteemed direction of managing and creative director, Charles Tobin, the Saint Michael’s Playhouse performs four productions throughout the season starting in mid-June, as well as two children’s theater performances all in the acoustically perfected theater in the McCarthy Arts Center on the Saint Michael’s College campus.

“Our company and crew of some 80 professional theater artists create full-scale custom-produced productions,” comments Tobin. “This season we’ve assembled a line-up of exciting productions with something for everyone, including the big entertainment factor that our audiences love and have come to expect.”

Information is as follows:

Green Mountain Opera Festival – detailed information at www.greenmountainoperafestival.com 

Free Master Classes at the Joslyn Round Barn with conductor Francis Graffeo, bass-baritone Sanford Sylvan, stage director Ron Luchsinger, and soprano Phyllis Curtin; June 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th
Free Open Rehearsals at the Valley Players Theater; June 3rd, 5th, 9th, 12th
Opening Opera Concert at the Joslyn Round Barn featuring Green Mountain Opera Festival performers and conductors; June 6th
Broadway Picnic at the Lareau Farm Inn featuring singers from the Green Mountain Opera Festival; June 11th
Emerging Artist Showcase at the Joslyn Round Barn featuring talented opera stars of tomorrow, chosen by audition to be included in the Green Mountain Opera Festival’s Emerging Artist Program; June 13th
Opening Night Performance of La Traviata at the Barre Opera House starring Aline Kutan, Eric Fennell, Theodore Baerg, Simon Chausse, Emerging Artists, and featuring the Green Mountain Opera Chorus and Orchestra; June 20th
Matinee Performance of La Traviata at the Barre Opera House; June 22nd

Saint Michael’s Playhouse – detailed information at www.saintmichaelsplayhouse.org
 
BARNUM – the musical, June 17th – 28th; The high-flying Tony-Award winning Broadway musical based on the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum starring Broadway actors John Patrick Hayden and Bill Carmichael; directed and choreographed by Keith Andrews, circus and aerial training by Mark Bramble
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS – the comedy, July 1st – 12th; the hilarious, madcap Hollywood comedy about the making of Gone with the Wind directed by Broadway, television, and film veteran Kenneth Kimmins
ALMOST, MAINE – the comedy, July 15th – 26th; an enchanting new romantic comedy set in the far northern town of Almost, Maine starring Kate Wetherhead from Broadway’s Legally Blonde; directed by Sarah Carleton; and written by Tony Award nominee John Cariani
PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES – the musical, July 29th – August 9th; the high-octane Broadway musical celebrating the simple pleasures and good folks at the Double Cupp Diner and Pump Station starring actors who all play musical instruments; directed and choreographed by Keith Andrews
Playhouse Junior: Produced and Performed by Playhouse Interns; directed by Marc Tumminelli; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, June 21st & 22nd; Jack and the Beanstalk, July 5th & July 6th

The Green Mountain Opera Festival is co-sponsored by the Inn at the Round Barn Farm (www.theroundbarn.com) and the Green Mountain Cultural Center, a non-profit organization that has promoted the visual and performing arts in Vermont’s Mad River Valley for twenty years and was founded by the Inn at the Round Barn Farm’s original owners. It is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional contributions for the festival and the Emerging Artist Program, which is free for those chosen to attend, come from the Sheila C. Johnson Foundation, which supports programs related to education, children, and the arts and was founded by the Black Entertainment Television co-founder and opera enthusiast. The Green Mountain Opera Festival’s Annual Gala Fundraiser, held annually in March, helps raise additional funds and this year featured Metropolitan Opera soprano, Wendy Nielsen. Festival tickets go on sale May 1st through the Green Mountain Cultural Center at 802-496-7722 or by emailing tickets@greenmountainoperafestival.com. More information is available at www.greenmountainoperafestival.com.

Saint Michael’s Playhouse is Greater Burlington’s professional summer theater, celebrating nationally renowned Equity actors, live theater, and a professional theater internship program in the heart of Northern Vermont’s liveliest community and vacation getaway. From its humble beginnings in 1947, Saint Michael’s Playhouse has blossomed into an eight week long theater season housed in one of Vermont’s finest theater venues – the McCarthy Arts Center at Saint Michael’s College. As the area’s only professional summer theater, Saint Michael’s Playhouse features stellar talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters nationwide, hiring actors and stage managers who are members of Actor’s Equity Association – the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Each season approximately 14,000 theatergoers experience the unparalleled opportunity to see live, professional New York theater, produced and presented right here in Vermont. Subscription packages go on sale May 1st and tickets go on sale June 1st by calling 802-654-2281. More information is available at www.saintmichaelsplayhouse.org.