Opera House Season Highlights

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Tosca, the Opera House Dog

Season Highlights

Here's what many of us have been waiting for! Click on the bold text here to get a sneak peek at this coming season's schedule--more shows, more movies, more workshops! This schedule is still tentative, but we wanted you to see what we're planning: click on the bold text here --> Opera House 2003 Calendar

Reasons to celebrate--visit our updated "News" page by clicking on this bold text here: Opera House News
The numbers for our grand re-opening season say it all! We opened our doors to more than 2,400 new friends, joining 60 performers in 6 short but action-packed weeks.

The stars of Opening Night relax after the performance. We opened with a sold-out gala evening of arias and song, hosted by musical theater great and soap opera star Ron Raines. Opera legend Lucine Amara brought the audience to its feet with her stunning voice and extraordinary presence. Verdi favorites, Sondheim gems, and classics of tomorrow with selections from the modern opera "Patience and Sarah" made for a beautiful evening. Soprano Elizabeth Franklin returned later in the season to graciously offer a benefit recital for the Opera House.

It was a beautiful summer in Stonington, with some foggy mornings, clearing skies, star-littered evenings, and the smell of salt in the air. Or is that lobster I smell?

Opera House Arts and sponsor The Grasshopper Shop presented a cabaret evening of Kurt Weill's music on the weekend of July 21, joining theaters worldwide in celebrating the musical genius' 100th birthday. Beth Anne Cole and Alvin Epstein recreated Weill's Berlin and Paris in a stylish evening.

Our live radio show on August 12, broadcast on WERU, was a huge hit with our audience, who fell in love with fiery host Carmelita Tropicana. Deer Isle favorites Jan and Evelyn Kok (pictured at left) shared maritime songs, and Bob Haskell's Big Band provided live music for "The Quarry Seekers" an original radio drama. Judith's family hadn't arrived from the Bangor airport when we went live at 7PM, but we learned after the performance that they caught the whole show on the radio as they drove down Route 15. This year's Radio Writing workshop was attended by students aged 14 to 94 and will provide material for next year's radio show.

Joplin and Gershwin and Charlie Chaplin in one glorious family evening-- Mas Ikemiya brought his New York Ragtime Orchestra to the Opera House in late August. Earlier that day, Ragtime historian Peter Muir gave a smart, funny and educational lecture/demonstration of ragtime music (free!) at the Congregational Church in Deer Isle. Thanks to Roger Burkhardt for use of the space. The smiles in the audience as our Ragtime day ended with a conga-line performance let us know we'd hit the mark!

Movies at the Opera House! Our historic movie projector was up and running to offer two first-run movies -- Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Perfect Storm. Deer Isle residents returned to show us exactly which seat they used to favor for movies in years past. Next year we promise more movies and the return of our chrome-plated popcorn machine. A round of applause for projector-mistress Judith Jerome, nary a hitch! Pass the Skittles!

Tiny ballet toes wanting to be just like ballerina and teacher Sarah Porter Estey graced the stage for our children's ballet class. Our workshops this summer were offered in conjunction with Seamark. We also had adult ballet classes, a vocal workshop with Luba Tcheresky, jazz classes by our own Carol Estey, and excited kids who attended the circus skills workshop and then joined LAVA for their first performance. More workshops are planned for next year.

The Opera House hosted two wonderful benefits--for the Bud Carter Music Scholarship, and another for the Stonington Public Library. Linda Greenlaw spoke to an overflow crowd and signed copies of her book "The Hungry Ocean." We're looking forward to Linda's new book on life as a resident of Isle Au Haut, due out in the spring.

If our first season had to come to an end, then we couldn't think of a better way to do it than with the fabulous women of LAVA, who brought their circus and dance artistry (and special rigging) to Stonington. Opera House Dog Tosca sadly missed her big moment on stage because of a hurt paw, but gained solace by kisses from the LAVA women on her surgical collar. Hey, that's show biz.

Photo Credit: MET Design, Inc.

Photo Credit: MET Design, Inc.

Reasons to celebrate--visit our updated "News" page by clicking on this bold text here: Opera House News
The numbers for our grand re-opening season say it all! We opened our doors to more than 2,400 new friends, joining 60 performers in 6 short but action-packed weeks.
The stars of Opening Night relax after the performance.	We opened with a sold-out gala evening of arias and song, hosted by musical theater great and soap opera star Ron Raines. Opera legend Lucine Amara brought the audience to its feet with her stunning voice and extraordinary presence. Verdi favorites, Sondheim gems, and classics of tomorrow with selections from the modern opera "Patience and Sarah" made for a beautiful evening. Soprano Elizabeth Franklin returned later in the season to graciously offer a benefit recital for the Opera House.
It was a beautiful summer in Stonington, with some foggy mornings, clearing skies, star-littered evenings, and the smell of salt in the air. Or is that lobster I smell?
Opera House Arts and sponsor The Grasshopper Shop presented a cabaret evening of Kurt Weill's music on the weekend of July 21, joining theaters worldwide in celebrating the musical genius' 100th birthday. Beth Anne Cole and Alvin Epstein recreated Weill's Berlin and Paris in a stylish evening.
	Our live radio show on August 12, broadcast on WERU, was a huge hit with our audience, who fell in love with fiery host Carmelita Tropicana. Deer Isle favorites Jan and Evelyn Kok (pictured at left) shared maritime songs, and Bob Haskell's Big Band provided live music for "The Quarry Seekers" an original radio drama. Judith's family hadn't arrived from the Bangor airport when we went live at 7PM, but we learned after the performance that they caught the whole show on the radio as they drove down Route 15. This year's Radio Writing workshop was attended by students aged 14 to 94 and will provide material for next year's radio show.
Joplin and Gershwin and Charlie Chaplin in one glorious family evening-- Mas Ikemiya brought his New York Ragtime Orchestra to the Opera House in late August. Earlier that day, Ragtime historian Peter Muir gave a smart, funny and educational lecture/demonstration of ragtime music (free!) at the Congregational Church in Deer Isle. Thanks to Roger Burkhardt for use of the space. The smiles in the audience as our Ragtime day ended with a conga-line performance let us know we'd hit the mark!
Movies at the Opera House! Our historic movie projector was up and running to offer two first-run movies -- Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Perfect Storm. Deer Isle residents returned to show us exactly which seat they used to favor for movies in years past. Next year we promise more movies and the return of our chrome-plated popcorn machine. A round of applause for projector-mistress Judith Jerome, nary a hitch! Pass the Skittles!
	Tiny ballet toes wanting to be just like ballerina and teacher Sarah Porter Estey graced the stage for our children's ballet class. Our workshops this summer were offered in conjunction with Seamark. We also had adult ballet classes, a vocal workshop with Luba Tcheresky, jazz classes by our own Carol Estey, and excited kids who attended the circus skills workshop and then joined LAVA for their first performance. More workshops are planned for next year.
The Opera House hosted two wonderful benefits--for the Bud Carter Music Scholarship, and another for the Stonington Public Library. Linda Greenlaw spoke to an overflow crowd and signed copies of her book "The Hungry Ocean." We're looking forward to Linda's new book on life as a resident of Isle Au Haut, due out in the spring.
If our first season had to come to an end, then we couldn't think of a better way to do it than with the fabulous women of LAVA, who brought their circus and dance artistry (and special rigging) to Stonington. Opera House Dog Tosca sadly missed her big moment on stage because of a hurt paw, but gained solace by kisses from the LAVA women on her surgical collar. Hey, that's show biz.
Photo Credit: MET Design, Inc.	Photo Credit: MET Design, Inc.