Interested in working on a collaboratively designed and produced opera? All Parsons junior/senior undergraduates and graduate students are invited to apply to the Parsons/ Mannes Opera Collaboration for the Spring 2014 semester!
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- Still from the 1994 Italian film, Il Postino
PSDS 5704 Mannes Opera – Parsons Collab
Spring 2014 / CRN 7844 / Fridays 12:10 pm – 5:50 pm
Registration is by application only
This spring, Mannes and Parsons students will present the New York City premier of Il Postino (The Postman), with performances on May 9th and 10th. The opera, like the film, is based on the fictional account of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s 1950s exile to an Italian island for his Communist beliefs, and his subsequent, poetry-filled friendship with the postman. A full synopsis from one Philadelphia production of Il Postino can be found here.
We’re looking for individuals interested in one of more of the following:
- theatrical productions
- costume design
- styling
- hair and makeup
- set design
- lighting design
- prop construction and management
This 3-credit collaborative class will be taught by two Parsons professors and will meet on Fridays from 12:10 PM-5:50 PM. Classes will be held mainly at Parsons, but will occasionally meet at a set/prop design studio in Red Hook for larger fabrication projects midway through the semester. Grading for this course will asses participation, investment in the overall project, and conception/production of required deliverables, leading to a great performance!
Before the class starts in the Spring, there will be optional skill-building workshops on topics such as sewing, fabrication, and set design, so that students can learn or brush-up on skills in their areas of interest–or even outside of their areas of interest! In addition, the first 5 weeks of the class will feature “Master Classes” taught by industry professionals. These special sessions will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the history of opera, designing for the opera, and more.
This collaborative class is a wonderful opportunity to work alongside faculty and performers from Mannes, Parsons faculty and fellow design students, and theater industry professionals. Please note, participation in this course requires a time commitment outside of the classroom, especially in the final weeks of April and the beginning of May for set load-in, installation, dress rehearsals, etc. Along with this extra time commitment comes the excitement and benefit of playing an integral role in a major musical production.
HOW TO APPLY:
In order to apply, please include the following application information in one google doc file:
-Your resume
-A paragraph explaining what aspect of the collaboration you are interested in and why (costume design, set design, lighting design, prop construction and management, program and promotional materials graphic design, etc)
-A 1-3 page sample of your art/design work. This sampling of your work should speak to both your talents as an individual designer as well as your ability to contribute to the overall production.
Please name your folder: “Last Name, First Name, Opera Collaboration Application” and email it to Abby Calhoun at
calhouna@newschool.edu / Leslie Henkel at
henkell@newschool.edu by the deadline
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 by 5:00 PM.
Please feel free to contact Abby Calhoun or Leslie Henkel with any questions.
Mannes Opera performance of “Falstaff” (2011)
