The Live Cinema Series continues with a screening of the current production of Rigoletto by The Royal Opera on Wednesday, February 7 at 6:00 p.m. This production is filmed live in London and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

The corruption of innocence is at the heart of Giuseppe Verdi’s potent tragedy in David McVicar’s production for The Royal Opera.

Rigoletto, court jester to the libertine Duke of Mantua, is cursed by the father of one of the Duke’s victims for his irreverent laughter. When the Duke seduces Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, it seems the curse is taking effect.

David McVicar’s production highlights the cruelty at the heart of the court of Mantua. Richly dressed courtiers engage in orgies and revelries to Verdi’s heady, spirited dances. The opera’s many musical highlights include the ebullient ‘La donna è mobile’, in which the Duke boasts of his disregard for women; Gilda’s exquisite, plangent duets with Rigoletto and the Duke; and the gorgeous Act III quartet that beautifully weaves the voices together as the story quickens to its shattering conclusion.

Giuseppe Verdi wrote in 1855 that Rigoletto was his ‘best opera’. He had had to overcome state censorship to stage it – the censors objected to its depiction of an immoral ruler – but he was vindicated by the premiere’s huge success in 1851. Rigoletto was performed 250 times in the next 10 years and has remained one of the most popular of all operas.

This screening runs approximately 2 hours 45 minutes including one interval and an onscreen introduction. Beer, wine, and snacks will be available for purchase.

NOTE: "Rigoletto" is sung in Italian with English surtitles. 

Reserved seating tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students/Youth) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre will host "Auditioning (from A to Z)" a workshop by Tyson Kaup and ReNae Davis on Saturday, February 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This workshop is intended to demystify the audition process and will cover the basics of auditioning for traditional and musical theater - everything from how to format a headshot and resume; to the business of acting and agents; to managing nerves and what to expect if you are called back. Participants (ages 8 and up) are asked to bring one prepared audition piece - a song or monologue that is less than one minute in length.

This workshop will be great preparation for any actors planning to audition on March 9 for the upcoming Walla Walla Summer Stage productions (Annie and 9 to 5). 

Tickets ($25) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. Questions? Email artisticdirector@phtww.org.

Participating actors will also have the opportunity to sign up for headshots taken by a professional photographer during the lunch break for an additional fee of $25 (cash only).

Schedule:
10:00-11:00 a.m.: Headshots and the business of acting
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Round 1 - auditions, notes, and coaching
1:00-2:00 p.m.: Lunch break / headshots
2:00-2:30 p.m.: Personal rehearsal time / headshots
1:303:30 p.m.: Bring backs - Round 2 - auditions and coaching
3:30-4:30 p.m.: Callbacks and cold reading
4:30-5:00 p.m.: Wrap and questions

Teachers:
Tyson Kaup is a Seattle-based actor, director, and producer as well as Artistic Director of the Gesa Power House Theatre Summer Stage. His recent directing credits include "The Rocky Horror Show," "The Last Five Years," and "Cabaret." Tyson’s producing credits include the NYC world premiere of "Turtleback High" by Kevin Dedes, the feature films "March!," "Solitary Child," and "My Last Day with You", as well as many music videos and commercial productions. As an actor, Tyson has performed on film, television, Off-Broadway, and many regional theaters around the country. He holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he studied with the Atlantic Theater Company.

ReNae Davis is a singer, pianist, lyricist and composer with more than 30 years of teaching and performing experience. Favorite Los Angeles stage credits include: Lola in "Damn Yankees," Cassie in "A Chorus Line," Sonia in "They're Playing our Song" and Margarita in "Evita." She has also performed with many famed musical actors and musicians, including The Pointer Sisters, Bonnie Raitt, Julie Andrews, Dixie Carter, Kevin Bacon, and Sean Penn. ReNae holds a BFA in Music and Drama from BYU.

Photographer:
Aaron Grubb is a Walla Walla area photographer, writer, and musician. He has experience photographing weddings, portraits (corporate and high school seniors), real estate, landscape, and events as well as videography.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents Michael Kaeshammer in concert on Friday, February 23, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Michael Kaeshammer is a prolific Vancouver Island-based singer/songwriter/pianist/producer who has earned a loyal international following as a triple threat. He’s a piano virtuoso with a technical mastery of many different styles, an eloquent singer/songwriter, and a charming and engaging performer.

Kaeshammer first made his own mark as a young piano prodigy. Growing up in Offenburg, Germany, he studied classical piano for seven years prior to falling in love at 13 with the boogie-woogie and stride piano stylings of such greats as Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis. A quick study, Michael soon became skilled enough in this style to perform it in clubs, concerts and festivals through Germany and beyond. When his parents moved the family to British Columbia, Canada, Kaeshammer quickly attracted a following there, becoming popular on the jazz and blues festivals circuit.

With his recording career now spanning two full decades, Michael Kaeshammer has emerged as a truly original artist at the very top of his game and one in love with the creative process. He last performed at Gesa Power House Theatre in 2013.

Reserved seating tickets ($45-$40) will be available to Members on Friday, November 24, to email subscribers on Monday, November 27, and to the public on Friday, December 1 - online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

The Choral Society, conducted by new Artistic Director Gary Hemenway, presents a "Songs of Cole Porter" concert at Gesa Power House Theatre on Monday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m.

When speaking about great American composers, Cole Porter stands among the greatest. His music has influenced generations and has made its way into the performance libraries of some of the world’s greatest vocalists. We look forward to honoring Cole’s art and sharing it with you. 

Guest instrumentalists for this concert include: Michael Agidius (sax), Dick Counsell (trombone), Gary Gemberling (trumpet), Nate Miller (trumpet), Doug Morasch (upright bass), and Wil Spears (drums).

Reserved seating tickets ($17 adults; $12 youth 17 and under) are available online or by calling the Gesa Power House Theatre box office at 509-529-6500. The Choral Society's 2017 Holiday Concert sold out in advance, so don't wait to purchase your tickets!

The Walla Walla Choral Society, a non-profit volunteer organization, promotes and performs accessible quality choral music for the Walla Walla Valley and collaborates with other artistic groups, enriching the community’s cultural life.

The Live Cinema Series continues with a screening of the current production of Tosca by The Royal Opera on Wednesday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. This production is filmed live in London and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

Tosca is one of the great evenings of opera, and from its strident opening chords conjures up a world of political instability and menace.

Jonathan Kent’s production of Tosca for The Royal Opera captures the dangerous political turbulence of Rome in 1800. The Chief of Police, Scarpia – one of the most malevolent villains in opera – ruthlessly pursues and tortures enemies of the state. His dark, demonic music contrasts with the expansive melodies of the idealistic lovers, Tosca and Cavaradossi, who express their passion in sublime arias, including ‘Vissi d’arte’ and ‘E lucevan le stelle’. Giacomo Puccini’s dramatic work was a hit with audiences on its 1900 premiere and it remains one of the most performed of all operas – with its gripping plot and glorious music, it’s easy to see why.

A candle-lit church, Scarpia’s gloomy study with its hidden torture chamber and the false optimism of a Roman dawn: this handsome production throws into relief the ruthlessly taut drama, as the tension is wound up towards a fateful conclusion. Puccini’s meticulously researched score is infused with the same authentic detail, from distant cannon fire during the Act I Te Deum to tolling church bells and the sounds of a firing squad.

Cast:
Simon Shibambu - Cesare Angelotti
Jeremy White - Sacristan
Joseph Calleja - Mario Cavaradossi
Adianne Pieczonka - Floria Tosca
Gerald Finley - Baron Scarpia
Aled Hall - Spoletta
Jihoon Kim - Sciarrone
Edward Hyde - Shepard Boy
John Morrissey - Gaoler

This screening runs approximately 3 hours including two intervals and an onscreen introduction. Beer, wine, and snacks will be available for purchase.

NOTE: "Tosca" is sung in Italian with English surtitles. 

Reserved seating tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students/Youth) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.