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In
the spirit of Victor Borge, Anna Russell, and P.D.Q. Bach, B.J.
Ward’s hysterical send-up of the opera world and all its excesses has been
charming audiences for years.
Stand-Up Opera has been
seen in opera houses, theaters and concert halls from coast to coast, including
such venues as the Kennedy Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the
Puccini Festival at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub at the New York Public Theater,
the Tiffany Theater in Hollywood and Australia’s Adelaide Festival and most
major opera houses.
One
part cabaret, one part theater- Stand-Up Opera has been hailed as “A hip, funny show...” by The
New York Times and “intelligent, campy, irreverent, and downright
hilarious” by BackStage.
Comedienne
and actress B.J.Ward has been a frequent guest on network television on such
shows as Mad About You and Frasier and
ER. She is a sought after voice-over
artist currently heard on Scooby Doo
cartoons as well as many others. A
former member of The Groundlings, the famous West Coast improvisational troupe,
B.J. Ward brings to the stage the unique mix of humor and a sensational voice.
B.J.
Ward
An
acclaimed actress and singer, B.J. Ward has worked with such composers as
Stephen Sondheim, Maltby & Shire, Barry Manilow and Jerry Herman.
She began singing opera as a teenager, but took an Off-Broadway detour to
play The Girl in The Fantasticks.
After spending three years with The Groundlings Improv Troupe in
Hollywood, B.J. went on to TV, guest starring on Frasier,
Mad About You and many other shows, playing an assortment of doctors,
lawyers, newscasters, moms, neighbors and victims of heinous crimes.
Many episodes later she decided to return to her first love, but with a
new approach – combining opera with stand-up comedy.
Since then, Stand-Up Opera has
been playing in opera houses, theatres and concert halls from coast to coast,
including such venues as the Kennedy Center, Weill Recital Hall, the Puccini
Festival at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub at the New York Public Theater, and a
recent stand-out at the Adelaide Arts Festival in Australia. B.J. claims to be
the only living opera singer to be both a licensed pilot and a former Playboy
Bunny (featured in the A&E special “The Bunny Years”.) She is currently
the voice of Betty Rubble on The
Flintstones and Velma on Scooby Doo,
in addition to hundreds of other cartoon voices and commercials.
Gordon
Hunt - Director
GORDON
HUNT was nominated twice for the Directors Guild of America Award for best
director of a comedy, and won the award for The Alan Brady Show episode of Mad About You. He has also directed Frasier, Coach and over 50 episodes of various sitcoms.
He
directed revivals of The Music Man at
The Hollywood Bowl with Eric McCormack and Kristen Chenowith, and of 1776 starring Roger Rees for the Reprise series in Los Angeles.
In New York he directed - - Black
Water, an opera with libretto by Joyce Carol Oates, and the Noel Coward
All-Star Centennial Celebration at Carnegie Hall. For the past ten years he has
directed the annual Salon series at the Mark Taper Forum saluting different
lyricists hosted by Michael Feinstein and featuring a variety of guest stars.
Also at the Taper, he created and directed a musical adaptation of Studs
Terkel’s The Good War, featuring, among others, Helen Hunt, Brian Stokes
Mitchell and B.J. Ward; and also An
Evening of Irish Songs, Poetry and Prose with Gregory Peck, Angelica Houston
and Gabriel Byrne.
He
has directed world premieres of a number of plays including A.R. Gurney Jr.’s The
Middle Ages and Black by Joyce
Carol Oates with Anthony Edwards and Felicity Huffman at the Williamstown
Theater Festival. At the Hollywood Bowl he has directed Music Man, My Fairlady, Mame and
The Bernstein Mass.
He
is the author of the best-selling theater book, “How to Audition,” and as a
lyricist he wrote the award winning song, “Errol Flynn,” which he wrote with
Amanda McBroom.
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Please
contact Baylin Artists
for full descriptions of the following activities.
Masterclass: Acting For Musical Theater And Opera
This
is an exciting master class on the techniques of performing a musical theater
song or operatic aria including:
-
Creating
a character within a song
-
Bringing
your own persona to a song – choosing the right
song
-
Finding
the fun in performing and auditioning
-
Breaking
down a song or aria into its most dramatic and exciting form
-
Finding
the humor in a song
-
Conquering
“nervousness” and using it to your advantage
| No.
of Participants: |
8-10
performers each with a prepared theater song or aria
and an
audience of interested students (no maximum)
|
| Program
length: |
2-hours |
| Tech
Requirements: |
An
accomplished accompanist
A space
suitable to house the above
|
Informal
Discussion: Careers in Show
Business (it is a SHOW and it is a BUSINESS)
TOPICS
CAN INCLUDE:
-
Where
and how to start your career
-
Refining
your career goals
-
Creating
a network
-
How
to keep your career alive and growing as well as your own enthusiasm
| No.
of Participants: |
no
maximum number |
| Program
length: |
60
minutes |
| Tech
Requirements: |
A
space conducive to the number of attendees |
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| Queen
of the Night |
Summit Records |
1994
|
| Stand-Up
Opera |
Summit
Records |
1999
|
| SYRINX - Voice of the Songbird |
Summit
Records |
2003 |
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Technical
Information
Please
contact Baylin Artists
for technical information.
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|
