Feature
Remarkable Manhattan Theater Group Brings a "Shot" of Opera to At-Risk Kids
By Justine Manzano
Any creative person can tell you that ideas can come from the strangest places.
A song, a smell, a true-life event. For Christian McLeer, Monica Harte and
Dan Jeselsohn, the story for their opera company, The Remarkable Theater
Brigade's latest, opera came from a newspaper article. The article was
about a child killed in street violence. As they discussed the incident,
it involved into a story about street violence itself, and "Shot" was born.
With a combination of McLeer's music and the drama of Tanying Dong, "Shot" has
now come alive, and the show opens on May 5th.
"'Shot' is a multimedia opera with dramatic and comic moments with classical music that is influenced by today's popular music," Christian McLeer, the composer and musical director of the opera, explained. The show is about a reporter named Jill whose producer gives her a story--Violence against Innocence. Excited, she rushes to share the news with her camera man Jack. Together, they begin to research the topic for a 7 minute prime-time report, and end up in a community where people are struggling hard to make ends meet and to protect their families. Outsiders in the community, Jack and Jill struggle to get interviews and information and discover a valuable message. Based on true events, "Shot" promises to be a heart warming drama about real people and the often harsh world we live in.
"Shot," while promising, is not the whole story, however. The rest of the story can be found in the purpose of The Real Theater Brigade, an organization founded by McLeer, Harte and Jeselsohn in 2003. The Brigade boasts many up and coming performers for their shows. The owners themselves are up and comers. McLeer works as both a composer and a concert pianist. He received his first commission at the age of 14 for the American Cancer Society and has since continued as a successful composer. As a pianist he has performed at Weill-Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and the New Orleans Astrodome. Harte, the Executive Director, has sung numerous lead roles in contemporary operas and is a coloratura soprano. She has performed many of the classic coloratura roles, including Gilda in Rigoletto. She teaches voice at the Manhattan School of Music, Brooklyn College and gives private lessons as well. Jeselsohn, the Technical Director, is a bass player who has been on many tours with popular groups like Mephiskapheles and The Toasters. He has played on many soundtracks for advertisements and on popular records. He also works as a recording engineer and has worked on many top selling albums.
Together, they have formed an organization that seeks to bring live theater to at-risk and special needs children who wouldn't normally be exposed to it. The organization creates new works in a variety of musical genres and their shows include many art forms including but not limited to dancing and singing. The productions of The Remarkable Theater Brigade promote positive social messages and attempt to "erase the line between commercial and classical entertainment." A shortened, 30 minute version of "Shot" was taken to the Ronald McDonald House, Long Island College and other sites. This 30 minute version presents a more child-friendly version of the show that contains the lighter moments, but still holds onto the message.
A community gem, The Remarkable Theater Brigade brings work to rising stars in New York City and simultaneously gives back to the community by exposing it to the beauty and fun of all forms of performance. All the participants of this program have something quite wonderful on their hands. To show support and see the full version of "Shot" at the ArcLight Theater at 152 W. 71st Street between Broadway and Columbus, visit www.smarttix.com. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors. The show will run from May 4th-6th at 8 PM and at 2 PM on the 7th. Enjoy. I'll be there.
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