ONE ACT Operas
Cast of One Cast of Two Cast of Three Cast of Four
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ONE ACT
CAST OF ONE |
EVERYTHING MUST BE PERFECT (25 Min.) G. Schirmer
Cast: Mezzo Set: Exterior. The South. The Present. Instrumentation: Wind Quintet, String quartet, Bass. A mother's inability to persuade her 12 year-old daughter to attend her own birthday party forebodes a less than perfect summer ahead. |
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ONE ACT
CAST OF TWO |
OUT THE WINDOW (45 Min.) G. Schirmer
Cast: Mezzo, Baritone Set: An urban apartment. The Present. Instrumentation: Piano. The wife of an insanely jealous husband enlists the aid of a neighbor to assist her in feigning an infidelity, believing this will cure her husband of his jealousy. unfortunately the neighbor has an insanely jealous wife. PASSION IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE (20 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: Soprano, Tenor Set: An urban elementary school. 1930. Instrumentation: Piano Our 8-year old heroine and 9 year-old hero, compounding their ignorance of the facts of life, believe that marriage will be the solution to their problems. THE RUINED MAID (25 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: 2 Sopranos Set: A London Street. 1900 Instrumentation: Piano A former scullery maid, dismissed from service by a jealous employer, accidentally meets her former mistress. The maid is now a wealthy courtesan, while her former employer has fallen to a low estate. Each envies the other. PREDATORS (70 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: Mezzo, Baritone Set: The ground-floor apartment in a Manhattan brownstone. The present time. Instrumentation: Piano A Jewish mother with an unmarried daughter encounters a suitable man. She tries to interest him in the daughter, but he has other, more sinister, plans. PUBLIC DEFENDER (60 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: Tenor, Baritone Set: The interviewing room of a city prison. The present time. Instrumentation: Piano A failed attorney is appointed Public Defender to a confessed criminal. He desperately needs a courtroom victory to salvage his career, but the criminal staunchly maintains his own guilt. LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT LENNY ANYMORE (40 Min.) Theodore Presser Co. Cast: Soprano, Baritone Set: An urban apartment. The present. Instrumentation: Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Strings He, shy and unaggressive, has deceived her into believing he is a knight in shining armor. She, a liberated woman, has deceived him into believing she is an old-fashioned girl. Of course, the truth will out, but since both are so adept at deception, they could prove to be an ideal match after all. MATING HABITS OF THE RADICAL CHIC (40 Min.) Theodore Presser Co. Cast: Soprano, Baritone Set: An urban house. The present. Instrumentation: Piano This blasé, intellectual couple stimulate each other romantically by playing some outrageous games. |
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ONE ACT
CAST OF THREE |
NOT A SPANISH KISS (30 Min.) G. Schirmer
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone Set: Ancient Spain Instrumentation: Piano The impecunious Poet is smitten with love for the most beautiful woman in town - who happens to be the Financier's wife. The Poet offers to buy a kiss from her for a sum the greedy Financier cannot refuse. The Poet gets his kiss and the Financier finds that you can't get blood from a turnip. FORTUNE'S FAVORITES (45 Min.) ECS Publishing Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Baritone Set: Interior. A restaurant. The present. Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Strings The former lovers, both superstitious, meet again. The omens seem to indicate that this is no chance meeting -- they are meant to marry. The number thirteen intrudes itself into their plans. Bad news? Not necessarily. THE PERFECT WIFE Boosey-Hawkes, Inc. Music by Pergolesi (adapted from his La Serva Padrona) Cast: Soprano, Baritone, Mime Set: Italy. 18th Century. Instrumentation: Strings, Continuo In which the servant becomes the mistress of the house. |
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ONE ACT
CAST OF FOUR |
CHANTICLEER (45 Min.) Boosey Hawkes, Inc.
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone Set: A farmyard. The present. Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns, Trumpet, Trombone, Timp., Perc., Harp, Strings. Chanticleer, a conceited rooster, falls into the clutches of a fox who is a flatterer. A GAME OF CHANCE (40 Min.) Boosey Hawkes, Inc. Cast: Soprano, 2 Mezzos, Baritone Set: A garden. The present. Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Timp., Perc., Harp, Strings. A Representative, the eternal messenger of Fate, brings to each of three young women her dearest wish. Instead of happiness, they find regret -- they have not asked for enough. JEWISH HUMOR FROM OY TO VEY (up to 75 Min.) Theodore Presser A selection of Jewish jokes, dramatized. Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone Set: Various or neutral Instrumentation: Piano Overture 1. Ages of Man 2. Francise 3. Futility 4. Thirst 5. Questionnaire 6. In the Cards 7. Hopeless 8. The Time 9. Identity 10. Prayer 11. True Love 12. Bed and Breakfast 13. Man Wanted 14. Cosmic Conundrum 15. Prospects 16. Deduction 17. Rarity 18. Wisdom 19. Onions SAY CHEESE (45 Min.) Theodore Presser Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass Set: Interior. A store-front photographer's studio. Instrumentation: Piano Jimmy, a photographer rejected by the art world and his girlfriend, Kitty, prepare to end it all. A lot of dangerous stuff happens when Feldman and Derek enter with drawn guns, but Kitty saves the day -- no one dies. LITTLE STORIES IN TOMORROW'S PAPER (60 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: Mezzo (in 3 roles; 3 Mezzos may be present) 2 Baritones, Bass Setting: Exterior. A forest. The present time. Instrumentation: Piano or Celeste, Electric Piano, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion (Vib., Glock., Bongos), Harp, Bass, Drum Set. In this dark comedy, two murderers hiding from the law meet with a man whom they befriend, thinking he is a criminal like themselves. When they discover he is innocent of any crime, they try to revenge themselves for his "deception." LA PIZZA CON FUNGHI (THE MUSHROOM PIE) (60 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone Set: Interior. Italy. 1800s. Instrumentation: A satire on Italian opera of the period. Voluptua is in love with Scorpio. In order to be free to marry him, she plans to poison her husband, Count Formaggio. Her maid, Phobia, warns the Count of his wife's duplicity. For this show of loyalty, she must lose her life. Eventually, of course, so must all the other members of the cast. THE HUSBAND, THE WIFE, THE LOVER (up to 60 Min.) Theodore Presser Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone, Man (non-singing, may be Stage Manager) Set: Various Instrumentation: Piano 1. My Sweet Wifey 2. My! My! 3. The Duel 4. Powerful Medicine 5. Busybody Variations on a theme. The theme is infidelity. |
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ONE ACT
CAST OF FIVE OR SIX |
AT LAST I'VE FOUND YOU (60 Min.) G. Schirmer
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone, Bass Set: Interior and Exterior Instrumentation: Piano Beings from a distant galaxy land on Earth. Two government agents are dispatched to wrest the secret of intergalactic space flight from them. The agents succeed in their mission, but perhaps it would have been better if they had not. AMERICAN PUNCHLINES (up to 60 Min.) Theodore Presser A selection of dramatized jokes. Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone, Bass Set: Various Instrumentation: Piano Overture 1. Smoking Gun 2. Limerick 3. Strawberry Ice Cream 4. Aprés un Rève 5. Prescription 6. Marriage 7. Volunteer 8. Pick-up 9. Sex and Sailing 10. High Tech 11. Quick Fix 12. Savoir-faire 13. Irresistible Me 14. Visit to an Artist's Studio 15. Swami 16. New Girl in the Office 17. Anniversary Waltz 18. Help Wanted 19. Dino's Deli 20. The Beautiful Veranda I CAN'T STAND WAGNER (40 Min.) G. Schirmer Cast: 3 Sopranos, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone Setting: A Manhattan apartment. The Present. Instrumentation A composer's masterpiece, "The Zeus Symphony," is premiered in Athens under the direction of the composer. It is acclaimed by all who hear it except Zeus himself, who is so incensed by the association of his regal name with the unpleasant avant-garde symphony that he causes the composer to be pursued by the Three Furies. THE RAJAH'S RUBY (45 Min.) Comic opera. G. Schirmer Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Baritone, Bass, Man speaking Set: An ordinary living-room Instrumentation A quiet evening at home for this middle-class, middle-aged couple suddenly turns into an exciting psychological thriller. |
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ONE ACT
CAST OF MORE THAN SIX |
THE BETROTHAL OF BECKY BROWN (40 Min.) Theodore Presser
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, 2 Baritones, Bass, Solo Chorus SATB Set: Interior and Exterior. Wild West Instrumentation: Piano A child is born to the notorious Nasty Brown. Much to his chagrin, the child is not only a girl — Becky -- but one who will grow up to be repelled by dishonesty. REBA (30 Min.) Theodore Presser Large cast Set: The South. A backyard. 1920. Instrumentation: Piano Reba's mother is a servant in the home of a white family. A funeral is being held for the young daughter of the house, who until her illness was Reba's playmate. Reba envies the attention being given the dead child. |
