Note to Editors: To arrange photos or interviews with Medoff, Shinn or anyone involved in the production, please call Laima Gaigalas at the number above.
As the University of Colorado at Boulder College of Music's opera department prepares to premiere "Sara McKinnon" April 24, student performers are enjoying a rare opportunity to work with the opera's Tony Award-winning librettist as well as its composer, a CU-Boulder alumnus.
"Sara McKinnon" is an original work by playwright Mark Medoff, with an original score by CU-Boulder alumnus Randall Shinn. Medoff is the author of 26 plays and 11 movies and won a Tony Award for his 1980 play, "Children Of A Lesser God."
Medoff and Shinn are in residence at CU-Boulder to work with student performers as they prepare for the show, which runs April 24-27 at the Imig Music Building's Music Theater on the CU-Boulder campus.
Set in the high desert of the Southwest, "Sara McKinnon" is a fictional story of a young woman's struggle with love and isolation in the Old West. It has only been the subject of a workshop once before, by New Mexico's Doña Aña Lyric Opera in 2001.
Few college opera programs present new works with the direct involvement of both the composer and librettist. CU-Boulder student performers are taking advantage of the rare opportunity to learn about the rewards and challenges of large-scale artistic collaboration.
The performers also benefit from customization of the opera. One of the show's main roles was rewritten to better suit the singer's voice, and small changes were made in other parts especially for the CU-Boulder student performers.
The cast of "Sara McKinnon" will include graduate and undergraduate students from the CU-Boulder College of Music's vocal program. A full orchestra will accompany the singers, and Medoff will serve as stage director.
In addition to his Tony Award, Medoff was nominated for an Academy Award for the film script of "Children" and for an ACE Award for his HBO Premiere movie, "Apology." He is Dramatist-in-Residence and Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts at New Mexico State University and the Reynolds Eminent Scholar at the Florida State University School of Theatre.
Medoff will be among the panelists for an open discussion of "Sara McKinnon" on April 17 at 11 a.m. in Grusin Music Hall inside the Imig Music Building. A free public preview of the production will be held on April 22 at noon in the Music Theatre in the Imig Music Building.
Shinn began composing music while serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. His compositions have been performed by the Phoenix Symphony, ProMusica, Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Mesa Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, Arizona State University Symphony, Arizona State University's Lyric Opera Theatre, New Mexico State's Doña Aña Lyric Opera, Phoenix String Quartet and others.
Tickets for "Sara McKinnon" are $15 with discounts available for members of the CU community, seniors, youth and groups. For more information, contact CU Concerts Box Office at (303) 492-8008 or visit .