Southeastern NEWS
Southeastern Louisiana University
Public Information Office
SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
Date: 9/15/97
Contact: Carol Dotson 98
SEASONED CAST PERFORMS COSI FAN TUTTI OCT. 2 AND 4 AT SLU
HAMMOND --When Southeastern Louisiana University's music department presents the
opera Cosi fan Tutte during the Fanfare Celebration, it won't be the usual student cast you'd
expect to see performing on a university campus. This year's cast is a mix of faculty and alumni
- -all seasoned performers who all have sung professionally.
The cast includes Southeastern faculty Steve Rushing and Sandy Kelly, SLU alumni Kay
Wainwright Schepker and Cedric Bridges, Southern University in Baton Rouge faculty member
Leon Turner and SLU graduate assistant Diane Pulte.
The cast's professional experience is impressive. Rushing has performed with the New
Orleans Opera, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the New Orleans Philharmonic and internationally
in Vienna & Hong Kong. Pulte has performed with the Dallas Opera. Kelly has performed with
the New Orleans Opera and locally. Schepker has performed at Florida StateUniversity and
locally. Bridges has performed with the Houston Grand Opera and New Orleans Philharmonic.
Turner has performed with the Portland and New Hampshire operas and most recently at the
Rome Summer Opera Festival.
The combined experience of this cast makes for a well-oiled machine and all involved
agree that the work is fun and going along smoothly. Of course, since this is not the usual
student-filled cast, things are a little different. Southeastern faculty member, Sandy Kelly best
explains it.
"When a production is done with students, it's generally a learning lab for the students to
see how to put together a performance," explained Kelly. " This is a more seasoned group who
have done shows before so we're able to get right into the characters and themes and dynamics.
We don't have to spend quite so much time on the simpler things, we can just really get down to
the mechanics of the show, to what will make a good show."
Rushing, an associate professor of music agrees. "A student cast is usually not as secure
-more-
SLU Opera/add one
musically, they haven't had the experience. Plus it's an educational experience for them to go
through the process of blocking and staging. They learn to do that process in addition to the
actual experiences as performers, but this cast we don't have to teach. Of course we're all still
learning, but you will find everybody in this cast has had some professional experience
performing and its great for this school to be able to put on a production of this caliber for the
community and the students."
So what's in it for the students? "It's great for the students to observe and be a part of a
production and see first hand, on their own stage, performers who are more matures," said
Rushing. "Also to see what's involved, especially for those people who ultimately want a
profession in opera." Kelly agrees that observation is beneficial for the students. "The fact is that
they're learning something by watching another performer and learning to be critical. A lot of
what we do when acting on stage is a combination of our own ideas for the character, the
director's ideas of the character and what other performers have done," said Kelly.
As for the alumni cast members, performing at Southeastern again is like old times.
Bridges, a 1990 graduate who teaches music at Covington High School and Kay Wainwright
Schepker, a 1988 graduate and marketing professional with North Oaks hospital, performed
together as students. "It's the same stage with less pressure," joked Bridges. "Although now the
teachers are watching me as a professional."
The entire cast is enjoying working together on this production. "We've melded together
very well," said Kelly. There's a chemistry between the cast that's really going to carry the show,
you don't always have that. It's just going to be a very fine performance and we're really looking
forward to it."
Cosi Fan Tutte is Mozart's comic opera set in the 18th century that answers the ever
popular question, "Are women faithful in romance?" The opera will be sung in English.
Performance dates for the opera are October 2 and 4 at 7:30 pm. The opera is directed by
Larry Gray, Frank Dubuy is conducting, Peter Pfeil designed the set and Scharmal Schrock is the
vocal coordinator.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 senior citizens, free for SLU students. For tickets
call the FANFARE box office at 504-549-2323.
-SLU-
This press release is available on the World Wide Web at
www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newssp97.htm