Blanche: The Bittersweet Life Of A Wild Prairie Dame (2011)

Onalea Gilbertson (Creator, Book, Lyrics, Composer, Performer)

 

Onalea Gilbertson is a theatre artist, concert performer and creator who enjoys experimenting with a wide variety of styles and subject matter.  Selected show credits include: Squeaky in Assassins, Cordelia in Falsettos, Joni Mitchell: River (Betty Mitchell Award) (Alberta Theatre Projects); Time After Time: The Chet Baker Project (Crow’s Theatre); The Alan Parkinson’s Project (Ghost River Theatre) Cinderella in Into The Woods (Citadel); and Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Vertigo).  She spent 7 years as an ensemble member of the award winning avant-guarde Canadian theatre ensemble One Yellow Rabbit performing extensively across Canada.

Onalea's concert work includes Bernstein’s Mass with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (Hans Graf conducting); Frank Zappa’s Freak-out Burlesque (Whip It Out Ensemble); and being featured as a guest soloist and a recording artist with the award winning Land’s End Chamber Ensemble.  With her jazz trio and as leader of the 10-piece Dandi Orchestra, Onalea has opened for Daniel Lanois (2005), Bob Newhart (2000) and New York’s East Village Opera Company (2008).  She is lucky to have worked with several talented Canadian composers including Emmy Award winning Music Producer Dave Pierce, David Rhymer, Dave Clarke, Donovan Seidle and Marcel Bergmann.

With Dandi Productions, she has co-created and performed several shows with symphony orchestra which have toured across Canada.  Dandi Productions was invited by the LA Philharmonic to perform at the Hollywood Bowl in 2001, and the company traveled to Manchester UK in 2009 as special guests of the Hallé symphony.

 As a recording artist, she has co-produced 4 CDs:  Blanche, A theatrical song cycle, Dick and Sandi: Two nights at the Grotto, recorded “live off the floor” with a 25- piece big band orchestra; In Space, featuring original electronica; and Spider and the Fly, a collection of eclectic songs performed with the Jazz Trio.  All of her music is available through www.onalea.com.

In January of 2010 Onalea wrote the Libretto for and appeared as a soloist in Two Bit Oper-Eh? Shun an Oratorio about homelessness for the international Canadian theatre festival The High Performance Rodeo.  She was invited to speak about this project in October 2010 at the conference “Can Performance Change the World?” hosted by the East Village Institute in New York  City.

Onalea recently premiered her first all-original theatrical song cycle Blanche (Banff Summer Arts Festival, Sunset Theatre), and is thrilled that the show has been invited to perform at the New York Musical Theatre Festival!

 

Rachel Avery (Director)

Rachel is so pleased to be working with her childhood friend Onalea as they bring Blanche to the big apple. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Rachel now lives in Los Angeles where she is a proud member of both Rogue Machine and Pacific Resident Theater companies and has worked as a Director and Producer on several original shows. She received a grant from the Canada Arts Council to develop and direct Blanche at the Banff Centre and then directed the show for its first professional run in Calgary. As an actress Rachel recently played Megan Halsey in the six month run of Re-Animator the Musical in Los Angeles. She also performed in a workshop production of the new musical Touched directed by Tony Nominee Kristin Hanggi. Her many TV guest appearances include a recurring role on Big Love, State of Georgia, a recent Movie of the Week for the Hallmark Channel and the indy film The Giant Mechanical Man starring Jenna Fischer. She co-wrote the screenplay for a feature which she is also producing, to be shot early next year.

Jeff Gladstone (Guitar, Vocals)

Jeff is a multi-faceted theatre artist living in Vancouver and working across Canada. With a passion for creating new works he has appeared in new plays The Wars (Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse), Beggars Would Ride (Wild Excursions Performance/PuSh Festival), Back To You: The Life and Music of Lucille Starr (Musical TheatreWorks/Firehall Arts Centre/Gateway Theatre/Prairie Theatre Exchange). Jeff is also a playwright who’s operetta Out Like Flynn premiered in Vancouver in 2007, and ias currently working on a piece about the infamous Canadian guitar legend, The Wings of Lenny Breau. Jeff is also a Producer and Artistic Director of The Life Game created by Keith Johnstone (www.thelifegamevancouver.com) and the annual Here Be Monsters Festival (www.herebemonstersfestival.wordpress.com)

Filip Pogady (Violin)

Filip Pogady has given solo performances with various orchestras in many renowned halls such as the Vienna Konzerthaus, Rudolphinum Prague, Brucknerhaus Linz, Slovak Philharmonic Hall and the Tel Aviv Opera.The young artist has performed for FX television, Radio Krakow and the Slovak National Television (STV). Born in Bratislava, Slovakia Mr. Pogady moved to Austria with his family when he was 4 years old. While in Austria, he started playing the violin at age 7. Just one year later he already was admitted to study at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. Further studies with Bohumil Semik, Tomasz Liebig, Arkadij Winokurow, Grigori Zhislin, Christian Altenburger and Pinchas Zukerman followed.At age 11 Filip Pogady already gave his solo debut in the Wiener Konzerthaus after winning the Tsusuki Violin Competition in Vienna.2005 the young artist debuted with the Slovak Philharmonic and has performed with this orchestra regularly since.In 2009, Pogady finished his undergraduate studies at the “Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst” in Vienna with honors.After being invited by Maestro Zukerman personally to study with him at the Manhattan School of Music, Filip Pogady followed his advice and moved to New York, where he earned his Master’s degree in music. Although classical music plays a major role in the young artist’s life, Filip Pogady has developed an interest in other genres besides classical music as well, especially rock and electronic music. This is why he decided to start playing an electric instrument with an extended range (fretless 5 string violin) which opened an entirely new and different world to the young musician. Besides playing covers and medleys of various performers/ bands Mr. Pogády also writes his own instrumental music.  Currently Filip Pogady plays on a modern instrument by the Russian violin maker Boris Bratishchew (Братищев). He is being supported by Yehudi Menuhin's "Live Music Now" foundation and the "Stepski" private foundation.

Brian Sanders (Cello)

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Brian Sanders received his Masters degree in music from Mannes College the New School for Music in New York City. He received his B.M. from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. In 2006, he was a recipient of the VSA arts International Young Soloists’ award, which resulted in a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In the summer of 2007, he attended the Tanglewood Music Center. His teachers have included Timothy Eddy, Steven Doane and Uri Vardi.A versatile musician, Brian has participated in concerts and recordings of many diverse styles, including rock, jazz, hip hop, Latin American and Indian music. He is currently a member of the band Emanuel and the Fear, with whom he has toured in Europe and the United States.

Morag Northey (co-composer)

 

Morag Northey is a classically trained, Oregon born, Canada raised, cellist who keeps playing outside the box.  She is a Mother, a Teacher, writes honest poetry, sings songs (most often her own) strums the piano and plays the composition.  She loves collaborating – but right now is focused on writing her show 'Asylum.' She is enjoying writing's curves and morphs and observing how the pieces fall together.  Morag will accompany her story-telling through song, keys, and a mix of:  6 string electric cello,  over 200 year old classic, and slide cello(s).  She thanks Onalea and Jonathan for their creativity, ideas, artistry, faith and passion for the work and hopes there will be more opportunities to come. Love, Love, Love. www.moragnorthey.com

 

Jonathan Lewis (co-composer)

Jonathan Lewis is a composer, musician, and music producer from Calgary, Canada.  He has written new music for numerous theatrical productions, both for classics like Our Town and Death of a Salesman as well as for many new works by companies such as One Yellow Rabbit and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop.  His music has also been featured in many film and television soundtracks, as well as original scores for four short films. 

As a musician, Jonathan performs on violin, viola, electric violin, greek baglama, mandolin, piano, clarinet, and accordion.  His style ranges from classical to jazz manouche, and to genres beyond including klezmer, greek rembetika and dimotika, and western swing.  Not just a busy freelancer, he is also a member of several ensembles including gypsy rockers The Plaid Tongued Devils, greek ensemble The Rembetika Hipsters, and gypsy jazz cats The Fedora Club. 

 Samples of Jonathan’s music can be heard at

http://members.shaw.ca/moxamstudios/

 

Abigail Strange (Stage Manager)

Abigail Strange (Stage Manager) is excited to be working on NYMF for a second year in a row. She graduated from Hofstra University with a BFA in Theatre Arts. Most recently, Abigail was manager for Hyper Aware's Production of "Titanic" and "The Actor's Nightmare" at the Access Theater, "ReUNITed" a Staged Reading at Theatre Row (dir. Philip Morgaman), and replacement PSM for The Workshop Theatre's Beneath the Hush, A Whisper. Other favorite credits: Big Thick Rod at NYCFringe (SM), The History of War by Chip Zien at NYMF (ASM), Dream Catcher's Production of Le Cid at the Gene Frankel (SM).

Joseph Walls (Lighting Designer)

Joseph R. Walls originally from the midwest now resides in Washington D.C.  He received his BFA in design and production with a specialization in Lighting Design from the University of Michigan.  He has worked for The Washington Ballet, Centerstage (Baltimore, MD) as well as several summer stock festivals around the country.  Most recent design credits include Dead Man Walking at American University, Distracted, Wait Until Dark, Tartuffe, Annie, The Sound of Music, Jekyll and Hyde. www.jwallsdesign.com

Whitney Britt (Line Producer)

Whitney Britt currently works at Disney Theatrical Group in Creative Services. She is thrilled to be a part of Blanche's journey to NYMF. She has been privileged to work with The Pearl Theatre Company, Love Loss and What I Wore, and Lincoln Center Festival. MFA Brooklyn College.