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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/3/06 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
May 7, 2006 Warren Gerds column: From Green Bay to Slovakia — musical theater By Warren Gerds
To students at an academy of music in the city of Banska Bystrica, Sarah Meredith of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay faculty will teach American music theater with the assist of Sharon Resch of Green Bay and a longtime friend of Resch's, Carolyn Freeman of Las Vegas.
"It should be fascinating," said Resch, a former Broadway dancer (as was Freeman) who has been involved in a number of music-related ventures with UWGB and Freeman.
The core thing about this is Slovakia embraces classical and operatic music, and American musical theater is barely on its radar.
"It's pretty amazing isn't it?" Meredith said. "But I'm convinced that we will convince them they will like it."
The project is supported — in spirit and money — by, among others, the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia.
In essence, the three women will be cultural ambassadors.
For this introductory session, they will focus on musicals before 1960.
"We're going to be talking about Cole Porter and Gershwin and the golden years of Rodgers and Hammerstein — 'Carousel,' 'Oklahoma!' and 'The Sound of Music,'" Meredith said. "They're very melodic."
To connect with students, Resch will tie Czech composer Antonin Dvorak to American ragtime giant Scott Joplin. Dvorak visited the United States (and was inspired to write his famed "From the New World Symphony") and shared time and interests with Joplin.
"It all fits in together pretty well," Meredith said.
The music theater sessions will cover wide expanses.
"Since I was in 'The Music Man' (on Broadway), I want to do part of the dance sequence from that," Resch said. "They have some great sopranos there who can do some of the songs from several shows."
Resch and Freeman also are bringing their tap shoes.
"Tap dancing is unique to them," Resch said. "We both have tapped for years, so we're going to bring some tap music like 'Tea for Two' and show them what American tap really is. I think they'll get a kick out of it."
Resch taught musical theater for a summer at UWGB several years ago and also choreographed some shows of Music Theatre of St. Norbert College.
Resch and Freeman go back to when Freeman was dance captain for Rodger and Hammerstein's "Flower Drum Song" and hired Resch for that musical.
More lately, they've worked together on a project to bring the music of Russ Freeman, Carolyn Freeman's late jazz player/composer husband, to a wider audience.
Russ Freeman pieces were played by the UWGB Jazz Ensemble at its 2006 Jazz Fest. During the trip abroad, Freeman and Resch will meet with a music distributor in Munich, Germany, about a completed CD of Russ Freeman music.
Other facets abound in the adventures overseas, which have started for Resch and will last through May 20 for Meredith.
Of note, Resch will provide the prize for a competitor in the International Mikulas Schneider-Trnavsky Voice Competition being held in Slovakia. The prize means the recipient will be able to travel to Green Bay in fall 2007 to compete in the first rounds of the Montreal International Czech and Slovak Competition at UWGB.
Resch seems especially eager about the musical theater sessions.
"I've even learned Czech," she says. "I can count 'five, six, seven, eight' (to start the dancers off), and I know a lot of dance terms, and, of course, some of them are French. So we'll just go back and forth between the ballet terms and a little of my Czech. I also can say 'slower' and 'faster' (in Czech) to the piano player."
The teaching will lead to a performance — to get the participants' feet wet, so to speak.
"They do very few American musicals," Resch said. "Like 'Oklahoma!' — they wouldn't know how to begin. They just know it's cowboys. I think it would be eye-opening for them to realize the golden age of musicals."
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