{"id":13901,"date":"2024-10-10T13:33:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T13:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=13901"},"modified":"2024-10-10T13:33:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T13:33:32","slug":"toledo-opera-brings-tosca-and-alex-britton-to-the-valentine-theatre-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/10\/toledo-opera-brings-tosca-and-alex-britton-to-the-valentine-theatre-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Toledo Opera Brings Tosca and Alex Britton to the Valentine Theatre Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Alex Britton (Sciarrone) and Corey Cride (Scarpio) rehearse Tosca for the Toledo Opera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Truth Staf<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who is Alex Britton? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I am originally born in Columbia, South America my father is from a small island south of Jamaica.\u00a0 I grew up in Los Angeles, went to school to become a doctor, I had a really bad car accident and realized at a very early age that you should do what you love to do. I came to opera relatively late in my late 20s. I always loved to sing and was always into music as a hobby and as a vocation.<\/p>\n

Where did your love for music start?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From my parents and from always being a church. When I was 10 years old, I was in the California Boys Choir\u2026 I was exposed very early to very high caliber music. All kinds of music from jazz to classical and everything in between.<\/p>\n

Why Opera?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love every facet of Opera. I also design and build sets. I directed this opera four times. Opera is probably one of the hardest art forms. I\u2019m not sure if people know about it – the sheer physicality of it. To make unamplified sound fill a hall over a 40-piece orchestra is in itself just a real exciting challenge.<\/p>\n

Also, it\u2019s an art form that\u2019s usually in a foreign language \u2013 so you have to master that language. The acting also has to be impactful. You have to master three or four different things.<\/p>\n

What I have discovered is that when a lot of people are exposed to opera but in proximity \u2013 in a small place -people feel it on a visceral level that is kind of changing. I experienced that the first opera that I ever saw.<\/p>\n

What was your first exposure to Opera? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I was in East Germany, before the wall came down, on a choir tour. We were singing spirituals and all-American music and people loved it. Our guide said that I should sing opera and she took me to one. I went and saw Jerome Hines and Cesar Siepi, two of the greatest basses in the history of opera, in Don Carlos<\/em> and I was hooked after that\u2026 when you feel that vibration that kind of hits you it\u2019s just hard to describe. I find that in opera more than anything else.<\/p>\n

Why should we come see Tosca?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This opera was kind of scandalous when it first premiered. \u00a0It\u2019s like a telenovela or a James Bond film. The biggest thing is the music \u2013 from the start of the first chords the orchestra is playing! It has what I consider some of the best elements of opera: great tunes, tremendous amount of passion, a story of good versus bad, a story of political unrest and violence\u2026the arts are very relevant to today.<\/p>\n

What is your role in Toledo Opera\u2019s Tosca? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I play Sciarrone one of the villain\u2019s henchmen. It\u2019s an interesting character. They\u2019re both from Sicily and they\u2019re coming to Rome and the villain Scarpia is trying to put on the trappings of a sophisticated man but he\u2019s from the streets. I\u2019m one of his henchmen and we\u2019re part of a political party that\u2019s at war with Napolean. So, we\u2019re against any kind of republic. We like dictators.<\/p>\n

What I love about this company (The Toledo Opera) is that they make things relevant both from a community and inclusive standpoint and a statement on where we\u2019re at.<\/p>\n

Alex Britton Biography<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex Britton, a bass-baritone, has sung leading roles with Opera Salamanca in Spain, Teatro de las Bellas Artes in Medellin, Colombia, West Bay Opera in Palo Alto, CA, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Pacific, LA Metropolitan Opera, and Aspen Opera Theater.\u00a0 Known for his compelling performances and wide-ranging repertoire, his roles include Giorgio Germont\u00a0(La Traviata)<\/em>, Scarpia\u00a0(Tosca)<\/em>, Leporello (Don Giovanni)<\/em>, and the title roles in\u00a0Don Pasquale<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Gianni Schicchi<\/em>.\u00a0 He has also performed in numerous musical theatre productions, portraying characters such as King Triton (The Little Mermaid),<\/em>\u00a0Emile DeBecque (South Pacific)<\/em>, Javert (Les Mis\u00e9rables)<\/em>, Lurch (The Addams Family)<\/em>, and the voice of Audrey 2 (Little Shop of Horrors)<\/em>.\u00a0 Recently, he was seen as Principal Hawkins in the Croswell Opera House production of\u00a0The Prom<\/em>. \u00a0In April, he was thrilled to be part of Toledo Opera\u2019s production of\u00a0Ragtime<\/em>.\u00a0 As a set and lighting designer, Alex has been honored with two prestigious Los Angeles Ovation Awards for outstanding set design and best production, as well as a 2023 Michigan Broadway World Award for scenic design for\u00a0The Prom<\/em>.\u00a0 He has served as the Artistic Director, Technical Director, Set Designer, Lighting Designer, and Set Builder for numerous organizations including The Pasadena Playhouse, Chelsea Opera, El Dorado Opera, Lyric Opera of Los Angeles, and Regina Opera.\u00a0 In addition to his theater work, Alex has designed and built sets in the film and television industry and worked as a set dresser and art director on major productions like Marvel’s\u00a0Jessica Jones<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Luke Cage<\/em>.\u00a0 Alex finds joy in his personal life as well.\u00a0 He is happily married to Virginia Stewart and takes pride in being a loving father to five children: Zoe, Reese, Danika, Ian, and Claire.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tosca – October 18 & 20, 2024 (Valentine Theatre) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With Puccini\u2019s richly romantic score,\u00a0Tosca\u00a0<\/em>is one of the world\u2019s most loved operas. The year is 1800 and Rome finds itself caught in the middle of a war between Napoleon and the Austrian empire \u2013 leading some to flee from the police. Spying, double-crossing, and torture have become the order of the day. Beloved opera singer, Floria Tosca would do anything to protect her lover, the painter Cavaradossi \u2013 a fact that the lustful police chief Scarpia is all too ready to exploit. When Cavaradossi is accused of harboring political prisoners, Scarpia implores Tosca to make an unthinkable decision. Little does he know how fiercely she will fight to protect herself and those she loves. This heart-pounding new production is brought to life by conductor Geoffrey McDonald (Suor Angelica<\/em>\/Cavalleria Rusticana<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Ballad of Baby Doe<\/em>) and stage director Jeffrey Buchman (Toledo Opera\u2019s\u00a0Carmen<\/em>, 2018 and\u00a0La Boh\u00e9me<\/em>\u00a02020).<\/p>\n

Starring Lindsey Anderson (The Ballad of Baby Doe<\/em>) as Tosca, Brendan Boyle (Ragtime<\/em>) as Cavaradossi, and Corey Crider (Cavalleria Rusticana<\/em>) as Scarpia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sung in Italian with English Supertitles\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Learn more about Tosca or purchase tickets at ToledoOpera.org<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Truth Staf Who is Alex Britton? I am originally born in Columbia, South America my father is from a small island south of Jamaica.\u00a0 I grew up in Los Angeles, went to school to become a doctor, I had a really bad car accident and realized at a very early age that you should […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,250],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[257],"class_list":["post-13901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headline","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13904,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13901\/revisions\/13904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13901"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=13901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}