PlayTime Round 3: The Christmas Spider

The Show

PlayTime Round 3: The Christmas Spider

On a bitterly cold Christmas Eve, a poor woodcutter and his two children have no gifts, barely enough to eat, and are in danger of losing their home to an impatient landlady. The surprise discovery of a large, but gentle arachnid leads to a seemingly miraculous turn of good fortune for the family, reinforcing the importance of love and togetherness.

Inspired by a Ukrainian legend (which resulted in the placing of spider ornaments on Christmas trees for a lucky New Year), THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER is the third operatic collaboration between composer Clint Borzoni and librettist John de los Santos following their previous collaborations, When Adonis Calls and The Copper Queen. Their goal is to dramatize a new tale for all ages, complete with an original yuletide carol, that adds to the rich musical tapestry of the holiday canon.

It is currently being developed by The American Opera Project as both a live performance for all ages and an animated holiday special.

 

PROGRAM

The Christmas Spider

John de los Santos – Libretto

Clint Borzoni – Composer

CAST

Andrea Jones-Sojola as Olga

Kyle Pfortmiller as Fedorov

Veronica Tsao as Zoya

Emmanuel Tsao as Dmytro

Nicole Mitchell as Narrator

 

MUSICAL TEAM

Mila Henry – Music Director: Piano + Percussion

Leah Asher – Violin

Meaghan Burke – Cello

Domenica Fossati – Flute

 

Charles Danner – Sound Engineer

 

Presented in collaboration with The American Opera Project

 

THE SERIES

PlayTime is A+J’s series devoted to readings of new works of theater by up-and-coming young artist. PlayTime grew from a desire to offer theater makers–playwrights and composers especially–a supportive environmnet to showcase new work.