2007 Oh Virgil

Oh Virgil! A Theatrical Portrait

Written by Wallace Norman

A Workshop Production

Musical Directions - Jeff Middleton
Stage Direction - Robert Einenkel

Lighting - Jillian Zeeman
Production Stage Manager - Jillian Zeeman
Assistant Stage Manager - Alli Taylor
Assistant Stage Manager - Danielle Disher

Cast:
Victoria Devany*, Mark Duer, Watson Heintz*, Aldo Pisano, Victor Truro* (as Virgil Thomson)

Spend a day with Virgil Thomson -- one of the most influential and controversial artists in the history of contemporary American music. From his bed at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City, Thomson ran the world of music as chief music critic for the NY Herald Tribune. Paving the way for his contemporaries who included Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Mark Blitzstein, Ned Rorem, and Leonard Bernstein, among many others, Virgil Thomson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his score of the film Louisiana Story, is the father of American music. His collaborations with Gertrude Stein on two opera masterworks, Four Saints In Three Acts and The Mother of Us All, were the most celebrated events of their time. His collaborations with John Houseman, Orson Wells and Frederick Ashton are the stuff of legends. Oh Virgil! is a kaleidoscopic portrait of a man and a time when the world of modern art and music exploded. This production was made possible by the generous support of the Virgil Thomson Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts.