Bandits in the Valley

A man dressed in 19th century clothing sits in a bedroom playing an accordion.

CAST: Jacques Arsenault

A woman dressed in a tuxedo and top hat plays the piano.

CAST: Sara Schabas

A man and a woman in 19th century clothing stand in front of a pianist and accordion player, blurred in the background. The man has a bright red sash tied around his waist.

CAST: Jennifer Taverner, Keith Klassen

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OVERVIEW

Title: Bandits in the Valley
Composer: Benton Roark
Librettist: Julie Tepperman
Commissioned By:

Tapestry Opera

Language: English
Producer:

Tapestry Opera

Run Time:

Roles:

Role	Voice Type	Range ?	Character Description
Freddy	middle	F2-G4	Bandit, plays accordion
George Taylor	middle-low	F2-Bb4	Wealthy mill-owner
Jeremiah	middle	B2-A4	The leader of a local small-potatoes bandit group called The Rift Rafters, plays guitar
Henri	high	A3-Bb5	Pianist in the Vagabonds, plays piano and recorder
Lily Pollard	high	B3-F6	The theatre troupe's prima donna
Brigitta	middle-high	G#3-Ab5	Maid in the mill house
A servant	silent-spoken	silent	A servant in the mill house
The Governor	silent-spoken	silent	The Governor

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Orchestration: Percussion, Accordion, Guitar, Piano, Recorder

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SYNOPSIS

The Don Valley. 1880, Toronto.

Join George Taylor and the travelling Gilbert & Sullivan theatrical troupe The Vagabonds in a twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of the birth of his papermill. Unbeknownst to him, Jeremiah - the leader of a local small-potatoes bandit group called The Rift Rafters - just discovered a long-hidden secret about his identity, and coerces the audience in helping him break into Taylor’s house to obtain the evidence he needs. Bandits in the Valley is based on the local history of the Don Valley as a haven for smugglers and bandits during the late 1800s. The site-specific work was presented in the area the bandits operated in, using historic buildings they would have known and may well have robbed!

MUSIC DESCRIPTION

Written in modern operetta-style, Bandits dynamically blends period-appropriate musical styles with a contemporary flair. On a surface level the music is straight-ahead, but Roark deftly weaves complexity into age-old rhythmic structures, occasionally subverting expected harmonies and making for music that is deep but accessible. Taking advantage of each instrument’s colour, there are parlour songs, waltzes, gigues, and more. The resulting music is largely tonal, with a warm, folksy quality, and enough intricacy to keep the listener (and cast!) on their toes.

It should be noted that should the piece be performed as intended (immersive, site-specific theatre) performers will be on double duty as instrumentalists. However, numerous vamps are built into the music, giving performers as much time as needed for movement.

SCORES FOR PURCHASE

Libretto:

Bandits in the Valley – Libretto

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Arias & Excerpts:

Bandits in the Valley - Opening Scene - voices, percussion, and accordion

George celebrates the 25th anniversary of his paper mill with an important announcement. Lily is introduced. Freddy gets some bad news.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Freddy	middle	F2-F4
George Taylor	middle-low	Eb3-G5
Jeremiah	middle	Db3-G4
Henri	high	Db4-G5
Lily Pollard	high	E4-G5
Brigitta	middle-high	G#3-G5
A servant	silent-spoken	silent
The Governor	silent-spoken	silent

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Bandits in the Valley - Group 1, Scene 1: The Buttock Birthmark (duet)

Jeremiah, who is in love with Lily, reveals that he is the illegitimate son of former mill owner, Skinner. He enlists Freddy's help with a scheme.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Freddy	middle	F2-F4
Jeremiah	middle	B2-G4

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Bandits in the Valley - Group 1, Scene 2: The Chase

Brigitta is in love with Jeremiah. Jeremiah, Freddy, and Brigitta retrieve Jeremiah's birth certificate from the Taylor house where Brigitta found it. Jeremiah gives Freddy a note for Lily - he and Lily are leaving town when Jeremiah gets his fortune.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Brigitta	middle-high	C4-Ab5
Freddy	middle	Eb3-Eb4
Jeremiah	middle	B2-A4
Audience as witnesses	silent-spoken	silent

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Bandits in the Valley - Group 2, Scene 1: Love Me Lily (aria)

Henri wonders how, after all this time, it is possible that Lily doesn't reciprocate her feelings of love.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Henri	high	A3-Bb5

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Bandits in the Valley - Group 2, Scene 2: The Dressing Room

George has a proposal for Lily. Henri has a confession. The Great Recorder Smackdown happens, and Lily is caught in the crossfire. Lily sends them all away without answering.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Henri	high	C4-Ab5
George	middle-low	A2-Bb4
Lily	high	Bb4-Fb5
Audience as guests/witnesses	silent-spoken	silent

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Bandits in the Valley - Freddy's Song: "So It Goes" (aria)

A lament over the disbanding of brotherhood. Freddy wonders what will become of his friendship with Jeremiah.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Freddy	middle	D3-G4

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Bandits in the Valley - Finale

The Vagabond Theatrical Troupe presents! Jeremiah gives George an ultimatum but has to prove himself first in more ways than one, and all is wrapped up in the finest paper package.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Henri	high	B3-G5
Freddy	middle	B2-G4
Brigitta	middle-high	B3-Eb5
Jeremiah	middle	C3-G4
George	middle-low	G2-F4
Lily	high	B3-F6
Ensemble	high	A4-F5

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PREMIERE PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Premiere Production:

September 2-30, 2017 at Todmodern Mills, Toronto ON

Producers:

Tapestry Opera

Cast:

Role	Name
Freddy	Jacques Arsenault
George Taylor	Alex Dobson
Jeremiah	Keith Klassen
Henri	Sara Schabas
Lily Pollard	Jennifer Taverner
Brigitta	Stephanie Tritchew

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Premiere Production Team:

Role	Name
Director	Michael Hidetoshi Mori
Producer	Jaime Martino
Props	David Hoekstra
Costumes and Set	Sylvia Defend
Production Manager	Aidan Cosgrave
Stage Manager	Melania Radelicki
Rehearsal Pianist	Michael Shannon

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CREATION

QUOTATIONS FROM CREATIVE TEAM

When Michael approached us to create an original short comedic opera loosely based on the Don Valley bandits in late 1800s Toronto, and added that it would be performed on site at Todmorden Mills, we leapt at the chance. How amazing to write a show with this well-preserved historic location in mind: imagining what might happen where, figuring out the precision of the timing, and incorporating the property’s existing settings and historical props to the story’s advantage. Also figuring into the fun was plenty of research into the confluence of popular musical practices - jigs, reels, rags, and parlour songs that ran through the region in the late 19th century (not to mention operas such as Gilbert and Sullivan’s smash hit, The Pirates of Penzance, which opened in New York the year before our show is set and is amply riffed upon throughout). We tip our hats to this incredible cast of triple threats, singing, acting, and playing instruments to bring this musical romp to life multiple times each weekend. Thank you for traveling back in time with us – we hope you have as much fun at Bandits as we’ve had creating it!

- Benton Roark (composer) and Julie Tepperman (librettist)

AWARDS

Dora Awards - 2018 nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Bandits in the Valley - Tapestry Opera
Bandits in the Valley - Program

Supported by a Toronto Arts Council Animating Historic Spaces Grant
Supported by an Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grant

MEDIA

PRODUCTION PHOTOS

VIDEOS

"And So It Goes"

Bandits in the Valley: Highlights

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