Characters
DONOVAN, Soprano – She is twenty- or thirty-something, intense, lively, smart, and romantic, full of big dreams but realistic about her chances of success.
WALTER Tenor – Likewise twenty- or thirty-something, but more introverted, often wistful. He is quick and witty, but nurses his disappointments, and has a jealous streak.
Piano accompaniment only
Finalist, National Opera Association new opera competition
Time: about 1980, before everybody worked on computers, and when TV ads hawked everyday products, not just prescription medicines. A young couple work at an advertising agency but dream of becoming Real Artists – then one of them gets the chance.
Length: 33 minutes
(click to launch matching score)
Walter and Donovan have brainstormed several scenarios for their advertising campaign about spark plugs, and have amused and topped themselves with each succeeding idea. But they each insist that they really want to do something “higher”.
Performed by Joanne Lessner and Ted Keegan
Excerpt – Spark Plugs