Master Class, a play by Terrence McNally, is the winner of 3 Tony Awards including Best Play. It centers on Maria Callas, the world-famous soprano, as she became a glamorous, commanding, larger-than-life, caustic and surprisingly drop-dead funny teacher of master classes in operatic singing. During the play, she reminisces about her career triumphs, her affair with Aristotle Onassis and the sacrifices one makes in the name of art. While not an opera, Master Class features opera highlights by Verdi, Puccini and Bellini!

Directed by St. Augustine favorite, Jean Rahner and starring Janet Rabe-Meyer as Maria Callas.

January 18-20, 25-27, 2008
Show Times: Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 PM - Cash Bar Opens 7:00 PM
Sundays 2:00 PM - Cash Bar Opens 1:30 PM
The Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Avenue, St. Augustine, FL
Tickets: $18 In Advance * $20 At The Door * $15 Students (w/College ID)
(Please Note: This show contains strong language not appropriate for children.)

Sam Clein as Manny, Jessica Slatkoff Arteaga as Sophie
& Janet Rabe-Meyer as Maria Callas

Master Class, a play by Terrence McNally, is the winner of three Tony Awards including Best Play. It centers on Maria Callas, the world-famous soprano, as she became a glamorous, commanding, larger-than-life, caustic and surprisingly drop-dead funny teacher of master classes in operatic singing. During the play, she reminisces about her career triumphs, her affair with Aristotle Onassis and the sacrifices one makes for the sake of art. While not an opera, Master Class features opera highlights by Verdi, Puccini and Bellini!

Master Class is being directed by Jean Rahner, a local theatre favorite for the past thirty years and co-founder and former Artistic Director of Limelight Theatre. Her previous directing credits include Hot’l Baltimore and Vanities at Flagler College; The Boys Next Door for Theatre Jax; Greetings and other numerous Limelight Theatre productions; Inherit The Wind for A Classic Theatre Company; and, for First Coast Opera, HMS Pinafore and Amahl And The Night Visitors. First Coast Opera’s own Kristin Samuelson, director and creator of Cabaret Italian-Style and Cabaret Parisien, will be music director for the show.

The cast of Master Class features familiar First Coast Opera faces along with some brand new talent from around the state. Janet Rabe-Meyer will play the key role of Maria Callas. This multi-talented performer has been featured in many past First Coast Opera productions, including Madama Butterfly, Hansel And Gretel, The Mikado and the recent Cabaret Parisien. Others in the cast are newcomers Samuel Clein (Accompanist, Manny), Jessica Slatkoff Arteaga (1st Soprano, Sophie), and Shirley Wang (2nd Soprano, Sharon), along with FCO favorites Cameo Humes (Tenor, Tony) and Adam Mayo (Stage Hand).

Master Class will give the audience a chance to feel like they are actually attending one of the Julliard classes taught by the world’s most famous and beloved opera singer, Maria Callas.