Member(s) of group: Brooke Dufton, soprano / Lawrence Cotton, baritone / Rachad Feizoullaev, piano / Theatre Cotton Robes, concept / Sue Miner, stage direction
Formed in 2003 Cotton Robes Theatre is a partnership between Musical Theatre composer/arranger/adapter Greg Robic and award winning singer/actor/director Lawrence Cotton, the company’s mandate is to create and adapt works that combine elements of musical theatre, opera and in some cases traditional Japanese storytelling into highly entertaining and educational shows for children and adults alike.
Beginning with their collaboration on Greg’s adaptation of Aristophanes anti-war classic Lysistrata for Toronto’s prestigious Summerworks Festival at the Factory Theatre (voted among the top ten shows for the festival), they followed that success with an adaptation of Mozart’s most beloved Musical Theatre piece The Magic Flute entitled Allegra’s Magic Flute. Translated into French for performances at the world renowned Montreal Baroque Music Festival 2006 in the summer of 2007 the English version was performed to great acclaim at Toronto’s Music Garden and as part of the Luminato Festival.
Their latest project, an adaptation of the first Opera ever, Caludio Monteverdi’s Il Favola d’Orfeo, entitled Orfea And The Golden Harp includes music by Mozart, Handel, Gounod, Bizet and Offenbach, was presented in the summer of 2007 as part of the Montreal Baroque Music Festival’s children’s program and saw a Toronto Harbourfront performance as a part of the What Is Classical Festival.
Orfea And The Golden Harp will open the Toronto’s Music Garden season July 5th 2009.