Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Page 10

Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold

Born and raised in the metropolitan New York area, Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold took her degrees at Sarah Lawrence College and Fairleigh Dickinson University. She began her career as a teacher and arts administrator before becoming a journalist, critic, and author. In addition to contributing to Broadway World, her theatre, film, music and visual arts reviews and features have appeared in Fanfare Magazine, Scene 4 Magazine, Talkin’ Broadway, Opera News, Gramophone, Opéra International, Opera, Music Magazine, Beaux Arts, and The Crisis, and her byline has headed numerous program essays and record liner notes. Among her scholarly works, the best known is We Need A Hero! Heldentenors from Wagner’s Time to the Present: A Critical History. She helped to create several television projects, serving as associate producer and content consultant/writer, among them I Hear America Singing for WNET/PBS and Voices of the Heart: Stephen Fosterfor German television. Her first novel, Raising Rufus: A Maine Love Story appeared in 2010. Her screenplay version of the book was the 2011 Grand Prize Winner at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. She is also the author of a second novel, The Whaler's bride, and three collections of short stories, BOOKENDS Stories of Love, Loss, and Renewal, CAROUSEL, and ROUND TRIP. Ms. Verdino-Süllwold now makes her home in Brunswick, Maine, with her Newfoundland dog, Mariah's Storrm.






BWW Interview: Wearing the Mantle of Rock n' Roll Legends
BWW Review: Happily Ever After: MSMT Presents Robin and Clark's CINDERELLA with a Contemporary Twist
BWW Review: Happily Ever After: MSMT Presents Robin and Clark's CINDERELLA with a Contemporary Twist
June 13, 2018

There is a moment in Robin and Clark's musical version of Cinderella when the scullery maid screws up her courage and hurls a self-affirmation back to her abusive stepmother and sisters, saying, "No! I've always done everything you asked and now it is time for me to do something for myself!" The audience young and old erupts into spontaneous applause for this very contemporary heroine. Though Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark's musical is more than twenty-five years old, it speaks with a freshness and an appeal that are as lasting as the fairy tale itself, and Maine State Music Theatre's most recent production captures all the delightfulness and the darkness of the story and serves it up with customary flair.

BWW Interview: Scott Moreau:  It All Began in Brunswick
BWW Interview: Scott Moreau: It All Began in Brunswick
June 11, 2018

For actor Scott Moreau, playing Johnny Cash in the opening production of Maine State Music Theatre's 60th anniversary season is a very special homecoming. The Maine native who grew up in Litchfield says this is the fifth time he will have done the Million Dollar Quartet in Maine (previously in Portland and Bangor on the national tour and twice in Ogunquit), but that "Brunswick is much different!"

BWW Interview: Scott Moreau - It All Began in Brunswick
BWW Interview: Scott Moreau - It All Began in Brunswick
June 11, 2018

For actor Scott Moreau, playing Johnny Cash in the opening production of Maine State Music Theatre's 60th anniversary season is a very special homecoming. The Maine native who grew up in Litchfield says this is the fifth time he will have done the Million Dollar Quartet in Maine (previously in Portland and Bangor on the national tour and twice in Ogunquit), but that "Brunswick is much different!"

BWW Review: The Revolution of Rock n' Roll: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Ignites MSMT Stage
BWW Review: The Revolution of Rock n' Roll: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Ignites MSMT Stage
June 8, 2018

When Rock n' Roll burst onto the scene in the late 1950s, it brought with it a veritable revolution in American popular music. Seen by some as 'the Devil's music,' by others as a passing fad, this vibrant, electric sound proved itself a lasting phenomenon. So perhaps it is fitting that more than sixty years later a musical celebrating four of the greatest legends of early rock should open Maine State Music Theatre's 60th anniversary season. And what an opening this is! Million Dollar Quartet explodes onto the Pickard stage with the energy of a mega concert and the intensity of a high-stakes drama. It is a tale that is at once about the music itself and the men who made it, about dreams and determination, about stumbling and success. In a dazzling production directed by Hunter Foster, MSMT scores the perfect kickoff to its own milestone season.

BWW Interview: Telling a Great Story: A Conversation with Hunter Foster
BWW Interview: Telling a Great Story: A Conversation with Hunter Foster
June 5, 2018

'When I was growing up, I wanted to be a writer, a novelist, and that's what eventually drew me into acting and then directing and writing for the stage. It was always about storytelling.' Hunter Foster is reminiscing about the aspirations that led him to seek a life in the theatre. The award-winning actor, director, writer is taking a short break from rehearsal at Maine State Music Theatre, where he is about to open his twelfth production of Million Dollar Quartet on June 7th.

BWW Review: Shakespeare on the Kennebec Presents Ambitious, Uncut Production of 'The Scottish Play'
BWW Review: Shakespeare on the Kennebec Presents Ambitious, Uncut Production of 'The Scottish Play'
June 3, 2018

John Willey's Bath, Maine -based Shakespeare on the Kennebec is presenting an ambitious, completely uncut production of the Bard's "Scottish play"- aka Macbeth at the Chocolate Church. The twenty-six person ensemble rendered the full text of Shakespeare's play - with many often cut scenes now heard - while at the same time Director John Willey takes a fresh conceptual look on the work.

BWW Review: Affecting and Effective TITANIC at Portland Players
BWW Review: Affecting and Effective TITANIC at Portland Players
May 26, 2018

To close its 2017-2018 season Portland Player's has mounted one of its most ambitious productions in recent memory. Titanic The Musical with book by Peter Stone and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston receives an affecting and effective performance by the forty-nine actors and thirteen musicians.

BWW Review: Making Theatre Accessible to New Audiences: MSMT's Sensory Friendly CINDERELLA
BWW Review: Making Theatre Accessible to New Audiences: MSMT's Sensory Friendly CINDERELLA
May 21, 2018

For most of us who love the theatre, attending a performance is an exciting, stimulating, anticipated event, but for some children with sensory issues, going to the theatre can be fraught with anxiety; a room full of strange people, new sounds and fantastical characters - all can make this experience overwhelming. And yet, once immersed in the magic of the play, the children can find delight and connection. To encourage this journey of discovery and to provide families with a safe viewing experience, Maine State Music Theatre last year initiated a program of sensory friendly rehearsal performances of the Theatre for Young Audiences shows. MSMT uses its large rehearsal hall as the performance venue - a space less daunting than the 600-seat Pickard main stage. The hour-long shows are presented with piano (not full orchestra), in full costume with relevant props, and include interaction among the cast, crew, and directors with the young audience. The families have access to a quiet room, are free to move about during the performance, enjoy a snack break, and receive a study/activity guide and some small gifts to take home.

BWW Review: Arts Bringing the Community Together: MIDCOAST MAINE'S GOT TALENT 2018
BWW Review: Arts Bringing the Community Together: MIDCOAST MAINE'S GOT TALENT 2018
May 19, 2018

To an audience used to the likes of today's television talent show formats -The Voice, American Idol with their fiercely competitive, instant celebrity emphasis and often abrasive judging - the annual Midcoast Maine's Got Talent seems to hark back to a gentler era and a more positive model to showcase aspiring performers. Each year the Brunswick Rotary Club puts together this gala as a fundraiser for its social and civic programs, but also as a community service to help nurture the arts in Maine and to create an audience for the creativity and expression that artists provide.

BWW Review: Searing Conversation About Race in Portland Stage's THE NICETIES
BWW Review: Searing Conversation About Race in Portland Stage's THE NICETIES
April 8, 2018

Portland Stage's current production of Eleanor Burgess's two-character drama, The Niceties, is a intense, searing, often exhausting theatrical experience. The play, written during the last Presidential campaign, probes a plethora of contemporary issues from race in America to the meaning of revolution, feminism, the impact and influence of history, the struggles for power between the elite and the voiceless. Set at an Ivy League Eastern college, The Niceties explores the intellectual and emotional journeys of a respected history professor and her rebellious African-American student.

BWW Review: A COMEDY OF TENORS Serves Up Stylish Farce at the Good Theater
BWW Review: A COMEDY OF TENORS Serves Up Stylish Farce at the Good Theater
March 30, 2018

The last offering in the Good Theater's current season is cause for celebration! Ken Ludwig's 2015 comedy, A Comedy of Tenors, serves up a frothy concoction of revolving door farce, sophisticated irony and broad parody, witty double entendres, and a breathlessly wacky plot line that makes the evening speed by joyously.

BWW Review: Curious and Curiouser: Colorful ALICE IN WONDERLAND at Maine State Ballet
BWW Review: Curious and Curiouser: Colorful ALICE IN WONDERLAND at Maine State Ballet
March 25, 2018

The Maine State Ballet unveiled its charming, colorful production of Alice in Wonderland this weekend in Falmouth to the delight of its multi-generational audience. The lavish and lovely production with choreography by Linda MacArthur Miele is faithful to Lewis Carroll's tale and brings to life the author's principal characters.

BWW Review: Classy and Complex Production of COMPANY at Biddeford City Theater
BWW Review: Classy and Complex Production of COMPANY at Biddeford City Theater
March 17, 2018

Stephen Sondheim's musical Company made a sensation when it premiered on Broadway in 1970, winning six Tony awards and being nominated for a record-breaking fourteen. Savvy, urbane, with a brilliant score and dazzling lyrics, Sondheim's exploration of the joys and travails of marriage remains a masterwork of the musical stage. The current revival, directed by Linda Sturdivant, at Biddeford's City Theater gives a classy account of this complex work.

BWW Review:  Murder, Mystery, Romance in Noir Comedy at Portland Stage
BWW Review: Murder, Mystery, Romance in Noir Comedy at Portland Stage
March 10, 2018

Portland Stage's current production of Michael Hollinger's 2000 noir comedy set in the Cold War era skillfully weaves a tapestry of three love stories and one murder against the backdrop of McCarthyism, nuclear bombs, 50s pop culture, and zany shenanigans - all of which makes for a delightful, fast-paced evening of nostalgic wit.

BWW Interview: Thinking Forward: Maine State Music Theatre Celebrates Its Diamond Jubilee
BWW Interview: Thinking Forward: Maine State Music Theatre Celebrates Its Diamond Jubilee
March 4, 2018

Anniversaries are customarily times to reflect on the past, but for Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Curt Dale Clark, the 2018 gala celebration of the company's sixty years is not only a time to celebrate history, but also to use the significant milestone as an opportunity to look to the future. 'We are thinking forward and not resting on our laurels. We are accentuating what works, trying to fix what doesn't, and trying to find new ways to engage the community and make them happy,' Clark explains his philosophy about the Brunswick-based theatre's upcoming historic season.

BWW Review: Cast Aside Productions Re-Imagines GODSPELL
BWW Review: Cast Aside Productions Re-Imagines GODSPELL
February 25, 2018

Portland's Cast Aside Productions has mounted a staging that re-imagines the 1971 Stephen Schwartz musical, based on the Gospel of Matthew, Godspell, setting the entire piece as a rock concert. The production is exuberant, animated, peopled with excellent musicians and a fine cast, but also beset by concept and technical difficulties.

BWW Interview/Video: Theatre Miniatures No. 6: Christine Louise Marshall
BWW Interview/Video: Theatre Miniatures No. 6: Christine Louise Marshall
February 13, 2018

The sixth video in my ongoing series of mini-portraits of Maine theatre artists profiles Mad Horse Theatre's Artistic Director, Christine Louise Marshall. A native Mainer, raised in Cape Elizabeth and trained as a dancer with Maine State Ballet, Marshall went on to study theatre at Skidmore College. Her twenty-five-year career as an actress, dancer, director, and designer has taken her across the country and back to her home state. Here in Maine she has taught at Maine State Ballet for the past twenty-two years, acted on stage and in films, and now serves as the third Artistic Director of South Portland's Mad Horse Theatre Company, where she devotes her talents not only to creating thought-provoking seasons, but also to acting, directing, and designing costumes for the company's repertoire. In addition, she now has become involved with Cape Elizabeth High School's theatre program where she hopes to be able to put into practice her passion for working with and inspiring young artists.

BWW Review: Theater Project Tackles THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
BWW Review: Theater Project Tackles THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
February 12, 2018

The professional ensemble of Brunswick's Theater Project once again demonstrates its affinity for drama with classic literary origins. Its 2018 production of The Picture of Dorian Gray, adapted by Merlin Holland and John O'Connor, offers a convincing, often compelling account of Oscar Wilde's famous novel.

BWW Review: Portland Stage's BABETTE'S FEAST Has Contemporary Resonance
BWW Review: Portland Stage's BABETTE'S FEAST Has Contemporary Resonance
February 5, 2018

Portland Stage has mounted an adaptation of Isak Dinesen's short story Babette's Feast, conceived by Abigail Killeen and written by Rose Courtney, that retains the message of grace and humanity at the core of the tale, while casting the narrative in an entirely different, highly contemporaneous light. Intriguing and sometimes perplexing in its Brechtian staging, this production adheres closely to the Dinesen text and bears little resemblance to the iconic movie of 1987.



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