Florida State College Students Perform LA CAROLINE: A NEW ROCK OPERA, 6/15

Florida State College at Jacksonville students will perform a sneak peek preview of La Caroline: A New Rock Opera before taking the show to France. The show was written by Florida State College professor, playwright and musician Jennifer Chase and will play June 15, 2012, at 8 p.m. at the Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts, located at 11901 Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville, Fla. Admission is free, but donations are welcome (suggested amount: $10).

La Caroline is a new rock opera, which accounts the founding of a French settlement at Ft. Caroline in Northeast Florida. It chronicles the lives of explorer René de Laudonnière, Timucua Chief Saturiwa and others who were part of this extraordinary period of history. As the 450th anniversary of this intersection of cultures approaches, spectators will learn more about the Timucua people and European settlers through a blend of contemporary original music composition and dance.

A cast and crew of Florida State College at Jacksonville students and alumni, as well as UNF students, will perform the preview performance of staged excerpts in front of a hometown audience before taking the performance to Nantes, France. Attendees will also be able to buy an original cast CD. Money collected will be used to fund the incredible journey.

In July, the group will spend 10 days in Jacksonville’s Sister City. Nantes is a port city approximately 350 miles southwest of Paris. It twinned with Jacksonville in 1984. During their visit, the cast will perform in one open-air venue and in the Salle Paul Fort Theater.

Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Student Life is supporting several of the students in their adventure of a lifetime. The Jacksonville Sister Cities Association and l’Alliance Francaise de Jacksonville also provided funding for the project.

Cast: Thomas Janson, Besanya Santiago, Eva Matthews, Frank Humphrey, Taylor Boice, Adam Bonomo, Steven Pedigo, Ashley Charles, Edwin Rivera, Lindy Whitfield, Drue Williams and Ricardo Lastrapes.

Crew: Jeremy Moore, Kristen Carlson, Angie McGill and Kelsey Clifford.

La Caroline features book and lyrics by Jennifer Chase and music by John Citrone, with music direction by Robin Stine and directed and choreographed by Roxanna Lewis. It is produced by Florida State College at Jacksonville in partnership with The University of North Florida International Center and aJENNda productions.