I seem to write when there’s bad weather.

Hi all,

As many of you will know, we had a bad storm in the DC area last weekend. Although we at the UrbanArias Corporate Offices kept power throughout, our internet inexplicably went down on Tuesday . . . right as I was about to write an eblast about our very exciting upcoming performances.

So now I’m at IOTA, the excellent cafe, bar and performance club where we’re doing our next show, typing away to get the website updated and the eblast going. Thank goodness their wireless is working!

Stephen Negrey, IOTA’s owner, is super friendly, and very accommodating – he’s happy to let IOTA be my office in this time of distress. Plus, it allows me to negotiate our deal face to face. I feel very comfortable that I just charmed the hell out of him, so I’m anticipating a good cut.

In all seriousness, we have a fantastic show planned for August 5th here at IOTA, called “Blind Dates.” You can read more about it on the site here. We’re giving four mini-operas written around the subject of dating, and they’re all very funny. One of them is text of actual Craigslist ads set to Mahlerian music. IOTA is traditionally a club which features bands, but they have a solid commitment to classical music as well, so we are a natural fit. Even better, it’s a five-minute walk from my house. It’s a great feeling to be part of Arlington arts institutions coming together.

I highly recommend their food, and their beer selection is also excellent. Please join us on August 5, and you will see how good it is. Plus, we’re doing “opera improv,” so when you’re properly sauced, you can suggest all kinds of inappropriate scenes for us to turn into operas.

Bob Wood

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