Cascade Sky Entertainment Presents:
Vixen
Based on The Cunning Little Vixen by Leos Janacek
Original Screenplay by Daniel Yost and Tara Walker
Directed by Daniel Yost

Starring:
Tara Walker as Sharp-Ears heads a live action cast, with added scenes featuring puppetry by Mary Robinette Kowal

Screenplay: Download PDF

Story Summary:
Young singer Theresa identifies with the female fox Sharp-Ears in Janacek’s opera, THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN, and fantasizes about playing and singing this role. Homeless at first, she creates a one-person street performance of the opera, in costume, with puppets, singing multiple roles and utilizing imported music on a laptop. Her situation improves when she moves in with her grandmother, attends a local college and works at a fast food job. Hope for more comes from a notice of auditions at the Prague Music Academy. Theresa manages to be admitted and land a small role in an upcoming PMA production of the Janacek opera. Then, when the unexpected happens, she seizes the moment and becomes the lead, fulfilling her dreams in a triumphant portrait of the staunchly independent, yet charming and romantic vixen.

Janacek’s masterworks were created in the last 12 years of his life, after, at 62, he fell in love with Kamila, a 25-year-old married woman. He wrote 700 letters to her though their relationship was never consummated. In VIXEN, Theresa reads these letters and also fantasizes about being Kamila (and being loved so passionately by Janacek). Although pursued by younger men, she develops a similar relationship with Leo, the artistic director at PMA.

Story Structure:
This film is not meant to be a re-creation of the opera. Rather the human story here will reference the story of the opera metaphorically, playing homage to its events, characters, ideas and themes. Selected scenes in the opera will be integrated into the film (some live, some with puppets). And the underscore for the film will be taken only from orchestral music in the opera and music from suites composed from the opera.

The Principals:
Daniel Yost won several best screenplay awards for Drugstore Cowboy. He has directed five feature-length films, including Shooting Nick, which received rave reviews at the September, 2006 Raindance Film Festival in London. A Star For Rose and Lovechild are currently in post production.

Mary Robinette Kowal has produced, performed and created puppets for several outstanding puppetry productions. See Other Hand Productions.

Tara Walker has sung opera and played violin in the Salem Chamber Orchestra. She is the star of Lovechild, and shares star billing with Debbie Allen in A Star For Rose. Her other film appearances include a co-starring role in Film Geek, released in several cities in 2006, and a lead role in Cathedral Park, which won awards at the Longbaugh and Mid-Valley film festivals and opened in Portland in 2007.		Tara Walker's Biography

Tim Cheek, author, University of Michigan professor and world-renown expert on Janacek vocal music, will train singers and conduct music for Vixen. The film's score will be orchestral, piano transcription and vocal-all directly from Leos Janacek's opera, The Cunning Little Vixen.

STARS:
Offers will be made to at least two “star” actors from Hollywood. Roles that might enhance the film’s sales potential and still keep the budget relatively low might include the 60ish roles of the music academy’s artistic director and Theresa’s grandmother. For Leo, actors such as Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland or Ben Kingsley might be attracted by the unusual, strong love story and the artistic context, and work well below their usual quote. The grandmother might be played by Faye Dunaway, Jacqueline Bisset, Bernadette Peters, Ann-Margret or Julie Christie.