Roller skates, sorority girls and pirates can all be found in the Opera Theater Department’s take on the 19th century opera classic
Audience members expecting the stereotypical “dry” opera will be surprised when greeted by singing pirates, dancing sorority girls and singers on roller skates in the Opera Theater Department’s production of Pirates of Penzance.
Pirates of Penzance, performed for the first time in 1879, was considered one of the greater comedies of its time – telling the tale of an indentured servant who gains his freedom from the band of pirates he was made to work for. Modern audiences, however, might not be so amused by the antiquated language.
For that reason, the Opera Theater Department adapted the production to a modern setting – the pirates resemble “Duck Dynasty” characters, the daughters of the major general are now sorority girls and the setting is Ohio University itself.
Lisa Foerster, the director of Opera Theater, said the changes were made in order to make the opera more accessible to a modern audience, whose own predispositions about opera might prevent them from giving it a chance.
“In that way, taking something that’s older but updating it can really reach a lot of people who might say ‘ooh, opera - that has nothing to do with me,’” Foerster said. “I think the word ‘opera’ scares a lot of people.”
The undergraduate and graduate students that make up the cast will be doing a lot more than just singing, Foerster said.
“They not only have to act, but they have to act, and sing and dance and move — all at the same time, while watching the conductor and making sure they all stay together,” Foerster said. “So it’s really a hybrid art form, and it’s challenging.”
Kyle Berkley, an adjunct professor of voice who plays one of the main roles, Frederick, said one of the most challenging aspects of this production was getting into the role of his character.
“He’s very young; I am no longer young, so it’s kind of going back to try to remember somebody who is 21 years of age,” he said.
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However, Berkley also said it is rewarding to see the hard work of all the students and cast come together in the finished production.
“(Since) when we started in January, to now, it has bloomed into something wonderful,” he said. “And when Friday opens, it’s going to be really nice to see so many people come to support the opera.”
Foerster said most students coming into her program have no prior experience with opera. Therefore, she has to work with them to build up their vocal technique, the aspect of opera that most distinctly sets it apart from musicals.
“You have to learn to project your voice, and you do that through training,” Foerster said. “The technical term is to learn how to ‘resonate’ your voice, so basically you’re becoming your own microphone.”
Stephanie Carnicom, a freshman studying communication sciences and disorders, said she had to stray from her usual style of singing in this opera, which will be her first performance on stage.
“I’m an alto, and singing as a soprano, I had to stretch my octave a lot more, so that was a big change,” Carnicom said.
Foerster, a relatively new member of the Opera Theater Department, wishes to expose more people to art forms they might not have previously considered.
“I really hope that every production I do here I can bring in somebody new that hasn’t seen something, and that they will enjoy it,” she said.
@seanthomaswolfe
