Don't be scared of opera.
Susan Boardman, associate voice professor, said that if Penn State students like being entertained and like music, then they can both like and understand opera.
"For some reason, people turn their nose up to it, because it is so misunderstood and maligned in this day and age. Our purpose is to break these misconceptions," Boardman said.
To prove this, Boardman, along with the Penn State School of Music, performs an annual Children's Opera Festival, which Boardman said illustrates opera in a new light for most students.
The opera will be performed on two separate dates. First it will be appearing as a preview at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at Esber Recital Hall at the school of music. It will also be performed at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on April 19 at Eisenhower Auditorium. Tickets for Saturday's show are $2 for students and $4 for adults while tickets for the April 19 show are $7 for all ages and available through the Eisenhower organization. This year's opera has a variety of children's stories. Three different plays, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Wolf and the Lamb and Stone Soup will be performed in English by the cast.
"Using fun and simple themes as well as having it in English really make opera very accessible," Boardman said. "It's very similar to music theater."
Jack and the Beanstalk, reveals the traditional story of a boy and his magical journey of climbing a beanstalk. Appearing after this performance is the short ten-minute piece The Wolf and the Lamb, which is about a clever lamb that ultimately outsmarts a sinister wolf. Finally, Stone Soup is about a soldier who tricks a town into sharing and caring. However, just because the themes are simple and it is referred to as a children's opera does not mean that it is only for the kiddies.
"It's like a Disney movie," Melissa Chavez, producer of the show, said. "Why do we all like Disney movies? Even though they are geared toward children, the themes, the characters and even the comedy are universally entertaining. The comedy we have is very funny for children and adults."
Chavez said that, especially in The Wolf and the Lamb, the audience will appreciate the plot, in which the underdog character, the lamb, triumphs and in Stone Soup, there is a comical food-fight number. Boardman said he hopes the opera will hopefully draw more people into the genre.
"People will see bulletins [for the opera] and say, 'Oh, opera. No, I don't want to go,' but then they will end up being brought along by their roommate or something, and they see it and love it," Boardman said.
Cynthia Mills, music director for the show, said that the Penn State students could find a lot to appreciate in this performance.
"There's jazz, blues and conga lines, not what you would think of for an opera," Chavez said. "The show is a feel good experience. It's a good reminder of the base essentials of life."
