Pottle Music Building Auditorium will resonate with Mozart’s last written opera as Southeastern Louisiana University Opera/Music Theatre Workshop presents “The Magic Flute.”
The opera will be held March 7-10 starting at 7:30 p.m., lasting approximately two hours with a fifteen minute intermission. Southeastern students will be admitted free of charge with a university ID, while General admission tickets will be available at the door and are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, Southeastern faculty and staff and non-Southeastern students.
“The production of one of Mozart’s greatest operas is a testament to how far our program has progressed,” said Dr. Kenneth Boulton, interim head, department of fine and performing arts. “It reflects the abundance of student talent we continue to recruit and develop.”
Chuck Effler, director of the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop, will be conducting the opera.
“I felt like doing this particular opera because we had the students who could sing the roles,” said Effler. “We’re attracting more students with more talent than we ever had in the past.”
In “The Magic Flute,” young Prince Tamino must learn to tell good from evil with the help of his bird-brained sidekick Papageno before he can rescue the lovely Pamina and restore light to the world.
This production combines elements of magic, adventure, comedy, drama as well as an eminent conflict between light and dark.
Effler puts on a musical production every semester, generally a Broadway musical in the fall and an opera in the spring. According to Effler, this production’s progress is going smoother than past productions.
“I’m very pleased. At this point, a week before we open the show, I’m very exhausted, but I’m feeling confident that the kids are going to do a really good job,” said Effler. “They’re very dedicated, and they work very hard.”
For the past couple weeks the performers have been working with stage director Victoria Crutchfield, who was brought in from New York specifically to help with this production. Crutchfield graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in May 2010 with a Bachelors degree in Literature and is currently working as a stage director at Boston Metro Opera.
“Our stage director, Victoria Crutchfield from New York, has been a great pleasure and a joy to work with,” said Jarred Frey, sophomore vocal performance major. “She brings a unique concept of staging to the table and has really helped me grow in my ability as an actor and performer.”
The set will display dream-like elements for a modern day twist on the famous opera. Reality will be distorted as various props will be oversized and shown through slanted perspectives. Costumes will be designed with crazy colors, unnatural wigs and wacky shapes, that will create a dreamlike illusion.
“This is one of the biggest and most anticipated events on campus this year,” said Boulton.