A group of 23 speed-daters will look for love on the Bemidji State University stage when BSU Opera Theatre opens a four-show run of “Speed Dating Tonight!” a comic opera in one act, beginning March 3.
“Speed Dating Tonight!” presents a unique experience for opera-goers, as it is structured to give production companies a broad variety of date scenes that can be selected based on available cast. In addition, those scenes can be adjusted to fit different voices and rearranged to appear in different orders during the show. As a result, BSU’s performance of “Speed Dating Tonight!” will be unique, differing in style and content from any of the opera’s previous performances, and from any performance that other companies might produce in the future.
Given the production’s flexibility and intimate nature, BSU Opera Theatre director Dr. Cory Renbarger says the show allows each of the cast’s 23 students to have his or her time in the spotlight.
“Everybody gets a moment – everyone gets their solo or their duets,” he says. “It’s just wonderful for the setting we have here. Everybody is essential, everybody is important.”
Renbarger says the show represents a natural progression for BSU Opera Theatre, which is now in its fifth year. And while the show’s setting is quite contemporary, he says it does not abandon opera’s classical roots.
“This will be something that feels and sounds completely different,” Renbarger said. “You think ‘speed daters’ and think that the whole thing is just going to be ridiculous — and while we do have some ridiculous moments, there are some heartfelt, beautiful moments in the show.”
Renbarger says the audience will hear familiar, modern influences in the music, ranging from Joni Mitchell to Stephen Sondheim and drawing from jazz and Broadway.
“People will respond well to it because the music will seem familiar to them, while at the same time its still rooted in classical opera,” he said. “Some of the daters make a real connection, and people will leave with a smile on their faces.”
“Speed Dating Tonight!” will begin at 7:30 p.m. on March 3-4 with 3 p.m. matinees March 4-5 in the Main Theatre of BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex. Tickets, which will be sold at the doors, are $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and students. BSU and NTC students are admitted free with a valid student ID.
About Speed Dating Tonight!
“Speed Dating Tonight!” was first performed in 2013 as a commissioned piece for the Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera in Brevard, N.C. The opera, which is specifically crafted to support small, intimate performances, apprentice programs, university opera and musical theatre groups, includes parts for as many as 30 singers with flexible roles that can be adapted to fit a varying number of singers with different voice types or genders. Since its 2013 North Carolina premiere, “Speed Dating Tonight!” has been performed nearly 50 times, with some performances leading into an actual speed-dating session.
Music and text for “Speed Dating Tonight!” was written by Michael Ching, a prolific and acclaimed composer and conductor who has written orchestral and operatic works that have been performed across the country, based on a concept by Dean Anthony. Ching, who has a bachelor of arts in music from Duke University, is currently music director at the Amarillo Opera in Amarillo, Texas and at the Nickel City Opera in Buffalo, N.Y. Previously, he spent 18 years as artistic and general director of Opera Memphis.
CALENDAR
March 3-4-5 – “Speed Dating Tonight!” A comic opera in one act by Bemidji State University Opera Theatre. Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex, Bemidji State University. Performances: March 3: 7:30 p.m.; March 4: 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; March 5: 3 p.m. Tickets: $15, $10 for senior citizens and students. Information: Cory Renbarger, (218) 755-2867, crenbarger@bemidjistate.edu
Contact
- Cory Renbarger, assistant professor of music, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-2867, crenbarger@bemidjistate.edu
Links
Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. A member of the colleges and universities of Minnesota State, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. Bemidji State has an enrollment of more than 5,100 students and a faculty and staff of more than 550. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global and multi-cultural understanding.
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