School Tours

Fall 2008: THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

• Only a few dates remain — book your tour today!

April/May, 2009: HANSEL AND GRETEL

• Contact Peter Hoyle, Director of Education, to book before we're sold out!

Interact with Classics

The Interact with Classics series is designed to expose students to some of the most beautiful music ever written and give them an active role in the performance. An interactive experience including sets, costumes and 4 professional Opera singers will arrive at your school to perform an English adaptation of a classic opera. Most importantly, 16-30 students selected by the school will actually have an opportunity to perform easy-to-memorize speaking roles alongside the professionals in the production. In this series the audience always has a role as well, learning a song and singing along at certain key moments in the show.

A comprehensive Teachers Guide will escort you though the process as well as provide activities that connect these classics to NJ Educational standards 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 3.4 and 6.3.

See examples from 2007 in our Interact with Classics movie! (requires Quicktime)

Available in 2008

Interact with Classics Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance
Gilbert and Sullivan
Due to a mistake in language, a young man is put into indentured servitude to a Pirate instead of a Pilot. He serves his many years, along with his maid, Ruth, as part of a crew of tenderhearted pirates who adopt any orphan they meet. Upon his release from indenture, he vows to out-pirate the pirates, but a beautiful woman and some clever trickery impede him. In this adaptation, students get to play pirates, policemen, and beautiful maidens alongside the adult roles of Frederick, Mabel and the famous Pirate King.

Basic Package: rehearsal workshop and performance

Our role

Our production includes suggestive sets, costumes, 4 professional opera singers and an accompanist, will arrive at your school to perform an English adaptation of a classic opera. Between 16 and 30 students previously selected and cast by your school will have an opportunity to perform alongside the professionals in the production. The student roles are speaking and/or acting roles; students are not required to sing any solo lines. In this series, the audience always has a role as well, learning a song and singing along at certain key moments in the show.

The performance is approximately 45 minutes with a 10-minute question/answer period at the conclusion of the show.

School’s role

In preparation for the performance you will receive a Teachers’ Guide with activities for every grade, as well as a copy of the libretto. The most successful performances occur when a teacher takes an active role in preparing the students. This can include rehearsal, vocal projection work, memorization as well as giving students the background, historical information or vocabulary found in the teachers guide.

Please note: There is a critical one-hour rehearsal/workshop for on-stage participants that must be scheduled immediately prior to the morning’s performance, and which includes the professional cast. Therefore no performance will begin before 10:00 a.m.

Here's what parents and teachers have to say about our In-School Programs

• "I just want to thank you and your organization for a fabulous program! The principal, the teachers and my PTO cultural arts committee all found it an outstanding performance. I was a little guarded as to how an opera would go over with the middle school kids-you never know how the kids will react. However I have to say it was a huge success! The volunteer grade 7 students were terrific and the rest of the student body was attentive, engaged and respectful of the professional performers and their peer performers. They probably wouldn't want to admit they enjoyed it, but it was obvious they were engaged and entertained. I don't think we have witnessed such attention in previous assemblies!! Your performers and manager Matthew were really terrific with the kids. I was impressed at how in 1 hour the whole show came together. It is a joy to watch the performers sing, act and work with the young people. Their enthusiasm is infectious! I really enjoyed meeting them. Your program is definitely an asset to the "opera world" and to opening the eyes & ears of young people."
  -Lynn, Parent Teacher Organization member
  
  
• "Thank you so very much for everything you did to get Mozart's MAGIC FLUTE here yesterday. Everyone here loved it and felt that it was such an exceptional and worthwhile experience."
  -Mary, Teacher
  
• "The production from A to Z was superb! The 4th graders that took part were on cloud nine afterwards. The audience—Pre-K to 4—was spellbound and some of the kids asked some good plot questions afterward."
  -Beth, Teacher

 

Opera New Jersey, Inc., PO Box 3151, Princeton, NJ 08543
(609) 799-7700 | Contact Us