USU Opera Theatre Will Close Year Off With Multi-Part Program

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State University’s Opera Theatre will conclude its 2024-2025 season with a multi-day production of opera and musical theater favorites.

The production will feature Ravel’s one-act opera “L’Enfant et les sortilèges,” followed by the final act of Dvorák’s “Rusalka,” a tragic variation of the Little Mermaid folktale, and end with a student-directed musical theater cabaret. Performances will take place April 10 -12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre.

The program begins with “L’Enfant et les sortilèges,” a comedic opera performed in French. A disobedient boy learns a lesson about responsibility from his furniture, math homework and animals in his yard.

This performance is followed by “Rusalka,” based on the same source as the Hans Christian Andersen’s “Little Mermaid” but with a darker ending. Opera students will perform the final act in its original Czech language. These productions will take place April 10 and 12.

On April 11, students will present a musical theater cabaret featuring numbers from “Sweeney Todd,” "Assassins,” “A Little Night Music,” "Shrek,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Newsies.” This production showcases students not only as performers but also as directors and choreographers.

“The repertoire for the music theater cabaret was completely chosen and organized by the students who are also serving as the scene directors, music directors and choreographers,” Opera Theatre Director Dallas Aksoy said. “Being able to take leadership roles is another very useful educational opportunity.”

These productions have been great experience for students to “get their feet wet,” according to Aksoy, especially in memorizing and performing in languages that aren’t their native language.

“The music for both opera pieces are relatively complex, and after spring break we began to stage the pieces which presented challenges as these are studio works,” Aksoy said. “We will need to find ways to tell these magical stories without the aid of costumes and sets that suggest these magical characters and events.”

The shows will be minimally produced with no full scenic or costume support. However, English supertitles will be provided for the foreign-language opera selections and dramatic context will be provided for each musical theater scene.

“Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the piano with my score, plunking out my part and practicing my Czech diction. The melodies the prince sings in Rusalka resonate with me because they’re so beautiful,” said Holden Smith, a student in voice performance. “One of my biggest challenges is singing a C5. It’s a really high note, and it comes at the climax of my song. I haven’t quite nailed it yet, so I’m still working on it. I hope our audience enjoys both the music and the story and gains a deeper appreciation for classical music.”

Participating in the opera program is a graduation requirement for vocal performance students and is beneficial for practicing complex art pieces.

“I feel that students benefit from being as marketable as they can be. Just like with our two-sided opera and musical theater productions in April,” Aksoy said. “Seeing our students make progress while at the same time producing enjoyable works of music and theater for audiences is incredibly satisfying for me and I feel lucky to be a mentor in each of their musical journeys.”

Purchase tickets online or at the CCA box office located in the Daryl Chase Fine Arts Center. For more information visit the USU events calendar.