[easyrotator]erc_31_1383330091[/easyrotator]
[toggle title_open=”Ticket Information” title_closed=”Ticket Information (Click for Details)” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”white” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Revenge of the Bat
OBU Department of Musical Theater
Oct. 31–Nov.2, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 3, 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: obu.edu/boxoffice
$10/each, Free with student ID
For more information: 870.245.5555[/toggle]
Ouachita’s Division of Music Theatre will present Johann Strauss II’s comedic opera Die Fledermaus, or “The Revenge of the Bat,” on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. as well as a matinee performance on Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at www.obu.edu/boxoffice. Students with a current OBU ID may receive one free ticket.
“Our cast is one of the best we have ever assembled for an operatic production at OBU,” said Dr. Jon Secrest, music director and conductor of the opera and coordinator of Ouachita’s vocal studies program. Secrest added that the opera contains “beautiful soaring melodies” and that the audience should recognize many of the tunes.
Set in Vienna during the Victorian Era, Die Fledermaus is a three-act opera centered on retribution and mistaken identities of prisoners, wives, old flames and old friends at Prince Orlofsky’s ball. As a comedy, audience members should “be ready for an evening of fun and laughter,” said Dr. Glenda Secrest, stage director of the opera and professor of music at Ouachita.
According to Jon Secrest, the audience will also enjoy “the visual spectacle of the grand Viennese style.” Costumes for the performance will be rented from a professional company in New York, and “are going to be incredible,” said Kaylee Nebe, a junior musical theatre major from Mesquite, Texas, who heads the costume crew.
Also involved in the production are David Stanley, instructor of music, who serves as chorus master for the show; Joey Licklider, JPAC manager, who serves as technical director; and Dallas Sleeman, a sophomore theatre arts major from Kentwood, Mich., who serves as stage manager.
Those interested in the story but unfamiliar with the operatic genre should not be intimidated, Jon Secrest said. “Our audience members are surprised at how entertaining the OBU Opera Theatre productions are,” he noted.
Nebe added that it should “be really easy for the audience to follow along and invest in the story.”
Cast members for the production will include: Chad Burris, a junior musical theatre major, as Alfredo; Tara Clem, a sophomore musical theatre major, as Ida; Todd McNeel, a junior mass communications and speech communication major, as Frogg; Victoria Mantooth, a senior vocal performance major, as Orlofsky (this role also is covered by Sarah Talley, a junior vocal performance major).
Joel Rogier, a senior vocal performance major, plays Eisenstein; Seth Russell, a sophomore vocal performance major, as Dr. Falke; Caitlin Secrest, a senior vocal performance major, as Rosalinda; Jillian Turner, a junior vocal performance and music major, as Adele; Josh Wayne, a junior choral music education major, as Frank; and Jalin Wesley, a sophomore musical theatre major, as Dr. Blind.
Members of the women’s chorus will include: Ashley Bundy, a senior vocal performance major; Tori Clark, a sophomore choral music education major; Beth Crisler, a freshman musical theatre major; Kayla Kreger, a sophomore choral music education major.
Lindsey Lederer, a senior musical theatre major will also be a part of the women’s chorus; so will Katelyn Mason, a freshman vocal performance major; Taylor McKinney, a sophomore choral music education major; Lizzie Shelby, a freshman vocal performance major; Sarah Talley, a junior voice performance major; and Esther Weicht, a sophomore vocal performance major.
Photos by Tyler Rosenthal.
