ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Ouachita Baptist University’s Opera Theatre will present Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19-21 and at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 in Jones Performing Arts Center on Ouachita’s campus.
“The performances of any opera, not only those of the OBU Opera Theatre, are an enriching experience,” said Dr. Jon Secrest, chair of OBU’s department of applied music and the co-director and conductor of Gianni Schicchi. “Since this is a comedy, audience members are guaranteed an evening of laughter and light-hearted fun.
“Those who do not attend won’t know what they are missing,” Secrest added. “We always have audience members who remark that they wish they had come sooner.”
Gianni Schicchi is a one-act comedic opera to be sung in Italian with English surtitles. The story of love, deceit and family bickering will be approximately one hour in length.
“We felt in this time and place that Gianni Schicchi was an excellent opera to introduce our student to singing in the original language,” Secrest said. “In addition, we have a very talented group of singers whose vocal gifts match the requirements of Gianni Schicchi perfectly.”
The opera will be fully produced with sets, lighting, costumes and orchestral accompaniment, including students from the Ouachita instrumental program and string players from the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, including Maestro Marc-Andre Bougie, conductor, and Ouachita alumnus R. Andrew Clark, orchestra manager.
In addition to Secrest, Dr. Glenda Secrest, OBU associate professor of music, serves as co-director and stage director. “I really enjoy seeing how the students grown from day to day in their musical and character development,” she said. “The transformation that occurs from the first day of rehearsal to opening night is incredible. I am so proud of this cast and their commitment to the development of their art.”
Joey Licklider, manager of Jones Performing Arts Center, serves as technical designer and director.
The cast includes Andrew Miller, a sophomore vocal performance major from Dalworthington Gardens, Texas, as Gianni Schicchi; Elisabeth Hipp, a junior vocal performance major from Memphis, Tenn., and Grace Johnson, a sophomore vocal performance major from Tyler, Texas, double-cast as Lauretta (each singer will perform two shows); Hannah Chapman, a senior vocal performance major from Forney, Texas, as Zita detta La Vecchia; Xavier Lagunas, a sophomore musical theatre major from Arlington, Texas, as Rinuccio; Preston Pickett, a sohpomore mass communications major from Dallas, Texas, as Gherardo; and Katie Edenfield, a junior vocal performance major from Fort Worth, Texas, and Alyssa Reynolds, a freshman vocal performance major from Sanger, Texas, double-cast as Nella.
Other cast members include: Sean Wilson, a junior vocal performance major from Arkadelphia, as Betto di Signa; John Tneoh, a freshman vocal performance major from Malaysia, as Simone; Greg Caplan, a sophomore musical theatre major from Texarkana, Texas, as Marco; Rachel Harris, a sophomore musical theatre major from Springdale, Ark., as La Ciesca; Christopher Straw, a senior musical theatre major from Little Rock, as Maestro Spinelloccio; Kyle Huey, a senior musical theatre major from Grapevine, Texas, as Ser Amantio di Nicolao; Jody Lee, a senior musical theatre major from Arlington, Texas, as Pinellino; and Stewart Kelly, a freshman music theory and composition major from Keller, Texas, as Guccio. Gherardina will be played by Mattie Dodson, daughter of OBU assistant professor of Biblical studies Dr. Joey Dodson.
Tickets for the general public are $8 and may be purchased by calling the Jones Performing Center box office at (870) 245-5563 or by visiting www.obu.edu/finearts. OBU students may obtain one complimentary ticket for the performance of their choice by presenting a current student ID at the OBU box office between the hours of 2-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Dr. Jon Secrest at 870-245-5134 or secrestj@obu.edu.
