Opera for Kids
Opera for Kids!
Opera for Kids!…Did you think opera is stuffy and dusty??? Meet Cape Town Opera’s vibrant young diva’s and divo’s in edgy, fun opera school performances. Learn what to look for and listen to in opera – get to know about the history, music and story and have the opportunity to discuss the opera. Let’s spend some time exploring the world of opera.
March 8-29
National Tour with Cape Town Opera’s 2010 Studio
Cape Town Opera’s annual National Schools Tour hits the road. The group leaves Cape Town on Monday 8 March en route to Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Rustenburg, Witbank, Durban, Umtata, East London, De Aar, Kimberley and returns to March 29. Presentations at every school will include performances by Cape Town Opera’s vibrant young talents, followed by a 2 – 3 hour workshop with soloists taking part in the South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod (Tirisano).
They journey (with sets, props and costumes) around six provinces, and pass through at least 40 towns, last year they performed to children from more than 100 schools, about 5600 learners and some 80 teachers.
March 19, 23, 24, 25
MIRACLE BOY
Miracle Boy is a 40 min one-act opera – co-written by Matthew Wild and Allan Stephenson, is about a high school boy who learns of his HIV/Aids status. ‘I believe that society has been so focussed on education about HIV prevention that we have somehow ignored the emotional effects of the pandemic; we all know what HIV is and how it is transmitted, but I believe many of us don’t know how to FEEL about HIV when it affects our friends, partners, family, children or ourselves. I believe that the arts have a unique capacity to help us deal with such emotions, and I am interested in using music and theatre to develop our emotional understanding of the pandemic.
Miracle Boy aims to help teenagers do this; it’s a simple story about a group of teenagers finding out that one of their classmates has been positive since birth. The piece is written for teenagers to perform, and will encourage them to consider how they will react when HIV affects them in their adult life” – Matthew Wild, director of the opera, Miracle Boy. The work is aimed at encouraging teenagers to engage with an important issue – the stigma associated with being HIV positive – by either performing in, or watching their peers act out, a scenario rooted in everyday high school life.
The cast are learners from Jan van Riebeeck & St. Cyprian’s – an opera for high school learners by high school learners. Following the performance, Natalie Simons-Arendse, who is very active in Aids education for the Anglican Diocese and an old St Cyprian’s girl will facilitate discussions around these issues.
This production is funded by the National Lotteries Distribution Fund.
Enquiries to: info@capetownopera.co.za
July 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
uWIZ – A FANTASY POPERA FOR 9 – 13 YEAR OLDS
In a town ravaged by a flood, orphan Dot must make a perilous journey. Her memories have been swept away, and she wants them back. Fabian, the celebrity lion; Cyclops, the malfunctioning parking meter; Zoli, the performing street urchin. All there are drawn inexplicably to each other and Dot, to discover their mysterious purpose. Narrated by Skollie, her trusted pavement special, this fantasy retelling will intrigue you as you join their quest to find the www – the will wise wizard…aka uWIZ…
Written and directed by Francesco Nassimbeni
