UBC Theatre and Opera merger promises a triumphant 2014/2015 season
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Ubyssey (The University of British Columbia)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2014/09/01
Last year’s production of Ubu Roi was a hit.
A new fall season, a merger of UBC Theatre and Opera productions and a suite of new pieces for the upcoming 2014/2015 season. Does this sound exciting? It better. UBC Theatre and Opera productions have a fantastic lineup in a first-ever union.
For 2014/2015 season, productions begin with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and work through Bartered Bride, Naked Cinema, The Bacchae 2.1, The Marriage of Figaro, The Triumph of Love, Choir Practice, ending with La Traviata. With themes of freedom, triumphant women and love, the common threads tie the pieces together into a beautiful web. Nancy Hermiston is directing four pieces: The Marriage of Figaro, Bartered Bride, Choir Practice and La Traviata. Two of the productions are directed by UBC MFA candidates: The Bacchae 2.1, directed by Denis Gupa, and The Triumph of Love, directed by Barbara Tomas.
Deb Pickman, communications and marketing manager for the UBC theatre and film department, and Hermiston feel thrilled with the upcoming productions.
In Twelfth Night, escapades ensue of unrequited love and sexual confusions. “It’s been set to take place in modern day in New Orleans during Mardi Gras,” said Pickman. “It’s a romantic comedy.”
Bartered Bride sets itself in the springtime of a Bohemian village. Much of the story revolves around arranged and unarranged love. Pickman recommends this for opera first-timers.
Naked Cinema features a work of art inspired by DOGMA 95 Manifesto by Lars von Trier. In this original feature length film, alumni and award winning filmmakers Tom Scholte and Bruce Sweeney provide something “raw, naked, and uncompromising,” according to critics.
The next piece of the season, The Bacchae 2.1, relates to the Euripdean celebration of the Greek god, Dionysus, with works by Klaus Theweleit’s Male Fantasies, Lesbian Herstory Archives by Joan Nestle, and The S.C.U.M. Manifesto of Valerie Solanas. Amidst this, it is “injecting this ritualistic Philipino dance,” said Pickman.
“[The Marriage of Figaro is] a scheming, romantic intrigue. It is considered one of Mozart’s greatest operas ever written,” said Pickman. Servants Suzanna and Figaro find themselves in an imbroglio involving everyone attempting to save two marriages.
Next in the season, The Triumph of Love, originally written by Pierre Marivaux in the 18th century. This romantic comedy deals with the love of Leonide, a brilliant princess, for Agis, the rightful heir to the kingdom.
Choir Practice is a comic opera in one act. It is an hour of slapstick comedy and innuendos following a conductor failing to conduct with ensuing vocal duels. “It takes people back to an opera ensemble in 1985,” said Pickman.
The season’s finale, La Traviata, presents a doomed love tale between Violetta, the courtesan, and a handsome man, Alfredo. It contains love, deceit, heartbreak and flourishing parties.
“All of these operas are first-timer friendly because they are very engaging popular operas, comedies, and tragedy in one case,” said Pickman.
Pickman said the merger will benefit both the UBC Theatre and Opera.
“There is this area of the campus that is a hotbed for art and creativity,” said Pickman. “It’s also a place where some of the world’s most treasured artists come to exhibit.”
The first show of the 2014/2015 season, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, premieres on September 24 and runs from September 25 to October 11 in the Frederic Wood Theatre
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightjournal.com.
Copyright
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All interviewees and authors co-copyright their material and may disseminate for their independent purposes.
In-Sight Publishing 
Comments are closed.