SJSU Opera Theatre Takes Third
The College of Humanities and the Arts is proud to announce that the Opera Theatre’s Spring 2016 production of Dominick Argento’s Postcard from Morocco has tied for third place in Division 1 of the National Opera Association Annual Competition. Made up of workshop directors from colleges and universities all over the United States, the yearly competition encourages programs and students to push themselves to reach new heights.
Professor Layna Chianakas, the director of the SJSU Opera Theatre program, explained that “our particular category, category one, had over 20 people who submitted. To have that many people submit and get third place, with very little budget, was amazing.”
Working with a modern piece such as Postcard from Morocco, which is considered a contemporary opera, created its own set of challenges for the cast. The piece is based in surrealism, and as such has a plot that is not entirely defined. This left the piece open to interpretation by Professor Chianakas and students like Robert Nico Sanchez, who took on the role of assistant director. For Nico, it was an opportunity to experience a new side of the theatre. “I have always loved performing, but I found an affinity for theater production; I now have this great, contemporary opera that I know inside and out, but beyond that I have a whole new skill set I can use to explore theatrical direction and production.” From recording staging notes and lighting cues to writing rehearsal summaries, Nico’s involvement in the production helped him grow alongside the cast on stage.
The process of putting together such a production brought the members of the Opera Theatre program closer together. Marisol De Anda Martinez, who played the role of the Lady With a Hand Mirror, noted that despite the stress of learning and rehearsing the piece, the members of the production were able to rely on one another. “We were all in it together,” she explained. “We all knew that nothing in Postcard from Morocco would be easy, so it was great to have everyone come together to support each other and lend a hand where and when needed.”
Joci-Patrice Houston, cast as The Foreign Singer, was encouraged to confront the intricacies of her role under the careful tutelage of many supportive professors and staff members. Despite the unusual sound of the scales and the fictional language her character sang in, Joci-Patrice adopted an open mindset, which enabled her to collaborate with a dancer who accompanied her singing. Ultimately, she remarked, “this work inspired the cast and our director to transcend our abilities and dig deeply into our own vulnerabilities to make art. It really blew me away.”
“I’m really proud that we can call ourselves award-winning,” Professor Chianakas said. “The thing that makes me the happiest is our students, who really rose and reached their full potential and even a little bit more. To me, that’s beautiful.”
This semester, the Opera Theatre program looks forward to the production of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges in April, as well as Mendelssohn’s Elijah in May. Elijah is a fully staged production involving members of Dance, Concert Choir, Opera Theatre, Orchestra, Digital Media Arts, and soloists from the community, all on stage in the Hammer Theatre. The performance is sure to be remarkable!
For more information on upcoming performances, visit http://events.ha.sjsu.edu/musicanddance/events/
