Newark: The Opera will be performed at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 10, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, May 11, in the Thompson Theatre of the Louise and David Roselle Center for the Arts.
A multimedia, family-friendly production emphasizing the things that make Newark unique, the opera weaves interviews with long-time residents, appearances by local artists and a musical score into a fun, familiar and poignant show.
Newark: The Opera is the latest chapter in the hometown opera project created by Pittsburgh-based ensemble Squonk Opera [www.squonkopera.com].
Since 2006, the group has visited more than 10 cities to relate each city's story through historical research, extensive video documentation and the help of their citizens.
In the words of the Washington Post, “The result is an unusual 90-minute ode, including but not limited to rock-and-roll, projected videos, aerial footage, dancers and a puppet show. The elements blend together onstage to create a show that is at once playful and polished. A group of six musicians take the stage in tracksuits, pretending to be Olympic athletes at an over-the-top welcome-home ceremony. Then they sit down and play stunning, sophisticated music.”
Tickets can be purchased from noon-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, at UD box offices, by calling (302) 831-2204, through Ticketmaster at (302) 984-2000, or online at [www.ticketmaster.com], where a convenience charge may apply.
The 2007-08 University of Delaware Performing Arts Series is made possible, in part, by grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour and The Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware hotel.
For more information about this and other Roselle Center for the Arts performances, visit [www.udel.edu/cfa].
