Cedar Rapids Opera pairs puppets with songs for special online performance The Enchanted Forest debuts on YouTube Thursday and also will be shown in Eastern Iowa schools
The Wizard (left), voiced by tenor Benjamin Burney, meets up with the Princess, soprano Avery Nabholz, and her confidante, Bumble, baritone Jacob Lay, in the digital version of “The Enchanted Forest,” debuting online Thursday as part of the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s 2nd Thursday Series. The company’s annual children’s opera production also is available for viewing in Eastern Iowa classrooms, with free distribution through March 31. The opera company collaborated with Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Co. to create hand puppets, rod puppets and shadow puppets to tell this tale of friendship, peril and finding your innate capabilities. (Photo courtesy of Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre)
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What’s an “Operatini? Great question. Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre is getting creative with their productions during the pandemic. Read this review of their latest from IPR’s Jacqueline Halboom.
Grab a cocktail glass or two, snag a jar of olives, and go virtual. This casual and relaxed adventure involves learning how to concoct three original signature cocktail combinations from several renowned mixologists. You can also catch a wild new show, set during one of life’s newest phenomenon: Zoom meetings!
The an over-the-top three-part operatini is the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s latest virtual presentation. In between drink inventions, the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre unveiled their virtual comedic debut commission composed by Nancy Hill Cobb in collaboration with librettist Melinda Boyd. The opera’s principal singer is mezzo-soprano, Suzanne Hendrix-Case.
Commissioned work looks at lighter side of working from home
“Emma’s Misadventures in Zoomland” begins with neophyte Emma (Suzanne Hendrix-Case) attending her first Zoom meeting, where the learning curve is very steep indeed. The action occurs through three acts, premiering Thursday as the next installment of Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s free 2nd Thursday Series online. (Courtesy of Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre)
Elvis makes an appearance in Act II of “Emma’s Misadventures in Zoomland,” as Emma (Suzanne Hendrix-Case) suffers through her boss, Karen, breaking all the Zoom meeting protocols. The new work in three acts, commissioned by the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, premieres Thursday as the next installment of the opera theater’s free 2nd Thursday Series online. (Courtesy of Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre)