The Departments of Theatre and Music are serving local high schools this spring with traveling productions that bring classic works directly to the students; the shows also will be performed on campus.
Opera Workshop’s “Hansel and Gretel” was performed at Hickory Ridge High School and Hopewell High School this month. The Theatre Department’s Shrew Project traveled to three schools in mid-April: Olympic Community of Schools, Robinson High School and Central Cabarrus High School.
German composer Engelbert Humperdinck's fairytale opera “Hansel and Gretel” is based on the beloved story by the Brothers Grimm. The Opera Workshop will perform a one-hour version, sung in English, as a fine introduction to opera for audiences of all ages.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, “Hansel and Gretel” singers will be joined by the UNC Charlotte Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Jonathan Govias, for presentations in Robinson Hall’s Belk Theater. Tickets are $6 for general admission; $5 for seniors and UNC Charlotte faculty, staff, and alumni; and $4 for students and can be purchased at the Robinson Hall Box Office or online.
The Shrew Project is a deconstruction of Shakespeare’s comedy “The Taming of the Shrew” in which the actors present several key scenes from the play multiple times, interpreted from different perspectives that demonstrate different understandings of the feisty main character, Kate.
Times have changed since Shakespeare’s day, and “The Taming of the Shrew” has become a playing field for shifting ideas about women and marriage and social power.
This University production runs less than an hour and will be presented at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 24, through Saturday, April 26, in Robinson Hall’s Black Box Theater. Tickets are $5 for all patrons and can be purchased at the Robinson Hall Box Office or online.