Spotlight on Opera 2017 Season

OPERA PARA LOS NINOS - EN ESPANOL!

This summer, we will produce our first bilingual children's opera, The Coyotes and the Rabbits/Los Coyotes y las Conejas by Hector Armiento.

Coyotes/Rabbits is the tale of book-loving Scrawny Coyote, whose cousin Loco is determined to teach him that REAL coyotes don't need to read. But smart rabbit sisters Chiquita and Banana lead the coyote cousins a merry chase, and only Scrawny's book learning saves him from sharing Loco's many embarrassments at the hands of the brainy bunnies!

Free performances take place at public libraries across Central Texas, including:

Austin Public Library - July 18, 2 p.m., Cepeda Branch
July 19, 2 p.m., Hampton Branch (Oak Hill)

San Marcos Public Library - July 26, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

New Braunsfels Public Library - July 27, 10:30 a.m.

Admission to these shows is free, but producing them isn't!

If you'd like to make a donation to support bringing more great content to Central Texas children, you can do so here --- and it's tax deductible.

DOUBLE FEATURE: THE CHILD & THE SPELLS; TROUBLE IN TAHITI

L'enfant et les sortileges/The Child and the Spells

A naughty child who routinely mistreats his toys, furniture, and even the plants and animals in the garden, learns a lesson when they come to life and take revenge for his bad behavior. Composed in 1917, this short fantasy opera features a delicate, magical score by Maurice Ravel (of Bolero fame) and a libretto by the famous French novelist Colette. Sung in French with supertitles.

Trouble in Tahiti

Beneath a veneer of the perfect American suburban life of the 1950s (as illustrated by a jazzy Greek chorus), Sam and Dinah struggle to find their way back to the happy marriage they once shared. Based on the relationship of composer Leonard Bernstein's own parents, the centerpiece of the opera is Dinah's hilarious and showstopping recounting of the hot new movie she's just seen ... "Trouble in Tahiti". Sung in English.

Saturday, July 22, 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 23, 3 p.m.
Buy tickets here!

At the sumptuous Viennese villa of an eccentric and eternally bored Russian prince, Dr. Falke sets the stage for an elaborate revenge plot against his dear friend, Gabriel Eisenstein, who recently humiliated him publicly by leaving him on a park bench after a masquerade ball --- drunk, and dressed as a giant bat. But in addition to the famous cast of Die Fledermaus characters, including Eisenstein's own wife and maid, all the other guests are characters who have wandered in from various operas! Violetta and Alfredo, the Bohemians, Candide and Cunegonde, Ernesto and Norina, Frederick, Mabel, and all the Stanley girls make an appearance for an evening of sparkling frivolity and hit tune after hit tune, including The Champagne Trio, Sempre Libera, the Boheme Quartet, Glitter and Be Gay, and more. With music by Johann Strauss, Giuseppe Verdi, Gaetano Donizetti, Gilbert & Sullivan, Leonard Bernstein, and Giacomo Puccini and an original libretto by Spotlight's own Executive Director, Cindy Sadler, this will be a ball to remember! Sung in English and Italian with supertitles.

Saturday, July 29, 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 23, 3 p.m.
Buy tickets here!

Average Joe Nemorino loves Adina, the richest, prettiest girl in town, but he can't compete with the swaggering hero Belcore ... until Dr. Dulcamara rolls in to peddle his miraculous elixir of love! Donizetti specializes in comedies with heart; while the vivacious melodies will have you tapping your toes, Nemorino's famous aria "Una furtiva lagrima" may have you wiping away a furtive tear of your own. Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Saturday, August 6, 7 p.m.
Sunday, August 7, 3 p.m.

Buy tickets here!