CHILD’S PLAY
COC’s The Magic Victrola aims to get kids ages 5 to 12 interested in the opera,
James Dunn is grinning ear to ear before he steps into character in a rehearsal at the Canadian Opera Company’s studio space on Front St. East. The 9-year-old has been on television before, but the COC’s latest opera, The Magic Victrola, marks his live stage debut, alongside his 12-year-old sister, Megan.
In the hour-long show, James and Megan play siblings who discover an old record player that brings opera scenes to life in their grandfather’s attic.
“I didn’t know anything about opera before I started working on this, but I love it now,” James admits. “I’d love to do more.”
That’s the whole idea behind this production, designed to enchant primary school-age children (aged 5 to 12) with the magic of sung live theatre. There are six public performances, running Dec. 1 to 3, at the Esso Imperial Opera Theatre on Front.
Although the show is aimed at entertaining younger audiences, it does not pander. The arias and duets come from favourite operas in the repertoire: Carmen, Lakmé, The Magic Flute, The Elixir of Love, Gianni Schicchi and The Tales of Hoffmann. Each aria is sung in its original language.
Characters emerge fully costumed from antique armoires placed around the stage to interact with the two fascinated children. Their guide is Papageno, from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The singers are current and past members of the COC’s Ensemble Studio.
The show is directed by Ashlie Corcoran, who most recently directed a remount of The Magic Flute for the company last season.
“Who wouldn’t fall in love with opera with these tunes?” the director exclaims before a rehearsal.
Corcoran has been looking after the COC’s school tours since 2009, and is enjoying the experience of working with a fixed stage for a change. “There are so many more tricks to play with,” she smiles, as she describes the advantages of having real sets and lighting. “And the costumes don’t have to get rolled into a ball and thrown on to a van after the show.”
Having a fixed venue for school-age shows is new for the COC, but times have changed in education, and the company realized that it was time to experiment a bit. Schools from around the GTA are participating this year by busing their students down to the theatre on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1.
“Having everything in one venue meant we could also offer tickets to the general public,” explains Patty Jarvis, the COC’s interim associate director of education and outreach. And because The Magic Victrola is taking place at the company’s headquarters, they are able to turn the green room into an interactive activity centre, where children will be able to explore aspects of opera and theatre in little workshops before the show starts.
Even the arrival in the performance space has a theatrical element, as audience members step through a giant armoire to find their seats. It’s as if the children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe discover opera instead of Narnia at the bottom end of the closet.
For details and ticket information, visit coc.ca Classical music writer John Terauds is supported by the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.