In 1962, Robert Ward's opera "The Crucible" won the Pulitzer Prize for Music. It has become one of the most-performed operas by an American composer.
But neither UNC School of the Arts nor Piedmont Opera has ever presented "Crucible," which is based on Arthur Miller's play of the same name.
This is odd, because Ward was UNCSA's first chancellor. He brought Norman Johnson, the founder of Piedmont Opera, to the school, which has enjoyed close ties with the opera company.
James Allbritten is the artistic director of Piedmont Opera and the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at UNCSA. He said he thinks the time is right to introduce local audiences to "The Crucible." Beginning March 16, the Piedmont Opera and UNCSA will present a joint production at the Stevens Center.
Mozart's "Don Giovanni" (Oct. 28-Nov. 1) will open Piedmont Opera's season.
"Contemporary pieces aren't so bad or scary," Allbritten said. "I am hoping that having done well with ("The Light in the Piazza" in 2008), we can fully transition into feeling confident about doing contemporary opera."
" 'The Crucible' is a beautiful turning point for the company because of the connections we have with Robert Ward in this community," Allbritten said. "The opera is well worth doing."
Allbritten and Frank Dickerson, Piedmont Opera's executive director, are plugging the "Crucible" production as a win-win partnership. The opera has 20 named roles, which creates a challenge in terms of finding singers and creating costumes. But several students will perform for free, gaining the experience of appearing in a professional production.
"Crucible" will replace the spring show that the Fletcher Institute students perform on campus. The production, along with ancillary events, will likely cost $250,000 to $300,000. Most Piedmont Opera productions cost about $200,000.
Piedmont Opera has been awarded an NEA grant of $12,000 to help fund "Crucible," and the company is in fundraising mode to cover the production's costs.
There is uncertainty, however, about the sets and costumes. Piedmont Opera would like UNCSA's School of Design & Production to design and make them. Piedmont usually spends roughly $30,000 to rent sets and costumes, but the "Crucible" effort would cost more; the exact figure is being discussed.
The hope is that the extra money will enable Piedmont Opera to have original sets and costumes befitting a special production.
Students would have enough money to come up with sets and costumes that are more significant than those created for shows at the school, which is contending with severe budget cuts.
Piedmont Opera's partnership with Design & Production has yet to be finalized.
"There are some scheduling issues," Dickerson, the opera's executive director, said. "We'd love to have them do it." If it can't be worked out, the opera will rent what is needed, he said.
"Crucible" is set during the Salem witch trials of the late 17th century. Allbritten and Dickerson say the play will resonate in today's climate, which has been marked by anti-Islamic sentiment after the attacks of Sept. 11.
"Our culture is approaching another peak of intolerance," Allbritten said. "I think it's a perfect time for us to do something like this."
When "Crucible" first hit the stage, it represented a powerful response to McCarthyism, a time when the U.S. government blacklisted accused communists.
This era will be recalled in "Miller and McCarthyism," a panel discussion Piedmont Opera has organized for March 10.
Other events designed to create the right buzz for a contemporary opera will include a "Behind the Scenes" introduction to the production March 3.
There will also be an educational outreach effort. This will entail integrating the opera into the curriculum for the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Piedmont Opera plans to provide local schools a study guide for high school students.
As for Ward, the opera's composer who lives in the Triangle area, he is expected to attend the opening-night performance, Piedmont Opera officials say.
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