Cape community members perform in SEMO Opera's 'The Bat's Revenge'

Three Cape Girardeau community members will be performing in "The Bat's Revenge", a comic opera, being performed Friday, Jan. 20, and Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus.

Robb Davis will be singing in the chorus, Matt Antill will be playing a character named Blind the Lawyer, and Seth Tanner will be playing the role of Freddie, the titular "Bat" seeking his revenge.

"The Bat's Revenge" is an adaptation of Johann Strauss' "Die Fledermaus", which premiered in 1874.

The adaptation, by Pacific Opera Project director Josh Shaw, is set in 1935 Hollywood and is centered around a practical joke. The character of Freddie wants to get back at his friend Gabe who embarrassed him the year before. Freddie, wearing a bat costume, had drunkenly passed out in the arms of a statue and Gabe called the newspapers to take photos.

Then, Freddie tries get Gabe to make a fool of himself at a another costume party. Freddie knows Gabe is a shameless philanderer, so Freddie has set it up so Gabe will flirt with a woman he thinks is a Hungarian countess, but is actually Rosie, his wife.

Davis is the owner of R.A.D. Studios, a youth theater in Cape Girardeau. He is a SEMO alum who said he's happy to come back and be part of the show. Davis said he was a music major and has been performing with SEMO Opera since his first show, Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado", in 2010. Davis formed R.A.D. Studios with Dimitri Gann (R.A.D. stands for "Robb And Dimitri"), and said it is a performing arts studio offering classes in music, voice, and theater to youth in the area and "any adult actor who likes to be young at heart."

Seth Tanner and Matt Antill (background in mirror), prepare in their dressing room before a rehearsal of the comic opera "The Bat's Revenge" on Wednesday, Jan, 18, at the SEMO River Campus. Tanner works in admissions for Saint Francis Medical Center, and graduated from SEMO in 2020. Antill lives in Cape Girardeau but works remotely as an IT specialist for a hospital in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.Danny Waler

Seth Tanner and Matt Antill (background in mirror), prepare in their dressing room before a rehearsal of the comic opera "The Bat's Revenge" on Wednesday, Jan, 18, at the SEMO River Campus. Tanner works in admissions for Saint Francis Medical Center, and graduated from SEMO in 2020. Antill lives in Cape Girardeau but works remotely as an IT specialist for a hospital in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.Danny Waler

"Watching these SEMO students grow, and seeing how the directors instruct them, helps me grow with my studio," Davis said. "Doing these operas with SEMO develops my skills to help the younger generation."

Antill lives in Cape Girardeau but works remotely as an IT specialist for a hospital in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He has performed with community theater productions with River City Players, and with Davis at R.A.D. Studios. "The Bat's Revenge" will be his first opera with SEMO, and he said Davis encouraged him to audition.

"I've been singing most of my life," Antill said. "I did some theater way back in my own college days in Quincy, Illinois, where I was a vocal performance major."

Antill said he will be directing the fall show for River City Players, and will use everything he's learned from his experience with SEMO Opera.

Alyssa Pollien, a junior at Southeast Missouri State University, performs during a dress rehearsal of "The Bat's Revenge" on Wednesday, Jan, 18, at the SEMO River Campus.Danny Waler

Alyssa Pollien, a junior at Southeast Missouri State University, performs during a dress rehearsal of "The Bat's Revenge" on Wednesday, Jan, 18, at the SEMO River Campus.Danny Waler

"It's enlightening to see different people's perspectives on how to run things," Antill said. "Seeing what works for somebody and then taking it back and adopting it for your own performance."

Tanner works in admissions for Saint Francis Medical Center. He graduated from SEMO in 2020 with bachelor's degrees in music and interdisciplinary studies. In addition to SEMO Opera, he also sings with the Southeast Choral Union. Tanner said he's grateful to continue learning under SEMO music professor Tim Schmidt, who is conducting the orchestra for "The Bat's Revenge".

"My hope and dream is to one day be teaching music theory at a college just like Dr. Schmidt," Tanner said. "I kind of want to be him. I pick up everything he and Dr. [Barbara] Lamont, director of Choral Activities, have taught me. Synthesizing that into the kind of musician and teacher I want to be."

Chris Goeke, professor of music at SEMO and director of "The Bat's Revenge", said it's important that the university, as a whole, be integrated into the Cape Girardeau community.

"We do not (and should not) exist in a vacuum," Goeke said. "Part of our mission is to serve as a cultural influence not only for students, but also for the area. So it's a win win win — students get the performance experience they need, the community is enriched by the performance, and when community members are in the cast, we create deep connections that serve the university and the surrounding community."

"The Bat's Revenge" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday. To purchase tickets, visit www.rivercampus.org or call (573) 651-2265.

Southeast Missouri State University music professor Tim Schmidt conducts the orchestra while SEMO seniors Sophie Capra, Jonathan Reynolds and Jacob Welch sing during a dress rehearsal of the comic opera "The Bat's Revenge" on Wednesday, Jan, 18, at the SEMO River Campus.Danny Waler

Southeast Missouri State University music professor Tim Schmidt conducts the orchestra while SEMO seniors Sophie Capra, Jonathan Reynolds and Jacob Welch sing during a dress rehearsal of the comic opera "The Bat's Revenge" on Wednesday, Jan, 18, at the SEMO River Campus.Danny Waler