Production of 'Flute' to feature several firsts

The Southeast Missouri State University Department of Music's upcoming production of "The Magic Flute" will debut a lot of firsts.

The opera, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has many features that will appeal to a wide range of audience members, according to Chris Goeke, professor of music at Southeast. He said for those who have never been to an opera, this production would be a good start.

"Usually, operas are completely sung through," he said. "But this one actually features dialogue."

The dialogue will be spoken in English and the songs will be in German. To help the audience follow along, "supertitles" will be displayed on the stage by a new projector. Goeke said this method is used professionally and will "improve the experience" for the audience.

"If you go into any professional opera house, that's exactly what they do," he said.

Elena Arredondo, left, Kaitlyn Robinson and Vikki Siddell with Andrew Thomas, as Prince Tamino, during rehearsal for the Southeast Missouri State University Department of Music's production of "The Magic Flute" on Sunday in the Bedell Performance Hall. (Adam Vogler)

Another first featured in the production will be the use of projected background images, rather than a painted set and backdrop. The images, created by Southeast professor of art Louise Bodenheimer, won't just be trees or outdoor scenes. According to Goeke, the images are colorful designs that "help set the mood and location" for each scene.

These additions were made possible because of two grants the department of music recently received. One was a Funding for Results grant that is given by the university to professors who try new teaching methods to enhance learning and experiences for students.

That grant paid for the supertitle projector, which, Goeke said, will "change the way we've been doing things" at the River Campus and will allow students to perform in a more professional setting.

A second grant allowed the department to bring in guest artist Alba Cancel, who will be singing the role of the Queen of the Night, and to try something new in the wardrobe department. Deana Luetkenhaus, owner and operator of D'Tails in Cape Girardeau, designed all of the costumes for the production using "found" materials.

The process of using extra scraps of cloth or items readily found in and around the home is called "upcycling." Luetkenhaus uses this process in her own business and incorporated it into the costumes for "The Magic Flute" to help make the production unique.

"We decided we wanted it to be funky, a little abstract -- edgy, I guess," she said. "The upcycling aspect helps keep everything on a budget, too. That's the goal, to make it look like we spent more money than we really did."

One of the final costumes worn by the Queen of the Night is a suit of armor. At a glance, the chest piece looks as though it might be made of worn leather, but Luetkenhaus made the majority of the piece out of paper. Accent pieces on the armor were made from sticks, buttons and Mardi Gras beads.

Goeke said the production has a lot of moving parts, but they're coming together.

After seeing the costumes and background projections "it was, like, 'Wow, yes, that's exactly what I was hoping it would look like,'" he said.

The cast will perform a condensed version of the opera Thursday for local school children. Goeke said that performance is completely sold out.

"It's great because most of these kids have probably never seen an opera and now they can be exposed to it in a fun and accessible way," he said.

"The Magic Flute" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. Tickets are $16 and may be purchased by calling the River Campus box office at 651-2265 or at rivercampusevents.com.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.