BLO and Wheelock Family Theatre: Theatre-Opera Teen Intensive weekend workshop

Boston Lyric Opera is proud to have opera fans of all ages, and throughout the school year  students from the Boston area gather at Wheelock Family Theatre to participate in BLO’s Vacation Week Institutes.  BLO held its first theatre-opera workshop of the season this month with teens from Cambridge, Natick, and Newton.  During the workshop, students worked with teaching artists Grace Napier and Brendan Buckley, and pianist Christina Chao to learn traditional and contemporary performance techniques for Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular characters from Ruddigore, Patience, and Pirates of Penzance.  From lessons on the fundamentals of opera and  the history of Gilbert & Sullivan  to how to perform with a British accent and frilly costumes, these students had an action-packed weekend!

In just two short days, this first group of young artists prepared eight different scenes, solos, and ensemble pieces for their final performance for friends and family.   The students’ hard work paid off because the progress they made from Day One to Day Two was remarkable!   They  impressed the audience with their dynamic acting skills, beautiful solos, and most of all the collaborative spirit they demonstrated as a cast. 

If you have any young performers in your life who would be interested in joining one of BLO’s upcoming Vacation Week Institutes, check out Wheelock Family Theatre’s website to register or blo.org/learn to learn more.  Our next workshop, Exploring Characters Through Movement & Music, will introduce students to well-known characters and storylines across the genres of jazz, musical theatre, pop, African drumming, and opera.  The workshop runs from December 26-29, so be sure to sign up soon!