This project supports the Oregon Food Bank. Make a donation here!
The Child's Frightful Fantasy (2017)
The Child's Frightful Fantasy: Highlights |
At a glance:
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A mobile children's opera presented with dance, puppets & sing-a-long
in support of the Oregon Food Bank
When an angry child defies his mother, destroying his room and torturing animal friends instead of finishing his homework, the broken furniture, wounded pets, and even disgruntled Mr. Arithmetic himself decide to teach the boy a lesson. The 20 characters in this whimsical opera are imaginatively portrayed here by just 4 singers. Best of all, children and the young at heart in the audience can join in the performance as a sing along chorus, with the aid of puppets, and a design inspired by American pop art icon Roy Lichtenstein. This production will surely delight children, parents, and teachers alike!
PORTLAND & BEAVERTON, OR December 8 – 10 2017 – Beaverton-based Ping & Woof Opera joins forces with Portland’s multi-disciplinary performing arts ensemble Necessity Arts Collective for the second time in 2017 to support a local cause. This winter, performances of the children’s opera The Child’s Frightful Fantasy will serve as drop off points for donations to the Oregon Food Bank.
Both Hayley Glickfeld Bielman (director, founder of NAC) and Jocelyn Claire Thomas (soprano, co-founder of P&W) strive to support their community with their artistic endeavors – in more than just the spiritual way of “nourishing the human soul.” In March, their collaboration Stabat Mater brought dance and sacred music together in a Lenten dance of grief to support the Ceaserfire Oregon Education Foundation. This time, their efforts will alleviate hunger in Oregon: instead of paying admission, audience members are invited to donate non-perishable food items or make a financial contribution to the Oregon Food Bank. |
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According to the OFB website, “many [people] struggle silently and make heart-wrenching decisions that nobody should have to make. ... Without the basic security of knowing when you will eat next ... the daily fight to survive can consume your life.” The OFB works to eliminate hunger and its root causes – which include economic, social, and health factors. Resources supplied by the OFB enable their clients to pay rent, utility, medical and childcare bills – in addition to allowing these clients to maintain a healthier diet. A simple $10 donation can provide 40 pounds, or 30 meals worth of food. All proceeds from performances of The Child’s Frightful Fantasy will go directly to OFB.
The opera itself is a fun one – all the more so because it suits young audiences so perfectly. In the story, an angry child defies his mother, destroys his room, and tortures his animal friends instead of finishing his homework – inspiring the broken furniture, wounded pets, and even disgruntled Mr. Arithmetic himself to come to life and teach the boy a lesson. Because this piece demands a large cast (21 characters plus chorus), elaborate costumes and fantastical sets, some critics recommend performing it in a non-staged concert version – leaving the audience and their imaginations to invent scenery and characters. NAC and P&W have risen to the staging challenge though, with a team of four singers (Sadie Gregg, Ray Jackson, Lindsey Rae Johnson, and Jocelyn Claire Thomas) and a host of puppets created by Jason Ropp of Dragon Theater Puppets. The production’s visual design is inspired by American pop-art icon Roy Lichtenstein, complete with big, colorful “POW!” and “BANG!” sound effects that appear against a black-and-white comic book style backdrop.
The performers describe the music as eclectic and unpredictable, strange and wonderful in a way that captures the quirks of the characters: cats yowl, the fire sparks, a porcelain tea cup charms with a delicate and exotic melody. Writer Emily Newman provided a witty and charming new English translation, and Oregon composer Kevin Elmore adapted the chorus sections so that children and the young-at-heart in the audience can sing along - joining a team of pilots in a call-and-response song, answering addition problems given by Mr. Arithmetic, and creating an atmosphere of nighttime noises when the child escapes outside to his garden.
On- and off-stage members alike of The Child’s Frightful Fantasy look forward to using their artistry both to entertain local audiences and to fight hunger in Oregon state. Keyboard player Simon Bielman summarizes, “many of us are very lucky to have the luxury of feeding our souls when so many – too many – are struggling to fill their plates. I can think of no better way to use our craft than to reach out to the more fortunate among us and inspire them to lift those who need it.”
The opera itself is a fun one – all the more so because it suits young audiences so perfectly. In the story, an angry child defies his mother, destroys his room, and tortures his animal friends instead of finishing his homework – inspiring the broken furniture, wounded pets, and even disgruntled Mr. Arithmetic himself to come to life and teach the boy a lesson. Because this piece demands a large cast (21 characters plus chorus), elaborate costumes and fantastical sets, some critics recommend performing it in a non-staged concert version – leaving the audience and their imaginations to invent scenery and characters. NAC and P&W have risen to the staging challenge though, with a team of four singers (Sadie Gregg, Ray Jackson, Lindsey Rae Johnson, and Jocelyn Claire Thomas) and a host of puppets created by Jason Ropp of Dragon Theater Puppets. The production’s visual design is inspired by American pop-art icon Roy Lichtenstein, complete with big, colorful “POW!” and “BANG!” sound effects that appear against a black-and-white comic book style backdrop.
The performers describe the music as eclectic and unpredictable, strange and wonderful in a way that captures the quirks of the characters: cats yowl, the fire sparks, a porcelain tea cup charms with a delicate and exotic melody. Writer Emily Newman provided a witty and charming new English translation, and Oregon composer Kevin Elmore adapted the chorus sections so that children and the young-at-heart in the audience can sing along - joining a team of pilots in a call-and-response song, answering addition problems given by Mr. Arithmetic, and creating an atmosphere of nighttime noises when the child escapes outside to his garden.
On- and off-stage members alike of The Child’s Frightful Fantasy look forward to using their artistry both to entertain local audiences and to fight hunger in Oregon state. Keyboard player Simon Bielman summarizes, “many of us are very lucky to have the luxury of feeding our souls when so many – too many – are struggling to fill their plates. I can think of no better way to use our craft than to reach out to the more fortunate among us and inspire them to lift those who need it.”
Performances
8. December 2017 - 16:00 Beaverton Library (12375 SW 5th Street, Beaverton 97005)
9. December 2017 - 14:00 Cedar Hills United Church of Christ (11695 SW Park Way, Beaverton 97225)
10. December 2017 - 12:30 Portland Children's Museum (4015 SW Canyon Road, Portland 97221)
10. December 2017 - 16:00 St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (6300 SW Nicol Road, Portland 97223)
9. December 2017 - 14:00 Cedar Hills United Church of Christ (11695 SW Park Way, Beaverton 97225)
10. December 2017 - 12:30 Portland Children's Museum (4015 SW Canyon Road, Portland 97221)
10. December 2017 - 16:00 St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (6300 SW Nicol Road, Portland 97223)
Admission
Non-perishable food item for or financial contribution to the Oregon Food Bank.
The Child's Frightful Fantasy is a co-production of NAC and Ping & Woof Opera
in support of the Oregon Food Bank
Direction & set - Hayley Glickfeld Bielman
Puppet build - Jason Ropp / Dragon Theater Puppets
Costumes - Eileen Ehlert
Musical arrangement - Kevin Elmore
English translation - Emily Newman
The Child - Lindsey Rae Johnson
Soprano - Jocelyn Claire Thomas
Mezzo - Sadie Gregg
Tenor - Ray Jackson
Piano - Brian Thomas
Keyboard - Simon Bielman
Puppet build - Jason Ropp / Dragon Theater Puppets
Costumes - Eileen Ehlert
Musical arrangement - Kevin Elmore
English translation - Emily Newman
The Child - Lindsey Rae Johnson
Soprano - Jocelyn Claire Thomas
Mezzo - Sadie Gregg
Tenor - Ray Jackson
Piano - Brian Thomas
Keyboard - Simon Bielman
Necessity Arts Collective
Hayley Glickfeld Bielman, Artistic Director
www.necessityarts.weebly.org
necessityarts at gmail dot com
Hayley Glickfeld Bielman, Artistic Director
www.necessityarts.weebly.org
necessityarts at gmail dot com