The Wanda L. Bass School of Music will present Street Scene this weekend.
Street Scene, composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Langston Hughes, is a Broadway opera that combines catchy 1940s music with tragedy. The story follows the working-class Maurrant family and their neighbors in a tenement on the East Side of Manhattan in 1946.
The set of Street Scene is a unit set, meaning it remains throughout the whole piece. The opera only takes place on the neighborhood street, and some of the action occurs offstage. This allows the audience to form their own opinions of what happened.
Violence is a major dilemma in the show, especially since there are child actors, said Dr. David Herendeen, director of opera and music theater, and the show’s director. Seven children, ages 6-11, are cast in the show.
“I had to talk to the parents about whether they can watch their child looking like they are beating each other’s faces,” Herendeen said.
The violence also can be a problem for the actors. Cole Neese, musical theater junior, is part of the ensemble and plays “Dr. Wilson.”
“You have to remember that what’s going on is not real,” Neese said. “You have to internalize the drama onstage but not be so emotionally drawn offstage.”
Props present another technical hurdle for the show, Director Herendeen said.
“Props are the unsung heroes in this show,” he said.
Several of the props for the show are complicated. For example, one of the props is a white sheet, which needs to enter the scene clean and leave the scene bloodied. This creates a challenge during and between performances.
“We are using the same sheet for every performance, but the blood still needs to look wet,” said Alec Danz, design and production junior.
The show is difficult to design, said Savannah McIntyre, design and production junior.
“This is my first full-scale design, and I think the hardest part in a show like this is balance,” McIntyre said. “You have to keep in mind the little things, like which way a door opens.”
The show is at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.
Tickets range from $12-$25 and can be bought online or at the ticket office. There is an opening night dinner before the show Friday for $20 in the Atrium in the Wanda L. Bass School of Music.
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