SDSU Opera Performs Double Bill of One-Acts
Two summers ago, many watched “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” back-to-back. For those seeking to recreate that experience, pairing a gripping drama with a comedic performance, San Diego State University's Double Bill of One Acts offers the perfect opportunity.
School of Music and Dance voice students will perform “The Medium” and “Le docteur Miracle” March 6-8 at 7 p.m. and March 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets are free for students; $10 for faculty, staff, seniors, and military; and $15 for the general public.
Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium” is a haunting drama of deception and guilt chronicling the mental and emotional decline of a desperate mother who enlists her children to choreograph fraudulent seances for money.
George Bizet’s “Le docteur Miracle” will be sung in French with English supertitles. It is an absurd comedy of trickery and disguise depicting a young couple’s attempt to dupe a controlling father who is determined to keep them apart.
“It would be hard to find two operas that are more contrasting in subject, composition, and style, yet it is this stark contrast that makes for an exciting night at the opera,” said Assistant Professor of Voice Dr. Travis Sherwood.
For many local patrons and students, this could be their first experience with opera.
“I want the audience to be entertained,” Sherwood said. “Opera is deeply intentional storytelling that sometimes, quite literally, gets lost in translation.” The Medium” will be performed in English and “Le docteur Miracle” performed in French with English supertitles. I’m hoping the audience will find opera an accessible art form that deftly speaks to the human experience.”
The students performing have been tested and flourished throughout the rehearsal process. Cerah Rodriguez Hodson plays a leading role in “The Medium” and has been challenged in portraying the character.
“Baba is a deeply tortured soul,” Hodson said. “She carries a lot of emotional pain. Finding the balance between portraying her vulnerability and being in sync with Menotti's intention of half-sung, spoken vocal lines has been a journey. It has pushed me to explore new ways of telling a story through both voice and body, while also maneuvering the vocal line to ensure that it's aligning with Baba’s emotional truth.”
Stephanie Smith has similarly grown while playing Laurette in “Le docteur Miracle.”
“This show has been quite vocally challenging for me,” Smith said. “Laurette is in most of the show and has quite a difficult vocal line, so I feel as though I am being prepared to learn how to sing well while maintaining vocal stamina for future shows.”
Hodgson shares that these performing experiences, paired with the knowledge gained in class, prepare students for success after college.
“The guidance I’ve received here has provided me with a solid foundation of skills and knowledge that I’m confident will serve me well after graduation,” she said. “I also love how much opportunity we have to perform and hone our craft, which has given me the confidence and tools I’ll need as I move forward.”
To learn more about the Double Bill of One Acts, visit the PSFA calendar of events.
“Many argue that opera is the peak of artistic vulnerability,” Sherwood said. “It requires your whole self. It requires us to dig deep and access parts of ourselves we never knew existed. The limits of this vulnerability are tested in the rehearsal room. It has been exceptionally rewarding to see the young artists in these operas allow each other the space to make bold artists risks without fear of criticism.”
