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In "Fairy Tale Kitchen" we meet Esmeralda, a "reformed" witch who now has her own cooking show. Various characters from the fairy tale world visit looking for help from the witch, who has supposedly ... Read more

In "Fairy Tale Kitchen" we meet Esmeralda, a "reformed" witch who now has her own cooking show. Various characters from the fairy tale world visit looking for help from the witch, who has supposedly sworn off magic but is full of surprises. There are many opportunities for the audience to interact. Everyone in the audience will be participating in sound effects and movement at key moments in the performance. We will also select 10 students to be brought up onto the stage to act in scenes with the cast as part of the show.

The program begins with a brief talk about opera - what opera is, and how we use music in opera to express ideas and emotions. During the talk, interactive elements of the show will be explained for the children to participate. A pdf booklet of classroom materials that tie in with the show is provided to the school.

Lollipop Opera brings the excitement of live theater to children, exemplifying the culmination of arts that is opera. Each performance is fully staged, complete with beautiful sets and costumes.

Our goal is to expand the horizons of children through exposure to the arts. Children will see how opera is a true marriage of the arts, incorporating: 1.) gorgeous music, sung by professional singers; 2.) acting, featuring thoughtful characterizations of each persona; and 3.) visual arts, exemplified by our professional scenic design.

Through our question and answer sessions, children can learn how a touring company functions; how we design our sets to be portable, how the sets are constructed and changed, how long it takes to mount a production, and how original works are created.

The opera pre-show talk gives kids a basic understanding of opera and its history, teaching by example, and by comparisons to everyday activities and experiences with which they identify. The talk and the Q&A sessions are tailored to meet the common core criteria of each grade level.

Excerpts from our performances may be viewed on our website, http://www.buffa.org

The opera plus the opening talk runs approximately 80 minutes. If Q&A period after is desired, the school must allow ADDITIONAL time for that. Q&A can be as short or long as the school's schedule perm... Read more

The opera plus the opening talk runs approximately 80 minutes. If Q&A period after is desired, the school must allow ADDITIONAL time for that. Q&A can be as short or long as the school's schedule permits. Recommended time allotment is one hour and 25 minutes. Please note, if you are under a time constraint, we MUST START ON TIME, meaning everyone must be seated and ready for the show by the scheduled start time. If we start late, the performance will run late.

A fully staged and costumed opera performance with live piano accompaniment, a pre-opera talk, post-opera chat session, and an online booklet of integrated learning materials suitable for classroom us... Read more

A fully staged and costumed opera performance with live piano accompaniment, a pre-opera talk, post-opera chat session, and an online booklet of integrated learning materials suitable for classroom use both prior to and after the production.

School must allow adequate time for the whole performance including the talk (see "Length of Program"). We will also need one working microphone and a full (88 key) piano. **NO... Read more

School must allow adequate time for the whole performance including the talk (see "Length of Program").

We will also need one working microphone and a full (88 key) piano.

**NOTE: If your auditorium stage is being used for storage, or other activities that require equipment (such as band equipment) to remain on your stage, then we regret to say that will not be able to do our show because there won't be room to set up our scenery. Our scenery truly takes up the whole stage. **

This show is designed to fill an entire standard sized auditorium stage. The set is about 24 ft wide in total (some of the panels can be slanted to fit) and we need the full depth of the stage becaus... Read more

This show is designed to fill an entire standard sized auditorium stage. The set is about 24 ft wide in total (some of the panels can be slanted to fit) and we need the full depth of the stage because behind the set we are doing puppeteering, visual and sound effects, and 10 costume changes. Please contact me if there are any concerns. We'll be happy to come by and take a look at your stage to determine if the show can be done in the space.

I CAN ask and answer questions regarding the opera production. I CAN give emotional responses to the opera including what part of the show was my favorite. I CAN have fun par... Read more

I CAN ask and answer questions regarding the opera production.

I CAN give emotional responses to the opera including what part of the show was my favorite.

I CAN have fun participating in the show.

I CAN find out the similarities and differences between opera and musical theater.

Please be sure you have allotted enough time for the entire performance, including the Q&A period (if you would like to have one) following the performance. Please make sure we are allowed enough t... Read more

Please be sure you have allotted enough time for the entire performance, including the Q&A period (if you would like to have one) following the performance. Please make sure we are allowed enough time to set up the stage and to clear it afterward. This show takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours to set up.

**NOTE: If your auditorium stage is being used for storage, or other activities that require equipment (such as band equipment) to remain on your stage, then we regret to say that will not be able to do our show because there won't be room to set up our scenery. Our scenery truly takes up the whole stage, and there are safety issues if there isn't room.

** Also, prior to our arrival, please have the piano and microphone in the performance area for us, and kindly have someone check to see that the stage truly is clear for us to set up. If the stage is not clear, we won't have time to set everything up before the show time. Thank you for your understanding.

FOR PRE-K STUDENTS: Pre-K students love watching the show and doing the movements and sound effects in the full audience participation, but are usually afraid to volunteer to interact with Esmeralda. As we need volunteers to be part of the story, we recommend that PRE-K classes attend along with a higher grade level to avoid any anxiety in the children volunteers.

Volunteers are welcome to attend the performances, and, depending on the opera, may even be given a chance help with the show. In Fairy Tale Kitchen, a teacher or assistant will be needed assist with ... Read more

Volunteers are welcome to attend the performances, and, depending on the opera, may even be given a chance help with the show. In Fairy Tale Kitchen, a teacher or assistant will be needed assist with the student volunteers backstage for just a few minutes at the beginning of the opera.