While Melanie Helton, MSU’s Opera Theatre director, searched for an idea for the College of Music’s upcoming production, she stumbled across the music of Kurt Weill. Weill, a German composer, made both social and political statements with his music. From this, Helton came up with her idea for “Kurt Weill: 2012, But the days grow short.”
“I thought: ‘Why not put together a review that sort of says … What would have happened in America after 9/11 if the terrorism became a daily event? How would the government have responded?’” Helton said. “So the cast and I came together and made this together.”
The production will take the stage at 8 p.m. on Oct. 19 and 20 and at 3 p.m. Oct. 21 in the MSU Community Music School Auditorium, 841 Timberlane St.
In addition to an original storyline, Helton said the show has been completely improvised.
“I put the songs in the order that I wanted to tell the story, but the cast has basically come up with their own characters, all of the dialogue is improvised and the stage work is improvised,” Helton said. “So when the audience comes in the door, they’re involved. There are security guards in the auditorium who silently just walk around observing. It’s sort of creepy fabulous.”
Kathleen Adams, communications manager for the MSU College of Music, agreed, saying the opera is a very original piece.
“They’ve come up with this whole theatrical piece that sort of started with just the idea of if something had gone really wrong in society, and here we are,” she said.
Helton said Weill’s music always had political prominence.
“I’m a person of strong political belief, and while I tried to keep a pretty even hand with it, I think I was trying to make a statement about the current state of affairs,” Helton said. “With the election coming up, I really wanted to make a statement that much more. The students have been fantastically brave because they’re being asked to actually show a very different part of themselves.”
Graduate student Allison Yoder, who is a part of the small cast working on the production, said it is more than an opera.
“This is not the average show,” Yoder said. “This is a truly unique experience, and it is going to be interesting. It’s not an opera and it’s not a musical, but instead it’s very human.”
Yoder said she hopes the audience sees how realistic the situation they present is.
“Hopefully, we will create an atmosphere where the audience feels involved,” Yoder said. “Also, that they can understand the emotions that we are creating as a society that’s limited in what we can do and what we can say. It’s a very realistic setting that if our country for some reason goes to a more controlling government, this is a likely scenario of what would happen.”
Helton said her favorite part has been the students themselves.
“My favorite part has just been the discovery of all of the amazing things that these students are capable of and the depth and skill of their acting,” Helton said. “When I look anywhere in the auditorium, there’s something interesting happening.”
Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for senior citizens and $5 for students and are available at Wharton Center Box Office.
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