It’s Hansel and Gretel for 2010
July 29 and 31, 2010 at Merrill Auditorium
PORTopera’s choice for July 2010’s mainstage production is Engelbert Humperdinck’s rendition of the Brothers Grimm tale Hansel and Gretel. Long thought of as an opera for children, Artistic Director Dona D. Vaughn’s vision for it is far more intricate. She says, “Our production will concentrate on the real themes of the opera, but it will retain all of the magic for which the opera is famous so that young people can still get an unforgettable opera experience from seeing it.”
Big and bold opera is back!
PORTopera returns to full production
with 'Hansel and Gretel,' and chooses
a story that deals with hard times.
By Bob Keyes,
Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Fairy tales are often fun. But some fairy tales reflect the harsh realities of tortuous life.
Such is the case with "Hansel and Gretel," by the 19th-century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. PORTopera will present the story this week at Merrill Auditorium.
The fully-staged production, which will be sung in English, does not mince words, nor does it pull back from the tale's troubling issues of a child abandonment, abuse and hunger.
"We are not shying away from the negative elements in this story," said Dona D. Vaughn, PORTopera's artistic director. "We do have a father who drinks. We do have a mother who is frustrated by her capabilities and lashes out at her children. We do have a sense of abandonment. And then there's the witch who eats children - not a pleasant topic."
PORTopera Receives Grant from National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded PORTopera a $10,000 Access to Artistic Excellence grant to support its production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel July 29 and 31 at Merrill Auditorium.
Dona D. Vaughn and Israel Gursky Interview
Morning Classical Music with Suzanne Nance discussed the upcoming run of PORTopera's Hansel and Gretel with Dona D. Vaughn and Israel Gursky during this Cultural Conversation.
PORTopera $100,000 Challenge Grant passes halfway mark
PORTopera has been presented with an incredible fundraising opportunity: a long-time donor has pledged $100,000, but with one condition; this money will be a match to an additional $100,000 that the company must raise through new donations.
