dennis hanthorn - Zurich General Director presents World Premiere! The first opera ever commissioned by The Atlanta Opera! Opera Guide i Cast and Sponsors The Atlanta Opera presents… Rabbit Tales A children’s opera commissioned by The Atlanta Opera Text by Madeleine St. Romain Music by Nicole Chamberlain Cast and Crew Teenchy Duck Elexa Bancroft, soprano Sister Fox Elizabeth Claxton, soprano Br’er Rabbit Wesley Morgan, tenor King Lion Wade Thomas, baritone Accompanist Catherine Schaefer Stage Director Park Cofield Music Director Michael Spassov Set Design Michael Benedict Costume Design Joanna Schmink Opera Guide Emmalee Iden, Director of Education Kimberly Harbrecht, Education Assistant Lauren Turner, Education Assistant Dallas Duncan Franklin, Designer Zurich General Director Dennis Hanthorn Director of Education Emmalee Iden Artistic Administrator Elecia Crowley Production Manager Michael Benedict The Atlanta Opera would like to thank the following for their support of our education and outreach programming. The Atlanta Foundation Georgia Council for the Arts OPERA America Bank of America Foundation The Goizueta Foundation Publix Super Markets Charities Bright Wings Foundation JPMorgan Chase Foundation Turner Broadcasting System/Turner Voices George M. Brown Trust Fund Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation Wells Fargo Mary Brown Fund of Atlanta Lois and Lucy Lampkin Foundation Frances Wood Wilson Foundation Camp-Younts Foundation Sara Giles Moore Foundation City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Nordson Corporation Foundation Funding for this program is provided in part by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, and by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly; GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. ii Table of Contents Cast/Sponsor Page ...................................................................................................................................i Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................ii Welcome .................................................................................................................................................iii Preparing Your Students for the Performance ............................................................................................iv Georgia Performance Standards Connections ............................................................................................v Synopsis ...............................................................................................................................................1 Meet the Composer and Librettist .........................................................................................................3 Meet the Cast ........................................................................................................................................4 Glossary of Opera Terms .......................................................................................................................6 Glossary of Terms from Rabbit Tales ......................................................................................................8 Where Did Br’er Rabbit Come From? ...................................................................................................11 Musical Influences and Quotes fromRabbit Tales ..................................................................................14 Suggested Pre-Performance Activities.....................................................................................................15 All About Opera Opera at a Glance .................................................................................................................................19 Operatic Voices ....................................................................................................................................23 The Life Cycle of a Production ..............................................................................................................30 Other Jobs in the Performing Arts: An Overview of The Atlanta Opera ...............................................31 Suggested Follow-Up Activities Uncovering the Plot .............................................................................................................................33 Become an Opera Critic ........................................................................................................................34 The Science of Sound ............................................................................................................................36 Opera Word Problems ...........................................................................................................................38 An Emotional Journey ...........................................................................................................................39 In the End…There’s Always Pie! ...........................................................................................................40 Extension Activities ..............................................................................................................................42 Appendix Storyboard Samples ..............................................................................................................................45 Sample Press Release .............................................................................................................................46 Sample Opera Critique ..........................................................................................................................47 Sample Production Budget ...................................................................................................................48 Chicken Craft Template ........................................................................................................................49 Rabbit Tales Shaker Craft ......................................................................................................................52 iii Welcome! Hello! Thank you for inviting The Atlanta Opera into your school to perform for your students! The Atlanta Opera Studio was founded in 1980 in an effort to teach students throughout the state of Georgia about opera through live performances and workshops. Thousands of students have been introduced to the art form through the Atlanta Opera Studio Touring Production. It is our intention for students to gain introduc- tory knowledge about opera through the performance experience and accompanying educational materials. We are particularly excited about this opera, Rabbit Tales, our first-ever opera commission. The idea for the opera stemmed from a visit to The Wren’s Nest house museum, the home of author Joel Chandler Harris. Children and adults alike have been enjoying Harris’ classic Br’er Rabbit stories for more than 100 years. These trickster tales seemed the perfect subject matter for an opera. The idea that children can learn about folk tales from around the world through the multi-sensory experience of an opera performance was perfect! The stories for the opera are taken from African, Native American and Cajun folklore. Written and com- posed by an Atlanta-based composer and librettist, Rabbit Tales has significant regional ties. This guide has been developed to acquaint you and your students with Rabbit Tales, as well as to familiarize students with the world of opera (vocabulary, history, etc.) Our goal is to provide you with an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to teaching required skills and curriculum, including Georgia Performance Stan- dards and National Arts Standards. Where applicable, you will find the corresponding standard(s) in paren- thesis at the end of each activity or lesson. What you can expect from The Atlanta Opera’s performance of Rabbit Tales: • We will be performing a one-hour opera in English for your students. • Our show requires attentive silence from the audience, but there is also opportunity for audience participation. • The opera may take place in your school gymnasium or cafeteria rather than an auditorium, so students may be seated on the floor. • You and your students will be invited to ask questions at the end of the performance. Thank you again for allowing us to share this experience with you. We value your feedback and will take it into account in planning future educational programs. We look forward to hearing from you, your students, administration, and/or parents following the performance. Sincerely, The Atlanta Opera Education Department The Atlanta Opera Center 1575 Northside Drive Building 300, Suite 350 Atlanta, GA 30318 iv Preparing Your Students for the Performance Opera stereotypes can make the art form seem intimidating for some. Breaking down these stereotypes and preparing your students for the performance can make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Here are some suggestions of things that you can do before The Atlanta Opera comes to your school: TEACH YOUR STUDENTS ABOUT OPERA • Find out what they know about opera. Make a class list of things your students expect to see and hear at the opera. (ELA3R3) See page 14 for suggested activities. • Introduce basic concepts like aria, overture, and recitative. See page 6 for a list of musical terms. • Let the students hear what a “trained” voice sounds like. It’s likely that your