Pope Joan Kicks Off BU Fringe Festival
Full-length play, one-act operas on tap, starting Friday
A combination of the artistic forces of the College of Fine Arts, the annual Fall Fringe Festival is a celebration of unconventional opera and theater repertoire. The collaboration between the school of music Opera Institute and the school of theatre offers a unique performance experience for both artists and audiences.
The 12th annual festival, which runs from October 10 through November 2 at the Boston University Theatre, kicks off with Pope Joan. The new play, written by Michelle Poynton (CFA’08), recounts the scandal surrounding the ninth-century German woman who supposedly became pope. The play is this year’s school of theatre official entry in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
The second week of the festival, the Opera Institute performs Leonard Bernstein’s one-act autobiographical opera, Trouble in Tahiti. The story of a couple who search for peace in their tumultuous marriage is accompanied by a jazz trio.
Another one-act opera, Tobermory, will be staged during the third week. Set in England, a guest who has come to tea announces that he has taught the host’s cat, Tobermory, how to speak. The group’s skepticism disappears when the cat begins to reveal secrets.
The final performance, Recital Meets Theatre, demonstrates how the Opera Institute singers approach song literature, transforming the formal recital format into an intimate setting on stage. It is being performed one day only, Sunday, November 2, and is free, but tickets are required.
CFA’s Fringe Festival is from Friday, October 10, through Sunday, November 2, at the Boston University Theatre’s Lane-Comley Studio 210, 264 Huntington Ave. tickets are $7. Members of the BU community can receive one free ticket at the door, subject to availability, with a BU ID on the day of the performance. For a full schedule of performances and to purchase tickets, click here, call 617-933-8600, or visit the Boston University Theatre box office.
Robin Berghaus can be reached at berghaus@bu.edu.
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