By Parker Williamson | Contributor
The Baylor Opera performed Seymour Barab’s comedic opera, “A Game of Chance,” on March 20 at 3:00 p.m. via live stream and is now offering free online access to the performance recording.
The opera, directed by Dr. Jen Stephenson, follows a group of three Greek goddesses who have been granted their dearest wish by the Representative, a Greek god who grants people their desired lives.
One wishes for wealth, one for fame and the other for love. However, the goddesses quickly find that these wishes are not enough to truly satisfy them.
Stephenson said she thinks there is something for everyone to enjoy in this opera and encourages those less familiar with opera to attend.
“Opera is for everybody, and I think somewhere along the way we have gotten this idea that it’s kind of a snobby art form that no one’s allowed to have fun with,” said Stephenson. “But it’s fun and the music is beautiful. It’s silly, this is a comedy, and it’s really neat to see people that are your classmates doing this art form.”
The opera is set to be performed virtually due to the pandemic, which is something that has presented its own barriers for the cast and crew.
“The biggest challenge, I would say, is singing in masks,” said Huston senior and cast member Troy McDonald. “You get a different sound from it. It’s also a different dynamic because you don’t really get to see people’s entire faces. It’s definitely something I’ve had to navigate, getting used to reading people’s eyes.”
McDonald, who plays the part of the Representative, said this opera has been a great learning experience for him.
“It’s challenged me to be not only good at my craft, but also understand how staging works, how working with other members in a very small setting works,” McDonald said. “It pushes me to be more confident with who I am and more confident with my voice.”
McDonald said that one of the most rewarding experiences he gained from rehearsing the opera was getting to form closer bonds with his cast members.
The performance recording will be available for the rest of the semester here.
