See the Wichita State opera students and local company, ICTRep perform the dramatic retelling of the famous rivalry between composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antiono Salieri.
“Amadeus,” composed by Peter Shaffer, will run a showing on weekends through Oct. 10-19.
“It talks about (Mozart), maybe the greatest genius of music of all time, but it’s almost more about the composer Antonio Salieri, who was, for the sake of the purposes of the play, a rival,” Alan Held, WSU Director of Opera Studies, said. “But Mozart’s fame was so great that it overshadowed Salieri, and there’s a lot about Salieri’s feelings of inferiority compared to his rival … there are rumors that it was possibly Salieri who poisoned and killed Mozart, there’s a lot of intrigue. We don’t have any proof of that, but it makes for great legends and great stories and great operas.”
ICTRep, a local semi-professional production company, is primarily overseeing the project. It works with actors at all levels in Wichita, giving them opportunities to grow and network and put on performances regularly.
Held said that the organization approached him last spring to see if he and the department would be interested in doing a collaborative project.
“I like to do this with our students because they’re getting applied learning, applied working by actually singing and doing things in the workforce,” Held said. “Our students are providing the music for it, and a lot of background ambiance, and real character for the show.”
The rehearsals for “Amadeus” are taking place at the same time as rehearsals for “Opera Scenes,” an annual show in the Opera department.
“Opera Scenes” is composed of several vignette scenes from different operas that are put together into a new story. Vignettes are short and descriptive passages that capture a moment in time. Often used to provide insight, they are focused more on imagery rather than plot. Held said it’s a semi-staged concert type event that takes place in Wiedemann Hall, rather than a full production.
Held said that it’s been an interesting challenge for the students to take on both projects, as it is a different schedule from how they usually operate.
“It just takes a lot of organizing, a lot of concentration from students,” he said.
Held said that the production of “Amadeus” will be fully staged and costumed, more in line with the department’s typical spring production.
“This is something that is taking them out of their normal way of doing things, and creating a greater challenge for the students … and (they) are doing an extraordinary job,” Held said.
“Amadeus,” will be performed on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. from Oct. 10-19 at Oliver Place, 2512 N. Oliver.
Tickets start at $15 and are available at ICTRep’s website.
