The Fairy Queen
School of Creative and Performing Arts debuts new artistic collaboration
- Location: University Theatre, University of Calgary (230 University Ct. NW)
- Price: $16 - $21
A curiously cracked dystopia based on Henry Purcell’s semi-opera, this interdisciplinary playground from the School of Creative and Performing Arts is peppered with contemporary elements, brash physicality, farce, and a baroque soundscape.
Enriching the students’ experience through dance, drama, and music, The Fairy Queen features baroque music smashed together with contemporary sonnets and movement.
“It’s opera turned on its head,” says graduate drama student Lizz Windnagel in a statement. “It’s over the top, cheeky, and playful, with a greater message at play at the same time.”
Co-directed by Melanie Kloetzel, Peter Balkwill, and Laura Hynes, and conducted by Julie Harris, more than 40 dance, drama, and music students have witnessed first-hand how three performing art forms use very different vocabularies and techniques.
For dance student Stephanie Jurkova, the production’s multifaceted nature initially took her out of her comfort zone.
“The students have been very accepting of each other, and helpful with each discipline’s shortcomings,” says Jurkova in a statement. “The more we got to know each other, the more comfortable we got. I made so many connections that future creations and collaborations are now definitely possible.”
The Fairy Queen runs February 7 to 14, 2020 at the University Theatre, University of Calgary (230 University Ct. NW). All UCalgary alumni are encouraged to attend the performance on February 13.
