Little Red's Most Unusual Day is Opera Baltimore's current Youth Outreach production.
They teamed up with Towson University's Opera Outreach Ensemble, providing their stage space for the show. Photojournalist Kristi Harper sat in on a dress rehearsal to get a peek at this twist on the classic tale.
"Opera is for everyone." That's according to Catrin Davis of Opera Baltimore. She means it.
"It's about big emotions. And how we process those big emotions and big feelings."
I mean, who wouldn't scream at the sight of the big bad wolf?
This particular opera is a modern take on the classic Little Red Riding Hood. Artistic Director Phillip Collister-Murray explains.
"It gets a little weird. It's not your traditional Little Red Riding Hood story. There are some funny twists and turns."
According to Phillip, the opera was created by John Davis back in the eighties. Like any good fairy tale, it has a lesson for kids and maybe even some adults.
"What John created with these operas, the lessons are all really timeless. They are things that we would all want our children to know about how to navigate life in general...Mom has life experience and so perhaps you should listen to Mom."
As we chat, we overhear Little Red's mom sending her girl out into the world, "Little girl, you must fly!"
Mom has her hands full keeping Red safe, so she doesn't even notice that a certain forest ranger named Dudley is smitten with her.
But Grandma would like her own man of the wood. Through a mishap, Dudley loses his pants, and that sneaky wolf slips into the chaos to try and get Red.
Trystan Rioux plays ranger Dudley.
"I've never done anything like this before. So I have had a lot of fun, you know, growing myself as a performer and just working with some wonderful people."
He's in his junior year at Towson...Trystan fell in love with opera because of what the creative form offers the performer.
"You're really taking your voice and applying it to a persona instead of performing the persona, if that makes sense."
This lets him put his own twist on how to woo Little Red's mom and protect everyone from danger.
Phillip Collister-Murray, "We do learn as a result of this opera that there are bad things that can happen to you in the world. And it's important to have people that you trust and care about looking after you."
The company is performing at Opera Baltimore's home venue, The Engineering Club, on March first. The goal is to introduce the art form to kids.
And the college students get a chance to perform in front of an audience. Tickets are five bucks for adults and fifteen dollars for kids. Details and tickets can be found here: https://www.operabaltimore.org/childrens-opera-2024-25
