KHAOS Opera Set For World Premiere in the Kootenays
Press Release:
Nelson Community Opera announced last week that the eagerly awaited ticket sales for its upcoming world premiere performance of the Amy Ferguson Institute’s commissioned opera, KHAOS, are now on sale at the Capitol Theatre box office.
“Opera fans and music lovers around the region have been asking us for months now when these tickets would go on sale,” said KHAOS producer, Marty Horswill. “So we are pleased to be able to announce that they are now on sale at the theatre box office or by telephone at 250-352-6363 or online at www.capitoltheatre.bc.ca
AFI president, Ron Little explained that people wanting tickets would be well advised to reserve them early as all indications are that demand will be very high, especially for the opening night performance that will have a lot fewer tickets for sale than usual. Mounting a world premiere is such a rare and special occasion, AFI has invited local, provincial and national dignitaries, major KHAOS donors and contributors, well known musicians, opera directors and media representatives from across Canada to be our guests for the opening night performance and gala reception, Little added. “We’ve had to reserve about half the space in the theatre for our honoured guests and consequently we can only be certain that there will be around 225 tickets available for sale for the opening night performance.”
NCO is pulling out all the stops for this production. The producers of the show are sparing almost no reasonable cost to maximize the production values and musical impact of the premiere. “To be able to afford everything we need to make this happen we have had to raise our ticket prices for this one unique production,” Horswill, explained. “Because tickets for the Thursday (March 8th) opening night performance are both scarce and in high demand, they will be the most expensive at $50 for each seat “
Tickets for the Friday and Saturday evening performances (March 9th and 10th) will be $40 for adults and $30 for seniors and students. Saturday afternoon matinee tickets will sell at the usual NCO price of $25 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. “Hopefully this range of prices, from $15 to $50, will offer something suited to every taste and every budget,” said Horswill.
Full-cast staging rehearsals for KHAOS began last Saturday. There will be a cast of 42 singers and instrumentalists and 1 solo dancer on stage for these performances as well as a behind-the-scenes crew of another 15 or 20 designers, directors and technicians. “The commitment of each and every one of us is to do our utmost to ensure that every ticket holder leaves the theatre convinced that the performance of KHAOS they have watched was worth every penny they paid and more,” Horswill concluded. “Truly, no-one (opera lover or not) will want to miss the once-in-a-lifetime birth of the West Kootenays’ very own opera.”
KHAOS, created by local composer, Don Macdonald and local playwright, Nicola Harwood, is a re-imagining of the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone set in a contemporary world of climate change and looming global disaster. The opera asks the question “What if a civilization’s greed and need for “progress” prevented Persephone from returning to Earth to console her grieving mother? Would Demeter’s grief and rage end life on earth as we know it?”
Tour performance dates and locations:
Nelson’s Capitol Theatre, March 8th, 9th & 10th (various times)
Key City Theatre, Cranbrook; Saturday, March 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
Grand Forks Secondary School Theatre, Friday, May 11 @ 8:00 p.m.
Charles Bailey Theatre, Trail; Saturday, May 12 @ 8:00 p.m.
Prince Charles Secondary School Theatre, Creston; Sunday,
May 13 @ 2:30 p.m.
Tickets will be available at the usual local outlets in each community closer to the performance dates.
For more information and to hear excerpts from KHAOS, visit www.khaosopera.com.