Fairytale Opera Cendrillon Arrives on UC CCM s Mainstage

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music presents a fairytale opera for the ages,

Cendrillon

(Cinderella), 

Nov. 17-20

in

Corbett Auditorium

as part of this year’s Mainstage Series. Director of Orchestral Studies,

Mark Gibson

, conducts with stage direction by

Robin Guarino

, the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair in Opera.

With original music by Jules Massenet and Libretto by Henri Caïn,

Cendrillon

is based on Charles Perrault’s original

Cinderella

story. However, Guarino weaves a bit more magic into CCM’s version of the classic fairytale — movie magic.

Inspired by Francois Truffaut’s 1973 French film

Day for Night

, CCM’s

Cendrillon

takes place on the set of a movie. Lucette, a script girl, is the opera's “Cinderella” who falls asleep on set and dreams of becoming an actress. Her fairy godmother, in the guise of a costume designer, transforms Lucette into the star of the film and transports her to the ball where she falls in love with the Prince, an actor in the film. When Lucette awakes, she is surprised to find the film’s cast arguing about a mysterious woman who attracted the Prince at the ball.

CCM’s

Cendrillon

, including the added dream sequence, explores themes of transformation and surrealism. Under Guarino’s direction, the opera invites audiences to ask: if it was a dream, does that mean it wasn’t real?

Guarino particularly enjoys working on fairytale operas because of the potential she finds in their accessible storylines. “I love clear, simple, direct story-telling that connects to not only young people, but people of all ages,” she says.

A show for the whole family to enjoy,

Cendrillon

is ripe with all of the magic and romance of the original fairytale, complete with familiar characters such as the “ugly stepsisters” who appear as diva actresses in this retelling.

The opera is performed in four acts with a brief pause after Act I and an intermission between Acts II and III. It will be sung in French with English supertitles.

Creative Team

Mark Gibson, conductor

Yael Front, conductor on Sunday, Nov. 20*

Robin Guarino, stage director

Marie-France Lefebvre, musical preparation

Vince DeGeorge, choreographer

Thomas Umfrid, scenic designer

Maria Lenn, costume designer*

Nicki Berger, stage manager*

Erik McCandless, lighting designer*

Shannon Hutchins, wig & make-up designer*

*CCM student

Performance Times

8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17

8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19

2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20

Location

Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village

University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets

Tickets to

Cendrillon

are $31-35 for general admission, $22-25 for non-UC students and $18-21 for UC students with a valid ID. Customizable subscription packages are also available.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online at

ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice

.

Parking and Directions

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots. Please visit

uc.edu/parking

for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit

uc.edu/visitors

.

For directions to CCM Village, visit

ccm.uc.edu/about/directions

.

____

CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Opera Department Sponsor Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Rosenthal

Opera Production Sponsor: Genevieve Smith