Wells School of Music’s Opera Theatre Stages The Elixir of Love as a Drive-In Opera - Now Saturday, May 1st, and Sunday, May 2nd, at 8:30 p.m.
Wells School of Music Opera students at West Chester University are up for a new challenge this year – performing a drive-in opera. On Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 at 8:30 p.m., Wells School of Music’s Opera Theatre presents Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love (L’elixir d’amore.) The performance will be staged in the parking lot of the Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre of the Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center, 817 S. High Street, West Chester. Tickets are FREE but reservations are required due to the limited number of parking spaces available. The first performance was originally scheduled for Friday, April 29, but was postponed to Sunday, May 2, due to high winds. For more information or to reserve a parking spot visit www.wcupatix.com.
The Elixir of Love is one of opera’s most winning comedies, a love story sweetened by passionate singing, intoxicating melodies, and a "magic" potion. Poor Nemorino is in love with the wealthy Adina, but she only has eyes for the striking Sergeant Belcore. Enter Dr. Dulcamara, a quack who woos Nemorino with a promise: drink the elixir and Adina will fall in love with Nemorino within a day. The Elixir of Love is directed by Director of Opera, Nicholas Provenzale, and is performed in Italian with English supertitles.
Audiences are encouraged to view this performance LIVE from the comfort and safety of their vehicles as the performance unfolds on an outside stage. Audio will be delivered via an FM radio signal and the performance will also be projected onto a large screen.
Provenzale says, “Because of the pandemic safety restrictions, I knew that I needed a creative solution. A live-stream performance, inside with masks, was not exciting to me or my students. As singers, we are compelled to perform, and I want my students to learn from a live performance experience. Audiences have also been deprived of live arts experiences for a very long time. I hope this production brings the joy of music making to both the students and audiences from the surrounding community. I think The Elixir of Love with its beautiful melodies, romance and comedy, is just the remedy for all.
West Chester University’s Wells School of Music offers students an outstanding opportunity in concentrated performance and musicianship through its educational centerpiece — the Applied Music Department. The School’s superior performance and practice venues include 22 new Steinways, Skinner organ, tech lab, Roland piano lab, and more. Students study with renowned faculty who have dual careers as dedicated educators and professional musicians. Faculty provide private lessons for all music students and are the directors for numerous student ensembles. The School supports a wide variety of performance degrees, including a Bachelor of Music in Performance, as well as a Master of Music in Performance. Graduates pursue successful careers at major institutions and teach music education at home and abroad.