Youth Odyssey

Like most moms, I’ve sat through a good many youth performances, gritting my teeth at wrong notes, smiling indulgently at forgotten lines, and clapping enthusiastically at the end, equally proud of the kids for their accomplishment and happy to have reached the end of the show. Because let’s face it, most of the time, the audience is there to support the kids, not enjoy the show. We want our kids to succeed and we know that sitting through performances of their childish efforts is laying the foundation for a new generation of creative endeavor.

Kids’ Art Can Be Good

But I’ve also been to enough youth performances to know that with the right teachers, kids can make good art. My daughter’s middle school orchestra teacher didn’t settle for getting 65 kids into their chairs at the same time. She got them to earn first place at interstate competitions. I looked forward to every concert recital, because even the beginners sounded good.

Years ago, I attended a two-part adaptation of His Dark Materials put on by Seattle Public Theater’s summer camp program. I didn’t even have kids yet, but I loved those books and the tickets were cheap. To this day, it is one of my favorite theater experiences.

Seattle Public Theater and the Youth Opera Project

I thought about His Dark Materials a lot when I saw Seattle Opera’s Odyssey. There was a homemade, community theater feel to the staging, with its near absence of sets and Goodwill costuming. But the performance was so much better than the homey atmosphere and ages of the performers would lead you to expect. The similarities were no coincidence; Seattle Public Theater partners with Seattle Opera on the Youth Opera Project. Like the summer camp program that resulted in His Dark Materials, the Youth Opera Project guides kids through the entire production process, from stagecraft to singing, culminating with public performances, and they don’t settle for just “getting through it.”

Good for Kids

Even when the standards are high, though, youth theater is not the same as professional, or even community theater. There are no talent gatekeepers, and ultimately the program is and should be designed to help the kids grow.

I have a friend who writes them, and we’ve often talked about the unique requirements of student productions. There must be lots of different roles, to make sure everyone has something to do. Those roles must play to a variety of strengths – leading roles for kids with real talent and theatrical ambition; physical roles for the ones who can’t remember lines; speaking parts for kids whose singing voices are best masked by the chorus; and so on.

In opera, you also need to have songs of varying difficulty to match the different ages and levels of experience in the cast; songs that showcase the voices of singers learning specific styles or techniques; plus the standard opera casting requirements for voice ranges.

All of these things were evident in the catchy melodies, numerous choruses, and myriad small speaking roles of Odyssey. The original epic had also been tweaked in small ways that made the story more palatable to 21^st century kids. You could almost hear the workshop discussions behind some of the lyrics.

Penelope was famous, not just for her beauty…

Seattle Opera Odyssey

Honestly, I’m no Bowdler, but I think we’re all better off for filtering classic stories through new lenses.

Good for Audiences

A lot of youth programs focus on self-esteem. But I’ve always felt that the shortest road to confidence was to become really good at something. Seattle Opera and SPT must agree, because these young performers were there to put on a good show. I’m not going to lie. Every time the smallest performers (who could be as young as 7) came on stage, I squealed and clapped my hands at the cuteness. But even these youngest kids remembered their lines and hit their marks.

The lead roles were filled by older students who were obviously serious about their singing. Odysseus was sung by Jaydon Beleford on the day we attended. The high school senior has won national awards; playing Penelope opposite him, Canadian soprano Sophia Strang sang with emotional depth. Ella Corwin’s Circe and Kaitlyn Ochs’ Siren also impressed.

Criticisms

Opera is singing without amplification, something I forgot when choosing seats. Cornish Theater is not the size of McCaw Hall, but small bodies can’t always send their voices all the way to the back of the room. Sometimes the chorus wasn’t as unified as it could have been. But as a person with no connection to anyone on stage, I feel like I got my $25 (1 adult at $15, 2 kids at $5) worth. I’ve paid more to see adults with less satisfying performances.

I think my 14-year-old’s criticism is pretty telling. She said they should have given us scenes for each of Odysseus’ adventures after escaping the Sirens, instead of summing up the rest of the journey in a single number. Is there any stronger endorsement than the criticism “It was too short?”

Scheduling

We attended the last performance of Odysseus, so unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until next year for another Youth Opera Project production. But if you have a kid with any interest in singing or theater, Seattle Opera does have a spring break camp coming up next month.

And if you have a kid who might want to perform in next year’s Youth Opera Project, auditions for the school-year-long program will be held Thursday, May 30 & Saturday, June 1. (Don’t worry, Youth Opera Project accepts everyone ages 7–18, regardless of skill level. No prior experience is necessary. Which makes the quality of the production even more impressive.)