OPAS Education & Outreach

The Three Little Pigs
produced by FBN Productions' Opera for Kids

February 1, 2011
The Plaza Arts Center:
    Putnam County Primary School
    Putnam County Early Childhood Dev. Center
    Redeemer Episcopal Academy
    Gatewood Schools

Midway Elementary, Baldwin County

February 2, 2011
Festival Hall:
    Greensboro Elementary School
    Union Point Elementary
    Nathanael Greene Academy

Lake Oconee Academy, Greene County


On February 1^st & 2^nd, the Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS) presented FBN

Production’s Opera for Kids program, The Three Little Pigs, to eight different

schools and over 1,400 children. The program introduced children to the world of

opera in a non-threatening format by using a traditional fairy tale with a new twist.

 

Performances on Tuesday, February 1^st began at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and included
 
Putnam County Primary School, Redeemer Episcopal Academy and Gatewood

Schools. The afternoon of February 1^st, the cast and crew headed to Milledgeville

to perform at Midway Elementary.

 

Wednesday, February 2^nd, FBN Productions, traveled to Festival Hall in downtown

Greensboro for a morning performance of the opera for Nathanael Greene Academy,

Union Point Elementary and Greensboro Elementary. Then they were off to Lake

Oconee Academy for an afternoon performance with the whole school in

attendance.

OPAS had the honor of presenting FBN Productions’ Pinocchio to Lake Oconee area students in 2008. “The response from

students in 2008 was overwhelmingly positive so when FBN announced that they would be touring this year with The Three

Little Pigs we immediately began working on scheduling a series of programs again and this time with the objective of reaching

an even larger number of students” said Samantha Duthler, OPAS Managing Director.

The story of The Three Little Pigs, written by John Davies with music by Wolfgang

Amadeus Mozart, uses the familiar children’s story as its source. The opera takes
 
Despina and her brothers, Giovanni and Cherubino, through a typical family squabble.
 
While they are arguing over the proper construction of a house, Despina proclaims

they can find plans for a good house in the library. The boys think books are silly as
 
they already know how to build snug little cottages.


Enter Wolfgang Bigbad, who pretends to be a fierce statue guarding the library. The story proceeds, with only Despina ready for

the wolf - she has read in a book how to shrink bullies down to size. The moral of the story: "When you fear a thing that’s

scary ... Just take your questions to the library."


Elaine Cinnamon, OPAS Board Member and Education & Outreach Coordinator, states “It is amazing to

see the children respond to an age old fairy tale in a new art form. The kids loved the music,

costumes, the set and especially the interaction the performers had with the children.”


FBN Productions, Inc. is an Opera for kids group who presents different Opera’s to schools in South
 
Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. The mission of FBN Productions is to promote music-drama as a
 
synthesis of all disciplines of the human experience, for everyone from school children to senior

citizens. Opera is the one medium that combines the elements of song, word, movement and picture

to touch all of the human condition. It can touch students and be a part of their education. FBN

believes that presenting new and existing opera in the class room provides a unique forum for multi-

disciplinary and cross-cultural pursuits.


OPAS would like to thank Festival Hall and The Plaza Arts Center for donating the use of their theatres, each participating schools

for providing students transportation and Lake Oconee Academy and Midway Elementary for allowing us to bring The Three Little

Pigs to their schools. A special thanks to the Plum Creek Foundation for their generous grant which made this program possible.

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