Nathan Matthews performs the titular role in the opera as dancers surround him. Photo by Elizabeth Stevenson.
ELLA HALL | STAFF REPORTER | erhall@butler.edu
In an age where classical art is often underperformed, students participating in a Jordan College of the Arts (JCA) collaborative project have come together to show that opera can still resonate in the modern world.
“The Last Days of Louis Capet” is an opera composed by senior music competition major Drew Sperry. It follows the final moments of King Louis XVI amid the French Revolution and was performed in Lilly Hall on Jan. 25 and 26.
Sperry drew inspiration for the opera’s theme from his cello professor, Dr. William Grubb, whose fascination with French culture sparked the idea. Sperry first sought to write about Louis’ flight to Varennes before his capture but realized it would be too big of a scope for students at Butler to cover.
After discovering a transcript of Louis’ trial, Sperry refocused the opera to offer a more intimate portrayal of the King’s final days.
“I wanted to capture his thought process and how he thought about his identity, his fate and everything going on while he was in a jail cell,” Sperry said. “I wanted to show how that changed before and after he was officially pronounced guilty.”
Bringing the opera to life took Sperry about a year and a half, first researching, then writing the music and the words. Once the project was finalized, he began contacting other students, asking them to join the project. Eventually, he established a creative team of students from different disciplines overseeing the production. The team consisted of Sperry as the production’s director, Samie New as the stage manager, Astrid Ariana as the dance choreographer and Tori Thomas as the conductor.
The students involved in the production have seen the benefits that collaboration amongst different facets of the arts can bring to a performance. Students within JCA rarely have the opportunity to engage this closely with one another’s disciplines, making this opera a truly unique experience.
This collaboration was evident as the orchestra worked closely with the chorus and actors, all being conducted at once.
The ability to connect with those who have the same appreciation for the arts but are able to share a different perspective can be revolutionary, especially as students prepare for careers in the field. These interdisciplinary connections can significantly strengthen the communication and critical thinking skills for students in their respective domains.
Senior theater major Samie New was the opera’s stage manager. She took on several integral roles to make sure the production ran smoothly.
She expressed her excitement at being able to share the room where many theater classes are held with artists in other disciplines as a rehearsal space.
“It’s been cool to have the opportunity to branch out and get to meet people from other departments,” New said. “I think this is a really incredible moment for our college.”
The combined efforts of the students created a performance that was both visually and sonically impressive. Intense lighting contributed to the already stressful atmosphere. Dancers lurked in the shadows, performing erratic movements while Louis remained in the spotlight to symbolize his inner turmoil.
Sperry noted that because of the medium of opera, he could make creative choices that may not work well in other performance forms.
In this case, Sperry’s decisions aided in telling the story.
“I think the fact that opera is able to evolve into modern musical language shows that it’s able to communicate a lot of different things in a lot of different ways,” Sperry said.
Sperry took advantage of the innovations in composing techniques since Mozart’s day to amplify the emotions onstage. The combination of music and the students’ talent expertly brought a historical event back to life.
Tori Thomas, a senior music education and performance double major, expressed her amazement at the talent of her fellow musicians.
“We have some of the best people on this piece who are incredibly talented with their instruments,” Thomas said. “It’s awesome to work with pre-professionals [and] getting to have a really nice time connecting with them through music.”
The immense efforts of the crew paid off over the weekend. Sperry hoped that the audience could see what these students are capable of and take some time to reflect on the themes that the opera presented. The tropes of guilt, responsibility and political unease speak to the world today, allowing viewers to leave with a new perspective on their own lives.