Opera white
OPERA FOR OUR ROOTS
Opera white is an educational-musical program for institutionalized seniors with the goal of using opera as a tool to combat loneliness within nursing homes (RSA, Residenze Sanitarie Assistenziali). It aims to facilitate socialization among the elderly and promote their inclusion in the community in which they reside.
Throughout the program, residents learn some choral songs that they can then perform during the final show, making their participation essential to the success of the performance. This also encourages them to use their mnemonic and learning abilities.
The concept of Opera white was born during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It was driven by the desire to create new opportunities for connection and care within nursing homes (RSA) following a challenging period of forced isolation. This element sets the show apart from other Opera Education projects by bringing theater directly to its audience, promoting the enhancement of welcoming spaces that had long been deprived of new socialization opportunities.
The format is built on the development of an educational approach tailored to an elderly audience. It promotes opera as an opportunity for interaction with the community in which they live and the development of group identity, ultimately leading to an improvement in the quality of life for the individuals involved.
Opera white begins with the preparation of the environment and staff, including a training session for educators and hospice animators on the benefits of music for the elderly. They learn how music can help recover mnemonic abilities and improve emotional well-being. During this session, the participatory elements of the final performance are introduced, and materials are provided to support the animators in the preparatory process.
The preparation phase for the performance follows: a month-long period during which residents of the facilities will meet three times with a music therapist and a singer to learn the participatory pieces and the story of the opera. These meetings involve the experimentation of educational strategies that can be applied daily by the facility’s educators.
The final performance, open to the facility’s residents and their families, will be a 45-minute reduction of the Opera Education’s annual opera. It will feature a cast of 3 singers, an actor, and a pianist. During the performance, the elderly participants will join in by singing selected songs and interacting with the stage through a small hand choreography.
Like all Opera Education projects, for the 2022/2023 season, the first edition of Opera White presents an original adaptation of “Die Zauberflöte” by W.A. Mozart.
The Magic Flute: An Extraordinary Chronicle
Loosely inspired by W.A. Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte”
Musical performance with singers, actors, and a pianist
Directed and dramatized by Davide Marranchelli
Production by AsLiCo
Opera White – 1st Edition
Director’s notes
This performance will emerge directly from the audience: starting with a newspaper article, we will delve into the chronicle of a journey, the journey of the hero Tamino, who, with his magic flute, must overcome trials alongside his amusing assistant, Papageno, to save Princess Pamina. Will the two heroes manage to appease the wrath of the Queen of the Night and restore peace to the kingdom?