Kent’s fall opera production, “The Story of an Hour,” a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894, features music written by a Kent State student.   

Scott Little, a senior music education major, has spent nearly two years working on the production.

Writer Tim Tibbits started the project and created The Libretto, while Kent State’s Associate Professor of Voice Director Marla Berg helped Little in directing the show.

“It is unusual for a student composer to accomplish what he has accomplished. I knew that it would be a challenging undertaking for all, but also that it would be a fantastic learning opportunity for everyone involved.” Berg said.

There are also various students involved in the production.

“I’m most excited about showcasing the talent and hard work of all of the students involved in the production,” Berg said. “From the singers, to conductors, pianist, instrumentalists, stage managers and choreographers. All of them are students.”

The evening is called a scenes production. Operas are usually hours long, but s cenes are where snippets are pulled from famous operas so students can get the experience of working with a large variety of operas.

Little’s opera, however, is the full show.

Little’s opera starts with a scene from Mozart’s production “Marriage of Figaro,” another scene from a Barloises production, with the “The Story of an Hour” beginning after an intermission.

“The story is really set up perfectly for an opera,” Little said. “There is a lot of emotion, irony, and complex characters. That’s why I agreed to do the opera.”

The production will be held in the Wright-Curtis Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday November 17th at 7:30 P.M. and on Sunday November 18th at 3 P.M.

Tickets are free for Kent Campus undergraduate students and those 18 & under, while it’s $15 for Adults, $13 for Seniors, $10 for Groups of 10 or more, $8 for graduate and other non-Kent State students, and

Danielle Day is a general assignment reporter. Contact her at [email protected].