LISTEN DEPAUW SCHOOL OF MUSIC NEWSLETTER
2018/19
“Once Upon a Time” at DePauw School of Music By Kerry Jennings, associate professor of music
Christina Goetz ’19 leads the cast of Cendrillon directed by Kerry Jennings. (Photo: Linda Striggo) “Once upon a time. . . .” That’s how most fairy tales begin, and it seems fitting. I had the awesome opportunity and responsibility to direct our 2019 production of Cendrillon this past winter term, and when Dean Morris asked me to direct, I excitedly and nervously accepted. I was excited for all the obvious reasons. Our students are exceptionally talented, Cinderella is a beloved fairy tale, and Massenet’s music is, in a word, gorgeous. What better vehicle was there than this to expand another skill at DePauw and to work with these amazing students? So, why was I nervous? Honestly, for some of the same reasons. Again, our students are exceptionally talented. They deserve and expect an exceptional experience. Most of them know me as a voice teacher. None of them had been in the “Performing Opera” course when I taught it, and only a handful of fifth-year students were here
when I was the assistant director for The Coronation of Poppea. Many of them had seen me in recital, but none of them knew me as an “opera singer.” What would their trust level be in my ability to lead them through this process? And what about that beloved fairy tale? All I could think was, “Kerry, everyone knows and loves this story, so don’t mess it up.” We decided a traditional rendering of Massenet’s setting of the Cinderella story was the best option, and I wanted to get all of the students involved in some additional aspect of the production based on their individual interests. Some helped build, some worked on the running crew, some helped with publicity and two of them even volunteered to be my assistant directors. They all got involved. I also really wanted to teach them. I didn’t want them to just learn the music,
and then me tell them where to go and when to do it (which is of course a major part of it all), but I wanted them to learn more. I wanted them to develop threedimensional characters, who, even in this fantastical story, would feel real emotions and would in turn make the audience feel something real - so, we also did some character study work, and I asked them to bring these characters to life. And wow, did they ever! During some rehearsals, I just sat and watched. We hadn’t even moved into Moore Theatre, they weren’t in costume yet, they were using makeshift rehearsal props, and I just sat in amazement at the level of commitment and skill of these 18–23 year-old students. Jaye Beetem’s lighting and set design, with beautifully painted drops, alongside Caroline Good’s gorgeous costumes combined to make the show as visually stunning as it was aurally. Before we knew it, it was opening night. We had great audiences, including a Saturday night performance during which I sat in the production booth because the house staff was scrambling to find seats for a standing-room only crowd. I constantly had to keep my emotions in check as I spoke to students, parents, colleagues and members of the community, and watched people having their pictures taken with Cinderella, the Prince and the Fairy Godmother. For me, my first fully staged directing debut at DePauw really was a fairy tale, and I don’t feel the least bit corny by ending this story with, “and they lived happily ever after.” 2018/19 I 1