By Andre Ash, Digital Anchor
The Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) and The Aretha Ampitheatre announced an extraordinary partnership, Thursday. Opera is coming to the out-door riverfront venue for the first time.
“This collaboration is about bringing community together,” said Shahida Mausi, president, CEO of The Right Productions. Mausi’s entertainment and events management company operate the 6,000-seat amphitheater and welcomes this partnership.
“It’s what the arts do. We come together, we celebrate beauty, we think about things together. We exchange artistic forms and cultures. That’s what this is doing and if there is not a time that we have seen when it is more important to bring together communities, it’s this one.”
The MOT is aiming to provide an inclusive experience for the Detroit community. MOT announced the launch of a new production, Blue.
According to the production’s summarization, Blue tells the story of a loving, tight-knit family in modern-day Harlem struggling against increasing odds as the father proudly dons the blue uniform of NYPD while his son grows more politically active and socially aware. Caught between them, the mother endures her own struggles as peacemaker. Even with her family’s beauty, talent, and success, she can never escape the painful knowledge that, every single day, their lives are at stake.
Blue features a richly evocative libretto by playwright Tazewell Thompson and masterful score by lauded theatrical composer Jeanine Tesori (Broadway’s Fun Home and Caroline, or Change). MOT’s production is directed by New York-based theater artist Kaneza Schaal, renowned for her visceral, grand style aimed at delivering the truth.
With music that balances celebratory moments with powerful arias, this unforgettable contemporary work asks us to create a world where the greatest concern for Black parents in America is if their children will grow up to be happy–not if their children will grow up at all.
Krystal Swann, an acclaimed mezz-soprano, plays the role of ‘The Mother.’ Swann’s rich voice and captivating presence on stage has taken her across the country and is now excited to return home to Detroit to perform amongst family and friends.
“To say I’m overwhelmed is an understatement. All my family is here. My mom been here. My grandparents lived up the street. And I now get to sing this type of role in my hometown. I don’t have experiences like this.”
This special production’s partnership announcement and launch was held amongst a gathering of MOT leadership, city leadership, and invited guest at The Aretha. It comes amid months of canceled opera performances and a year of racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd. MOT is aiming to provide a broader appeal for diverse audiences of the Detroit community.
“We are delighted to produce and present our work throughout the city and the region to convey that will not limit performances of opera and dance to The Opera House alone,” said Wayne Brown, President, CEO of Michigan Opera Theatre. “This is a launching. This is designed to unfold. To share highlights of what’s to come.”
The opera production of Blue will run on September 11th and 12th at The Aretha in Detroit.
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