Pittsburgh: The Opera

I saw a flyer for this at the Union Project today – when I first looked at the flyer I thought it might be along the lines

of MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera – which was popular a few years back. But Pittsburgh: The Opera looks even better. This is way more than opera – video, interviews, puppet show, dance and more.

Pittsburgh: The Opera sold out last year and is back for a repeat performance this weekend at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. This is a multimedia experience from the folks at Squonk Opera, a world famous performance group that started with their first performance in the Pittsburgh junk yard in 1992.

Pittsburgh: The Opera was the first part of Squonk Opera’s multi city tour last year. For (put your hometown’s name here): The Opera – Squonk Opera created specific performances for various cities around the US.

To create these hometown operas, the Squonkers draw from half-time shows, centennial celebrations, political campaigns, tribal displays and local mythologies. Interviews with the local citizens are videotaped. The Squonkers research the town’s victories and scandals, icons and idiosyncrasies, and make movies of the local streetscape. Local children draw imagination maps that are then projected in animations onstage where local dance groups also join the performance on stage.

Pittsburgh: The Opera
Jan 17 – 20
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater – Click here for tickets and more detials