The Jazz Lab Will Bring Opera to Edmond Youth

“Little Red Riding Hood” will be performed as an Opera at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Jazz Lab on Saturday to introduce young audiences to the art form.

This year’s production of “Little Red Riding Hood,” a classic childhood fairy tale, was composed by Seymour Barab in 1962 and is a one-act show that runs about 50 minutes. 

It features five characters played by four performers, with two alternating casts. Little Red is played by Elliot Hale and Cindy Liu, the Wolf is portrayed by Demarcus Dawson and Ayden Hartel, the Mother/Woodsman role is shared by Brynn Ellis and Kylie Weldon, and Grandma is played by Victoria Mosburg and Bellamy Marks. 

This is the third time the university has put on this show, according to Robert Glaubitz, D.M.A., director of the School of Music. He said it is a fun show with lots of roles for higher female voices, which we have quite a few of. 

The target audience for this year’s performance is children ages 7 to 12, with several elements tailored to that, said director Kevin Gwinn, D.M.A. 

For example, the production incorporates interactive and creative elements. One such moment involves children being given speckled Easter eggs painted to look like strawberries at the beginning of the show. These props are planted for Little Red to come into the audience and “pick” them later. 

The set design is also a large part of the experience. A graduate art student at UCO was commissioned and paid a stipend to design a custom backdrop, with one side depicting the interior of Little Red and Grandma’s house and the other a forest, said Gwinn.  

The show focuses on presenting opera in an entertaining and approachable way, said Gwinn, helping young audiences associate classical music with fun and aiming to build long-term appreciation for the arts by introducing children to opera at an early age.  

For many performers, this production is their first time on stage in an opera. 

Gwinn said operas for children provide a valuable training ground. Because the shows are less vocally demanding than full-scale productions, students can focus on storytelling, acting, and connecting with an audience. 

Performing for children also requires a different skill set. Students must rely heavily on physical acting and clear expression because they are often projecting emotion without spoken dialogue. 

Freshman Ellis, who plays the Mother and Woodsman, said the experience has already improved her time management and performance skills. 

“It’s allowed us to be a lot more goofy with our character choices,” she said. “When you’re performing for children, there’s no such thing as too much.”

For Ellis, the experience is also about impact. 

“It can be inspiring to some kids to see somebody go up there and be authentically themselves and just give in to that goofiness,” she said.

UCO’s children’s opera program began in 2010, after faculty formed a committee in 2009 to explore ways to bring opera to younger audiences, said Glaubitz. Since then, the program has run for 16 years. 

“Kids have experience with band, they have experience with choirs, they have experience with musical theatre, […], but they never really get a chance to experience opera unless someone goes out and shows it to them,” said Glaubitz.

Unlike professional outreach groups – such as Edmond’s Painted Sky Opera, which often use performers who are post-education or at the end of their educational career – UCO’s program is more locally focused and student-driven, centered on the Edmond community, said Glaubitz. 

Gwinn emphasized the broader mission: “For me, part of our charge as a public institution is not just to serve our student body but to serve our community in positive, impactful ways.”

All performances are free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. This was an intentional choice to reduce barriers to experiencing live performance, said Gwinn. 

“Classical music has become a little bit of ‘oh, it’s a luxury,’” Gwinn said. “There’s such a privileged financial barrier to it […] I can do my part by offering this for free. Let’s take all the anxiety out of it. Just show up.”

Upcoming performances include an April 16 show at the Edmond Public Library at 6 p.m., as well as two performances on April 18 at the UCO Jazz Lab at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

The April 18 performances will feature two separate casts. The 11 a.m. cast includes Liu, Hartel, Weldon, and Mosburg, with the 1 p.m. cast being Dawson, Hale, Ellis, and Marks.

Additional performances will take place at community sites, including El Sistema on campus, a general recital, and a local assisted living home.