A Little Opera on Campus: Gianni Schicchi Meets Its Audience

Live singing, conversations and a Campus Day ticket offer brought a taste of Puccini's comedy to CHRIST University's Central Campus.

Music from Gianni Schicchi drew students to the production team's stand on campus today. Cast members performed arias as passers-by stopped to listen, browse information about the show and meet the students bringing it to the stage.

Between performances, the team answered questions about the opera and helped visitors book their seats. Some came over out of curiosity; others left with tickets for the September performances.

It was the busiest day of ticket sales since August, and more than half of the tickets went at the campus offer price. None of it bought the cast an evening off: most of them are due back in the rehearsal room tonight. The director cancelled nothing — and the fact that he sings the title role himself is, in the view of the cast, no excuse at all.

The photographs below capture the afternoon as it unfolded — the singing, the conversations and the people behind the production.

The Gianni Schicchi stand under the trees on Central Campus, CHRIST University. — The stand on Central Campus, under the trees.

The Gianni Schicchi banner standing beside the table at the campus stand. — The production's banner beside the table.

A visitor stopping at the table of the Gianni Schicchi stand. — A visitor stops at the table.

Photographs, printed materials and a laptop on the table of the stand. — Materials, photographs and the laptop for booking.

A member of the production team answering a visitor's questions across the table. — Questions about the opera, answered across the table.

Passers-by around the Gianni Schicchi stand on Central Campus. — Passers-by around the stand.

Students with backpacks at the stand between classes. — Students on their way between classes.

Visitors looking through photographs of the production at the stand. — Looking through photographs of the production.

The laptop at the stand, where seats could be booked on the spot. — At the laptop, where seats were booked on the spot.

A member of the team handing out information about the opera along the campus path. — Information handed out along the path.

Gianni Schicchi will be performed in English at the KE Auditorium on 26 and 27 September at 5 p.m.

A Little Opera on Campus: Gianni Schicchi Meets Its Audience

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