Utah Festival Opera facts for kids
The Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre (UFOMT) is a special opera company located in Logan, Utah. Each July and August, they put on six big shows with a full orchestra. These shows include different types of performances, from classic operas to fun operettas and exciting musicals. Talented singers, actors, and musicians come from all over the United States to perform. Some even come from Broadway and the famous Metropolitan Opera.
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How It Started
The company began in 1992. It was founded by Michael Ballam, an opera singer and music professor at Utah State University. Michael Ballam grew up in Logan. Besides leading the company, he has also sung many main roles in their shows over the years.
The very first show performed by UFOMT was Naughty Marietta in 1993. They also performed Puccini's La Bohème and a double show of Trial By Jury and The Impresario. In the early years, they performed three shows. By 2001, they increased to four shows. These included The Barber of Seville, South Pacific, Naughty Marietta, and Susannah. Besides the main shows, UFOMT also offers many concerts and learning programs.
The Dansante Building
The main offices for UFOMT are in the Dansante building. This building used to be a dance hall. It also has workshops where they build sets and create costumes for the shows. The Dansante has a Recital Hall, which is a smaller performance space. It also has rooms for rehearsals and practice.
The Utah Theatre
In 2007, UFOMT bought the Utah Theatre. They worked hard to fix it up, and the renovation was finished in June 2016. This new theater allowed the company to put on two or three smaller shows. They also started showing classic and silent films there. The first show at the Utah Theatre was Peter Pan. Michael Ballam played Captain Hook, and Adam T. Biner played Peter Pan.
Opera by Children Program
Opera by Children is a special learning program led by Pamela Gee. This program helps teachers learn how to guide over 75,000 children in creating their own operas in the classroom. Teachers across Utah and other western states use Opera by Children. It helps students work together, discover their talents, and get excited about learning. Utah teachers can join for free, with state grants covering most costs. There is a small fee for materials and attending a training workshop. After the workshop, teachers can join the full year-long program.
Youth Conservatory
UFOMT also has a Youth Conservatory for kids aged 8 to 18. Here, young people can learn all about performing in musical theatre. Classes teach acting, dancing, and singing. These classes are taught by professionals who work in musical theatre. During the Festival Season, the Conservatory hosts a week-long camp called Broadway Bound. This camp focuses on intense musical theatre training. In 2014, the program grew so much that they had to split the camp into Junior and Senior groups. Stefan Espinosa is the director of the Conservatory.
Adult Academy
During each Festival Season, UFOMT offers learning courses for adults. These courses are related to the shows being performed. Vanessa Ballam runs this program. Michael Ballam teaches a week-long seminar about opera and musical theatre. In this class, he explores each show's history and other works by the same composer.
Some fun parts of the Academy include the Presto Change-O(ver) class. In this class, people can watch the technical crew change the sets from one show to another in less than an hour. Managing director Gary Griffin also teaches cooking classes. The Late Night Cabarets are also popular. Festival artists perform under the stars in a cozy outdoor setting. The Artist's Pallet class brings in local artist Kent Wallis. He paints a landscape in just two hours.
The Academy also has Literary Seminars every Wednesday to Friday morning during the season. Directors, performers, and designers come to talk about their journeys to UFOMT. They also share how they create their roles in the productions.
High School Musical Theatre Awards
Since 2011, UFOMT has been part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards program. This program celebrates excellent musical theatre performances in high schools across the country. During the school year, UFOMT representatives visit high school productions. They judge the shows and performances. Nominated schools and artists perform, and winners are announced at an awards ceremony.
The winners for Best Actress and Best Actor get to go to New York City. There, they take part in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy's. These awards were started by James L. Neederlander. The students get to perform on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre. This is the current home of The Lion King.
Awards given include:
- Best Musical
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Cameo
- Best Director
- Best Choreography
- Best Ensemble
- Best Orchestra
- Best Scenic Design
- Best Costume Design
- Best Lighting Design
- Best Technical Crew
- Student awards for Choreography, Costume Design, Set Design, and Lighting Design.
