On Feb. 1 and 2, the Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS) presented FBN Production’s Opera for Kids program, The Three Little Pigs, to eight different schools and more than 1,400 children. The program introduced children to the world of opera in a non-threatening format by using a traditional fairy tale with a new twist.

Performances on Tuesday, Feb. 1 began at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and included Putnam County Primary School, Redeemer Episcopal Academy and Gatewood Schools. The afternoon of Feb. 1, the cast and crew headed to Milledgeville to perform at Midway Elementary.

Wednesday, Feb. 2, FBN Productions, traveled to Festival Hall in downtown Greensboro for a morning performance of the opera for Nathanael Greene Academy, Union Point Elementary and Greensboro Elementary. Then they were off to Lake Oconee Academy for an afternoon performance with the whole school in attendance.

OPAS had the honor of presenting FBN Productions’ Pinocchio to Lake Oconee area students in 2008. “The response from students in 2008 was overwhelmingly positive so when FBN announced that they would be touring this year with The Three Little Pigs we immediately began working on scheduling a series of programs again and this time with the objective of reaching an even larger number of students,” said Samantha Duthler, OPAS managing director.

The story of The Three Little Pigs, written by John Davies with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, uses the familiar children’s story as its source. The opera takes Despina and her brothers, Giovanni and Cherubino, through a typical family squabble. While they are arguing over the proper construction of a house, Despina proclaims they can find plans for a good house in the library. The boys think books are silly as they already know how to build snug little cottages.

Enter Wolfgang Bigbad, who pretends to be a fierce statue guarding the library. The story proceeds, with only Despina ready for the wolf — she has read in a book how to shrink bullies down to size. The moral of the story: “When you fear a thing that’s scary … Just take your questions to the library.”

Elaine Cinnamon, OPAS Board Member and Education & Outreach Coordinator, states: “It is amazing to see the children respond to an age old fairy tale in a new art form. The kids loved the music, costumes, the set and especially the interaction the performers had with the children.”   

FBN Productions Inc. is an Opera for kids group who presents different operas to schools in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. The mission of FBN Productions is to promote music-drama as a synthesis of all disciplines of the human experience, for everyone from school children to senior citizens.

 Opera is the one medium that combines the elements of song, word, movement and picture to touch all of the human condition. It can touch students and be a part of their education.

 FBN believes that presenting new and existing opera in the class room provides a unique forum for multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural pursuits.

OPAS would like to thank Festival Hall and The Plaza Arts Center for donating the use of its theatres, each participating schools for providing students transportation and Lake Oconee Academy and Midway Elementary for allowing us to bring The Three Little Pigs to their schools. A special thanks to the Plum Creek Foundation for their generous grant which made this program possible.