OPERA Iowa troupe coming to Washington Performing Arts Center

INDIANOLA — The OPERA Iowa Educational Touring Troupe, an educational program of Des Moines Metro Opera, will present a twist on the classic fairy tale, “Beauty and the Beast,” by Joshua Borths for a community performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25.

The troupe will also conduct student workshops during the day April 25, and perform Fox/Vilé’s “Sid the Serpent Who Wanted to Sing,” for elementary students, in grades 2-5, during the school day. The Washington Performing Arts Committee will provide this free show for kids.

Former elementary music teacher, Malcolm Fox, designed Sid in 1975 to be used as a teaching tool while also entertaining audiences with its delightful music and cast of colorful characters. This show emphasizes the value of individual expression and teaches the importance of accepting people for who they are.

“Beauty and the Beast“ Tickets are available online at washingtonauditorium.org or at the door one hour before the production. K-12 students are admitted for free, college students are $10, and adults are $20.

The 2023 OPERA Iowa troupe is comprised of eight professional artists, including five singers, one music director and two technicians. The singers are selected from nationwide auditions held in New York City, Houston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Atlanta and Des Moines. From over 1,000 applications, five were selected to join the OPERA Iowa Educational Touring Troupe and then return for Des Moines Metro Opera’s Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artist Program this summer.