Western Carolina University’s Opera Ensemble will be presenting the Comic One Act Chamber Opera “Speed Dating Tonight!” at HART Theatre’s Main Stage on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Performance time is 7:30.  Conceived by Dean Anthony and Composed by Michael Ching, Speed Dating Tonight! is a comic opera first premiered in 2013 at the Janiec Opera Brevard Music Center. 

With a defined beginning and end, the middle section of the opera consists of solos, duets, and ensembles for the daters. The number of daters is flexible as is their casting.  Many of the dates are gender neutral capable of being sung by either a man or woman.  An ongoing project, the original twenty-five dates has been expanded to sixty. The goal is to have a hundred options–new dates are commissioned every year. Each of the dates are unique.  Some display sensitive honest characters who are truly seeking a soul mate.  Other dates display quirky oddballs who may terrify their potential matches, or who may find the perfect complementary oddball to fulfill their romantic lives. Since 2013, Speed Dating Tonight! has been produced over sixty-five times, making it one of the most popular operas of the century.

Western Carolina University’s production is directed by Dr. Mary Kay Bauer and Assisted by Kendall Purdy, Wesley Walker and Tyler Garner.  Musical Direction is by Sarah Fowler with assistance from Shoko Okomoro.  The cast consists of 15 students from both the School of Music and the School of Stage and Screen. 

Admission to this performance is free.   For further information contact Mary Kay Bauer at WCU 828-227-3275 or the HART Theatre Box Office at 828-456-6322.