Die Fledermaus debuts in the CFL

On May 8 and 9, Luther College students performed the Spring 2009 opera, “Die Fledermaus,” which translates to “The Bat” in German. The performance was the culmination of the music class about opera production, but for students involved it was more than simply a class project.

“It’s been going on all semester, and actually longer than that because some of the leads auditioned last fall,” Susana Hansen (‘11), who sang in the chorus, said. “We meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:15 just to work on our lines, work on our staging and work on the musical aspect of it. It was a lot of work at times, especially during tech week, but it was really fun. Plus, we’ve gotten all kinds of compliments and good comments.”

Hansen attributed the show’s success to the level of student participation.

“Dr. [Professor of Music] Judisch does a wonderful job directing, and he wants us students to be just as involved,” Hansen said. “It’s really our show. He puts all the pieces together to make sure it runs smoothly, and then he just lets us go.”

Andy Kust (‘10), who assisted Dr. Judisch as a student director, enjoyed working with his fellow students.

“It’s nice working with singers on a theatre production because you get to introduce them to the art of theatre,” Kust said. “It’s just something really unique and special. It’s nice because the actors are not actors first and foremost—they’re trained as singers. So it gives them the opportunity to tell a story, which is not something they concentrate on in lessons or in choir, where they would concentrate on making beautiful sounds instead.”

Kust noted that the transition from singing to theatre can be a tough one at first.

“When it comes to theatre, you have to act as well as sing,” he said. “And that’s a challenge that many of the actors haven’t come across yet. It’s so exciting to watch the product start out from the first week through and go straight into the performances. I’ve never been more excited for an opening night than I was for this show.”

Students’ efforts paid off, as hundreds of people turned out to enjoy the show. According to Kust, the comedic nature of the characters in the opera appealed to a larger audience.

“I think one of the characters that the audience really identified with was the part of Adele, the chambermaid,” Kust said. “The part actually had comedic moments that were written in and didn’t have to be created through actor interpretation or director interpretation. There was a lot of comedic material available, which audiences always latch on to.”

Mandy Inhofer (‘09), who played the part of Adele in the Saturday showing, also saw the comedic aspect of the play to be a draw.

“It’s basically a big party, three acts-worth of parties,” Inhofer said. “It’s not your typical opera in that respect. Not a lot of deep issues going on there. It’s a really light opera, a fun opera.”

Inhofer, who is an opera performance major, also found time to master her craft in between the fun.

“It’s pretty nice for me as an opera performance major to have the experience but in addition to that it’s just a generally good time, making good music with good people,” she said.

Kust echoed the value of the experience.

“There aren’t many opportunities like this, where students perform in large groups, besides the basic choirs, orchestras and bands,” Kust said. “So it’s neat to see a show that otherwise would only come to Luther through a touring production—but here it’s done by students. It was just a cool opportunity.”