WKU Opera Theater took its show to court by performing “Trial by Jury” at the Warren County Justice Center.
The comedic opera by Victorian playwrights W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan ran on Friday at 5 p.m. and returned on Sunday at 3 p.m. The theater used Courtroom C on the building’s fourth floor for their performance while justice center staff supervised.
The comedy works through a civil case between the indifferent defendant, Edwin, played by Noah Chudgar, who broke his engagement to the beautiful plaintiff, Angelina, played by Kiris Ray. The courtroom fills with characters, such as the biased bailiff, played by Lane Tenbarge, the Attorney for the Plaintiff, played by Donari Merritt, the amorous learned judge, played by Ashleigh Chapman and a rowdy jury chorus.
Stage Director Liza Kelly said the whole cast consists of music majors, and all but four cast members are freshmen.
The cast added physical comedy to the opera’s humorous lyrics, juxtaposing humorous movements and blocking with a serious courtroom setting. Tenbarge said that lifting Chudgar to sit on the stand was his favorite piece of blocking.
The audience participated in the plaintiff’s walk down the aisle, standing as Ray followed her bridesmaids in a full wedding dress and veil.
Tenbarge was also amused by Chapman’s blocking. The judge enters the scene by appearing from under the judge’s desk. At the end of the opera, the judge ducks under the desk once more with his new bride-to-be in tow.
Musical Director and Pianist Rebecca Golub accompanied the opera’s 35-minute duration.
Students in the Opera Theater program auditioned last semester and prepared the performance during their class time.
Kelly said she contacted the justice center for use of the space while serving on jury duty in January. Kelly made a non-jury-related inquiry to Judge J. B. Hines, who immediately agreed.
The cast accessed the courtroom for the first time Thursday for a dress rehearsal. Beforehand, they approximated the courtroom’s layout in their rehearsal space with black wooden boxes.
“I was really happy to find an opportunity to be able to blend two worlds that don’t really have an opportunity to mesh,” Kelly said.
She said this is the first staged, full performance presented off campus.
The department chose “Trial by Jury” for its accessibility to both the vocalists and the audience. The opera is short in length and entirely in English.
“Theater is so much fun, and any music major reading the Herald should seriously consider it, no matter if you’re a vocalist or not,” Tenbarge said.
