Three Northeast Ohio cultural institutions are collaborating on a thrilling, creative staging of The Juniper Tree, a moody modern opera based on a dark tale by the Brothers Grimm. Featuring opera theater students at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the production – to be performed at CIM’s Mixon Hall – intertwines stage action with a feature-length film made by students at the Cleveland Institute of Art. The film was shot in October at an historic home at Hale Farm & Village in Bath, which is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society. The Juniper Tree is set for October 31 and November 2 and 3 performances at 7:30pm. The opera was composed in 1984 by Philip Glass and Robert Moran. It follows the story of a boy who is murdered by his jealous stepmother and then fed in a stew to his unsuspecting father. The boy’s half-sister buries the bones under a tree, after which the boy is transformed and exacts revenge on his stepmother. The idea of combining live staging with a projected film featuring the same cast that appears on stage was conceived by Dean Southern, director of CIM Opera Theater. He speaks will WCLV's Bill O'Connell.
See and hear more about The Juniper Tree here.