Toledo Opera has partnered with Toledo Lucas County Public Library and media partner WGTE public media to present a full day of free events in anticipation of Toledo Opera’s upcoming production of Blue on Thursday, August 18 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Mott Branch Library located at 1085 Dorr Street, Toledo, Ohio 43607.
Events will include live performances by the cast of Blue, on-air radio interviews with Blue creatives and Toledo community members, story time, and much more.
Schedule of Events
9:00 a.m. – Live interviews
11:00 a.m. – Story time with cast and creatives of Blue
2:00 p.m. – Live interviews
2:30 p.m. – Live performance of the poem Tainted Badge by Jhané Perdue accompanied by Kevin Bylsma
3:00 p.m. – Performances by Blue cast members
4:00 p.m. – Screening of documentary film Blue: Stories from Toledo (a collaboration between Toledo Opera and Madhouse Creative)
“Toledo Opera continues to offer a vital service with works that speak directly to the community,” says Brad Cresswell, WGTE Radio Station manager. “Blue explores contemporary social issues that we rarely see in the opera house. WGTE is proud to amplify those efforts during Blue Day and bring lively discussions, music and live performances to a wide and varied audience.”
More about Blue: An African American couple in Harlem anticipates the birth of their firstborn, a son, with both hope and fear. As the baby grows into a young man, the mother worries for his future, and the father tries to prepare his son for the realities of 21st century America, while wrestling with his own identity as a police officer, a "Black man in blue." When their deepest fears come true, the family is forced to navigate a devastating reality seeking answers and support from their church and community. Toledo Opera presents the Tony Award®–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and NAACP Theatre Award–winning librettist Tazewell Thompson’s new opera inspired by contemporary events and Black literature. Influenced by gospel music and using vivid flashbacks, Blue places timely issues at the forefront of modern opera and invites audiences to the emotional epicenter of their impact. Chelsea Tipton, II returns to Toledo to conduct the opera and librettist Tazewell Thompson serves as the stage director.
This event is free and open to the public. To listen, tune into 91.3 or stream live at wgte.org and on the WGTE mobile app. For media access, please contact Rachael Cammarn at rcammarn@toledoopera.org.
Blue is made possible by Owens Corning, The National Endowment for the Arts, and Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information about Blue, please visit www.toledoopera.org/upcoming-performances/season-event/blue/. For more information on Toledo Opera, visit https://toledoopera.org.
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