Opera On The Edge Returns to Shadowbox Live, 10/12

Crazed clown murders wife in front of a live audience! Opera On The Edge returns to Shadowbox Live's Backstage Bistro with Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, opening October 12 at 503 S. Front Street.

Opera On The Edge, a unique collaboration between Opera Columbus and Shadowbox Live, presents abridged, English versions of operas co-directed by Donathin Frye and Shadowbox Live Executive Producer Stev Guyer and featuring the vocal talent of Opera Columbus.

"I think many people are intimidated by opera," says Guyer. "By condensing the stories and putting them in English, Opera On The Edge is much more comfortable and accessible to a casual patron than, say, a four act piece in Italian."

These unique shows are staged in the intimate space of the Backstage Bistro, eliminating the distance between patron and performer, creating an immersive experience.

"Often times, we'll have the singers performing in and around the audience, staging scenes in multiple locations, and sometimes even singing to one another across the room with the patrons right smack in the middle!" says Guyer.

Opera On The Edge premiered in 2012 with a widely popular version of Puccini's La Boheme, and continued in 2013 with Lehar's The Merry Widow. This year looks to continue the run of hit productions with Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.

Pagliacci is a show within a show where the characters' lives strangely echo that of their roles in La Commedia, leaving the audience wondering exactly what's a wonderful performance and what's real life drama set on stage!

Opera On The Edge presents Pagliacci, opening Sunday October 12 at 5pm and running Saturdays at 4pm and Sundays at 5pm through November 2. Tickets are $10. For more information and reservations, call the Shadowbox Live Box Office at 614-416-7625 or go online at www.shadowboxlive.org.

Shadowbox Live is the largest resident theater company in America, producing over 500 shows per year.

A non-profit 501c3 performance troupe, Shadowbox Live employs 50+ full time ensemble members immersed in the Shadowbox Live philosophy of "everyone does everything," including arts administration.

These Shadowbox Live metaperformers self-produce a wide range of shows, as well as run the company on a day-to-day basis.

For over 20 years this creative team has produced world-class performances, spanning the artistic spectrum with sketch comedy, rock 'n 'roll, original rock operas, traditional musicals, drama, dance theater and new media; always putting emphasis on the unparalleled live experience.

Shadowbox Live is a healthy, vibrant, self-sustaining arts organization that generates the majority of its funding from its patron base, and leads the way as an artistic tour de force in Midwest.

Photos courtesy of Opera Columbus