Opera

FGCU Opera Theater

The FGCU Opera Theater, directed by Dr. Jeanie Darnell, presents productions of operas, opera scenes and/or musical theater scenes typically in the spring semester of the academic year. The productions may be accompanied by piano or orchestral ensembles. The productions are performed in the Bower School or Music, and/or an off-campus venue(s) to be determined. Auditions take place in the fall semester and most roles are double cast. Participating student music majors and minors who are selected by audition register for Opera/Musical Theater Workshop, MUO 3503, for 1 credit. The class meets Mondays, 6:00-8:00 p.m. and Fridays 2:30-4:30 p.m., and additional rehearsals are required for the production week. 

Opera/Musical Theater Workshop students musically coach roles, and study acting and stage movement techniques to include dance, while gaining a deeper historical understanding of the repertoire and stylistic nuances. Students learn how to initiate characterization of roles and to better communicate with audiences.

In Fall 2021, the FGCU Opera Theater in combination with Opera Naples presented Engelbert Humperdinck’s three act children’s opera in English translation, Hansel and Gretel, stage directed by Dr. Jeanie Darnell, and musically directed by Ms. Robin Shuford Frank of Opera Naples. Other opera/operetta’s or scenes programs have included Puccini’s Suor Angelica, William Dawson Junior’s Refuge: The Love Story of Ruth, Mozart’s Impresario and Bastien and Bastienna, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, An evening of Mozart Opera Scenes, I Hear America Singing: Scenes from American Opera, and Act 1 of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. FGCU will partner again with Opera Naples, and with other community arts organizations, such as Theatre Zone (Naples), to present staged productions during the fall semesters.

The 2026 Opera Workshop performance be on March 28 at 7:30 p.m. & March 29 at 3:00 p.m. in the U. Tobe Recital Hall, Music Building, FGCU Campus.