Kelsey Spicker ~ Guest Writer
On Sunday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m., the University of Lynchburg opera workshop students will perform a spring concert in Sydnor Performance Hall , located in Schewel Hall.
In their final concert of the semester, the students will present an operetta titled “Remove Shoes Before Entering,” which tells the perspectives of many college students that are faced with different social issues.
This performance is expected to last for about an hour, and it will include a mixture of opera and musical theater pieces.
Sophomore opera student, Naomi Watkins, explains the theme behind the performance’s title.
“When you get ready to talk to someone or, like, open up to someone, you make sure you are in a comfortable space to be vulnerable and honest,” says Watkins.
According to sophomore Alyssa Wilson, the performance will touch on topics such as racism, sexual orientation, and sexual assault as they relate to the student’s experiences.
“So, basically, the whole idea of it is that it’s just a bunch of college students, and we’re in a class, we’re all just sitting together, talking together and it’s kind of just like the whole idea of empathy and hearing other people’s stories,” Wilson says.“The issue areas need to still be talked about, like we talk about them all the time, but I think it’s a really interesting light to put it in when you put it with the arts and you see it through a completely different lens of just, like, reading about it technically.”
This is a free performance, and it is open to all students, faculty, and the general public. To find out more about this event, click here.
Name of Press Contact: Melissa Brooks
Email: brooks_ms@lynchburg.edu
