UCM Division of Theatre & Dance and Division of Music to Present ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’

University of Central Missouri (UCM) Theatre and Dance and UCM Music will present the classic holiday opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20-23 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 in the Highlander Theatre on campus. 

“Amahl and the Night Visitors” will transport audiences to a time when love, compassion and the power of giving takes center stage. This family-friendly production brings the Magi story to life through the eyes of a humble shepherd boy. 

The stage is set for a miraculous Christmas experience and a never-before-seen puppet spectacle on the Highlander Theatre stage. Audiences will also enjoy classic holiday carols at the start of each performance in the Highlander lobby to put them in a festive spirit for the show. 

“This show is about faith and generosity, but we’ve also discovered that it’s deeply about community, a theme we’ve embodied in our rehearsal process as we’ve collaborated as an ensemble,” said director Jenise Cook, assistant professor of Theatre Performance. “Audiences will be stunned by the power of this performance, the beauty of the music and the atmosphere of joy the students have created.”  

Special guest artists from StoneLion Puppet Theatre will perform alongside the student cast, incorporating puppets designed explicitly for this production through the generosity of the Jim and Jeanne McDowell Fund in Theatre and Dance and a Speaker Series Grant from UCM Digital Learning and Instructional Innovation. 

Cook said that thanks to the collaboration with StoneLion Puppet Theatre, students are gaining unique puppetry experience. 

“It’s incredibly exciting to see these talented students embrace the opportunity to be part of this opera,” Cook said. “Many of them have never been exposed to the world of opera and are fully engrossing themselves in the new techniques they are learning, which brings an exhilarating energy to our production.”

Heather Lowenstein is the Founding Artistic Director of StoneLion Puppet Theatre Company and a guest company puppeteer in the production.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the theatre students at UCM,” Lowenstein said. “Their enthusiasm and hard work in embracing a new art form, puppetry, has added a new level to this production.”

Tickets are free for UCM students, military, veterans and military families with valid ID at the door and there is a Pay-What-You-Can performance at the Nov. 23 matinee. Admission to all other showings of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” is $20 for the general public, $15 for UCM faculty/staff and seniors and $10 for students and children 5 and up. ASL interpreters will be provided at the 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 performance. 

The production team for “Amahl and the Night Visitors” includes Director Jenise Cook, Vocal Director David Adams, Orchestral Director Dr. John Rutland, Accompanist Cindy Groff, Stage Manager Gabe Sokolowski, Assistant Stage Manager Avory Nail, Technical Director/Scenic Designer Spencer Musser, Assistant Technical Director Sam Fischer, Puppet Design/Direction by Heather Loewenstein and Stonelion Puppet Theatre Company, Costume Designer/Hair and Makeup by Cassie Kay Hoppas, Assistant Costume Designer Lucy Nutt, Lighting Designer Wesley Freeman, Sound Designer Aleksandra Combs, Assistant Sound Designer Amanda Dyck, Props Designer Sojeong Lee, Dance Captain Claire Groos, Choreographers Ashley Miller-Scully and Jenise Cook, Sound Board Operator Amanda Dyck, Light Board Operator Killian Lewis, House Manager Paige Showen and Box Office Managers Matthew Kimbel and Dr. Aaron Scully. The Stage Crew includes Billiejean Valdivia, Finn Juliano, Bryan Cooley and Sam Fischer and the Wardrobe Crew includes Kiera Carter, Karlee Troutt, Allison Whitbey and Kayla Addison.

The principal roles of the show are Amahl played by Emily Turner, Mother played by Katie Brunkhorst, King Kaspar played by Trae Selemaea, King Balthazar played by Quinn Allen, King Melchior played by John Plasencio and The Page played by Reagan Medlock. Ensemble members include Mason Enright, Lizzy Molina, Alicia Munoz, Anna Fletcher, Claire Groos, Hannah Vath, Rosalyn Schuster (Amahl Vocal Cover), Audrey Shepard (King Kaspar Vocal Cover), Ayla McCann (Page Vocal Cover), Dawson Black, Dmitry Crawford (King Balthazar Vocal Cover) and Heather Loewenstein (StoneLion Puppets). The Trio Singers are Laura Beach, Alex Hanshaw-Bhaskar and Luke Soule. 

Orchestra members for “Amahl and the Night Visitors” include Tylee Parsons on flute, Joey Stewart and Kayla Russell on oboe, Luna Jackson on clarinet, Brook Elliot on bassoon, Sam Morris on horn, Barrett Conn on trumpet, Hyden Wirsig and Cory Schmitz-Hoepker on percussion, Jeremy Brown (Concertmaster), Bryan Orozco and Patience McGinnis on violin I, Jackson Meyer, Savannah Curtis-Tye and Dohyun Kim on violin II, Shane Parsons and Austin Bull on viola, Bryan Weaver and Cameron Selbe on violoncello, Quincy Meyer and Grace Adams on contrabass, Cynthia Groff on piano and Joshua Cash on harp.

Tickets are available at the UCM Theatre and Dance Office in Martin 113 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by calling 660-543-4020 or by visiting ucmboxoffice.universitytickets.com.  

For more information, call 660-543-4020 or email boxoffice@ucmo.edu.