Oberlin Opera Brings “Jack and the Beanstalk” to Schools Across Northeast Ohio for Winter Term

This January, Oberlin voice students had a unique opportunity to rehearse and tour the opera rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk in just one month. This experience included a total of ten performances, allowing Oberlin students to connect with hundreds of enthusiastic elementary and middle school students across Northeast Ohio, providing invaluable exposure to classical singing bound to inspire.

     "With it going on during Winter Term," said second-year voice major Ella Vaughn, who played the roles of Jack’s Mother and the Giant’s Wife, "it was really nice to be able to focus on the production without classes.” During Winter Term, Oberlin students pursue a unique project outside of regular course offerings, which can be done across the U.S., around the world, or, in the case of Jack and the Beanstalk, on campus. Directed by Associate Professor of Opera Stephanie Havey and Associate Professor of Opera Coaching Kyung-Eun Na, students had only a mere one-and-a-half weeks of rehearsal to prepare the entire production, during which they were also responsible for setting up the stage and moving props. Vaughn commented on how even though the show was, at times, comedic and lighthearted, “our director, Stephanie Havey, put thought and effort into the staging and overall purpose of the show, which is important when thinking about our characters and the message we want the kids to go home with.”

     “I’m really glad I had this opportunity,” Vaughn said about the tour, “and I hope they continue doing these tours because it's really important for us performers and for the community.” Jack and the Beanstalk marks the beginning of Oberlin Opera’s ongoing commitment to community engagement. Havey intends for Oberlin’s Opera program to offer a community-facing opera as a Winter Term project each January moving forward—in addition to two full-length productions each semester—ultimately providing numerous performance opportunities and chances to explore cities beyond Oberlin. “I've only been in productions where we perform three or four times, so having a lot of performances was both fun and tiring. It was exciting to see how we could make different choices by interacting with other people in the cast and the kids in the audience.”

     Opera Tour Director Stephanie Havey also shed light on the purpose of the tour: “Our hope with this tour is to inspire children to love music and learn more about it. We hope to set the stage for future opera lovers.” With engaging and lighthearted study guides—provided to each school in advance—behind-the-scenes insights, interactive chase scenes, and enthusiastic Q&A sessions after each performance, young students experienced a dynamic and immersive introduction to opera. “The young audiences at the Elementary Schools were completely enthralled with seeing a live theatrical performance,” she said, “I saw that as a desire to connect with the performers—to see themselves in the performers.”

      The experience was not only transformative for children in the audience but also professionally informative for students in the cast. As Vaughn noted, “Learning how to quickly get a show on its feet, performing at early hours in the morning, having multiple performances a day, interacting with different audiences—these are all things that are common in a professional opera career.” The Winter Term project provided a variety of real-world opera experiences that are essential for emerging performers. “Additionally, a lot of young artist programs at opera houses do a school tour similar to this, so there's a good chance I'll be doing this in my future as well.”

     Through this project, Oberlin Opera not only enriched the local community but also equipped its students with essential professional experiences and skills. With plans to continue these performances in future Winter Terms, Oberlin’s commitment to community engagement and professional-level exposure ensures that opera remains a vibrant, accessible art form for generations to come.