Inspired...by puppets!

Tonight I had the privilege of attending a performance of "Die Zauberflote", or Mozart's Magic Flute, an opera done by marionettes! It was put on by the Salzburg Marionette Theatre at the UF Phillips Performing Arts Center. It was brilliant, in my opinion! I was not sitting up as close as I should have been, due to a sleeping baby on my lap, but I was still able to experience the entire show, thanks be to God! A tender mercy on HIs part, no doubt, with prayers ahead of time said for the 'sedation by milk' of Little Guy!!  He fell asleep 10 minutes into the show, and I settled in to experience this unique performance. It is the 100 year anniversary of this theatre company, and I have never seen anything so realistic I was astounded! I had to remind myself often that I was actually watching puppets, not real people! I thought their interpretation/adaptation of this particular opera was very well done. I brought the three oldest children (and baby, too), who were all very well-prepared to see the show. We had already read the opera (via storybook version from The Barefoot Book of Opera-  http://www.amazon.com/The-Barefoot-Book-Stories-Opera/dp/1902283287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385530592&sr=8-1&keywords=barefoot+book+of+opera), as well as listened to the music for several music appreciation lessons, and learned several things about Mr. Mozart himself. So the children came in with a great deal of prior knowledge of the story and music, having listened to a good deal of the music, learned about and analyzed the different characters, discussed the various vocal ranges, and even watched several scenes from the Met Opera's version. Let me tell you- that is the way to go and see a production! The more children know about a performance ahead of time, the more engaged they will be and will truly appreciate what they are experiencing at the theatre (or a concert, art show, play, etc).

I do have to say- my very favorite part of the evening actually came after the production. I took my 7 year old, L, to the bathroom before we headed home, and while waiting outside the stall for him, I was treated to the most delightful, comical reenactment of the character Papageno from my son (though he was completely unaware of his audience, i.e. me and two other older ladies washing their hands and chuckling to themselves as well, as we all listened to L's dramatic rendition behind the stall!)

Have a look at this fabulous company. There is a neat little video on their homepage, and if you google them on youtube, there are several clips from their various shows, including the one we saw tonight-

http://www.marionetten.at

Now, to the inspiration part mentioned in my title...
There is something marvelously inspiring and I daresay transcendental about experiencing a live production/concert. I don't know yet how to quite explain it, but I'll try. I found myself sitting in the audience, watching this production, my heart swelling with excitement over new ideas swirling around my head, all triggered from the experience of attending this live performance. The creative juices were fast flowing! I have had this same experience at orchestral concerts and other theatre events. I find ideas bubbling up within me, and - especially at orchestra performances- my spirit soars within me, the desire to create so powerful and strong. Tonight I decided that I will begin to write an opera...I am already forming the story plot and characters in my head, and I believe it will be an opera for children. I have wanted to write more for so long- something I've said and thought about for many years, yet simply never 'get around' to actually doing. Until now. My sister in law invited me to be a part of her Writing Club- basically it's a way of keeping each there accountable to write something everyday, for 15-30 minutes. Hence, the resurrection of this blog! And how satisfying it has been these past 4 days to be writing, to have a motivation to write, to force myself to ponder, to think, and to put my thoughts down on paper! It feels so good, to say the least! Thank you, Sis-in-law, for the invitation to join the "Key Strokes" writing club. How good it is to be motivated to do something I have thought about/said I'd do/planned to eventually do/wished I could/dreamed about/hoped to do- and never got around to ever doing...until now! :)

So, my thanks to the Salzburg Marionette Puppets for inspiring me tonight to embark on a new adventure- writing my own opera! Who knows how long it will take to complete, but for now, I'm just excited to get started!

Signing off....to get started on my opera story line!