Three departments collaborate to bring Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” to the stage in a new interdisciplinary way

For the first time ever, the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts Opera Theater has collaborated with the Schools of Music, School of Theater and School of Dance on a massive scale to bring the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical “Carousel” to the stage. The musical, which tells the story of young love, impulsive choices and the opportunity for redemption, will play at the Templeton Blackburn Memorial Auditorium on Nov. 14 and 15, at 8 p.m., with a cast and orchestra of over a hundred OHIO performers and musicians.

In the last several years, the School of Music’s Opera program has seen incredible growth under the leadership of Associate Professor of Instruction and Chair of the Voice Division Daniel Stein. Building from smaller productions, developing outreach into school and last year an initial collaboration with the School of Theater, this year’s production is the biggest challenge yet with three schools and full orchestral accompaniment on stage conducted by Associate Professor of Instruction and Director of Orchestral Activities Jose Rocha.

Direction of “Carousel” began with School of Theater’s Interim Music Director Wade Strafford-Elkins leading the production, however, following a call to perform in a professional production in Milwaukee himself, the staging of the show has since transitioned to School of Theater Directing alum Molly Donahue (MFA, ’24).

Donahue first points to Stein’s leadership as critical to enriching the production.

"Dan's vision for bringing these two groups of people together who really have stuff to offer each other has been really successful. Everybody is excited. We've got a room of 50 people in the cast and then a 60-piece orchestra…and we're all going to be on stage together. That is very energetic, and they are going to be so invigorated by sharing space with the orchestra. It's absolutely gorgeous and we're going to have a great show!”

School of Dance Assistant Professor of Instruction in Musical Theater and Dance Anthony Alterio agrees that the collaborations surrounding “Carousel” has been infectious.

“It really has been a true interdisciplinary collaboration, to work with Wade and Molly in this way, and to be challenged as a choreographer,” Alterio said. “As an educator, I love working with students, but sometimes we do get siloed in our discipline. And so, to actually have people from all three schools, they really get to learn from each other and also challenge and help each other.”

For lead actor Jacob Simmons, a fourth-year BFA in Musical Theater major, he’s had access to operatic style of training, but this is his first chance to stretch those muscles in an environment with such a large scope of performers.

“Dr. Stein is also my voice teacher, so I've had more access to opera,” Simmons explained. “But it's really awesome working with the School of Music and seeing them taking on a different level of performance. Because opera and musical theater, it's very different, varying degrees of performance. And while this is very heightened, like most operas are, there's still a lot of grounded storytelling and acting throughout that I've come from more. And so, getting to see that come alive with opera students is really cool. And having so many people on stage, I've never done that before, and it's amazing.”

Donahue see the training coming through in the quality of storytelling by student performers.

“That's the struggle for young actors, that’s a struggle for music students…they have to be embodied. They have to be making character choices. It can't just be about the notes. It has to also be about the picture that we're putting out there, the way that they move. And through this process, they're getting it more and more…and it's raising standards on both sides.”

For first year graduate student in voice performance and pedagogy, and serving as the lead opposite Simmons, Kylie Moon Neighbors has enjoyed the diverse elements coming together in different rooms to make this production a reality.

“Even though we (Simmons and myself) are in a lot of the show, there's still parts like the dance and the ballet that we didn't get to see, but they were working on,” Neighbors explained. “And so, when you get to see students who that is their specialty…being really great ballet dancers and they just come and do that, that was pretty cool!”

For Alterio, its these kinds of lessons that are the most educational parts of the process.

“Everything outside of the University is professional work. Everything inside is getting you ready for the professional world. I really look at it as my job of, like, I'm going to challenge you. And you might feel uncomfortable, but you won't be unsafe, right? Everyone has just been on board and helping each other. And now that I've worked with Dan and he's seen what we can do, I'm hoping those collaborations can keep going forward and growing,” Alterio said.

Donahue is excited to share the results with the community and get their feedback.

“I think it's going to feel really big. And then, I think, it’s going to have sadness. For all of ‘Carousel’ being ‘dark,’ it's also going to feel really fun. We're going on that ride with them. It’s been a delight,” Donajue said.

Tickets are $10, or free for OHIO students with a valid ID, and can be purchased from the Memorial Auditoriums box office.