DETROIT, MI (November 15, 2005) – Wayne State’s Opera Workshop will present four free performances of Seymour Barab’s “The Toy Shop”, a one-act opera for young audiences, as their annual holiday offering. Under the direction of Frances Brockington, the group will perform shows for Detroit-area schools at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 30 and Thursday, December 1 and public shows at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 1 and Friday, December 2. All performances will be held on Wayne’s campus in the Community Arts Auditorium, located at 5451 Cass Ave. at Kirby in Detroit. For additional information call (313) 577-1795 or visit www.music.wayne.edu.

Barab’s “The Toy Shop” is a favorite of professional opera companies and audiences throughout the United States. Commissioned by the New York City Opera Education Department, the production was first performed in 1978 at Lincoln Center. The production is organized into twelve scenes and tells the story of a toymaker whose love for his creations brings them to life. The production is one of twenty-seven operas for young audiences written by Barab, all enjoying wide popularity.

The libretto and music for the opera are of the highest quality. Like so many great works, it explores larger questions - in this story, matters of human behavior and relationships. Though built on a serious subject matter, the opera utilizes both suspense and slapstick comedy to continually engage the attention of the young audience members. It provides a boisterous hour of fun, but the audience will also take with them a lesson in the value of family relationships and love. In this production, Barab follows the tradition of children’s works such as Pinocchio and The Velveteen Rabbit. Audiences are promised an hour of humor, mystery, suspense, danger, and magic.

The cast of the fifty-minute opera consists of Wayne State students; many voice performance majors within the Department of Music. Playing the role of the young boy Paul are Clifton Shaw (Detroit) and Mitchell Owens (Wyandotte). The role of Pauline, the young girl, will be played by Shannon Edwards (St. Clair Shores), Ashlee Armstrong (Port Huron), and Elizabeth Courier (Allen Park). Kirbe White (Detroit) and Rebecca Boucher (Royal Oak) will be performing the role of the Toymaker, and the role of Aaron Blunder, the stories villain, will be played by Roman Laba (Warren). The role of Anna Blunder will be played by Paige Ashley Batista (Bloomfield Hills) and Jayne Strickland (Ecorse). Jayne is also performing the role of Paulette. The roles of Nancy Nightingale and Betsy Westsy will be played by Brande Everett (Detroit) and Michelle Levine (St. Clair Shores), respectively.