With a world premiere and a cosplay-inspired show, Opéra Louisiane hopes to lure new fans this season

I confess. 

My knowledge of the opera is fed largely by Bugs Bunny’s rendition of The Barber of Seville, and rounded out by The Simpsons’ take on Carmen. I’d throw in The Phantom of the Opera, too, except, of course, it’s not actually an opera. Where does this void in my cultural literacy come from? Not sure. But it’s not uncommon. There’s something about the centuries-old art form’s vocal wobble, its famously dense lyrics and its rarified vibe that just makes opera feel a little out of reach. 

“When people hear the word ‘opera,’ they have a specific idea of what it means,” acknowledges Opéra Louisiane General Director and CEO Kathryn Frady. “It’s often in another language, with this big setting and this unbelievable plot, and some people don’t feel comfortable having to get all dressed up.” 

Convincing reluctant audiences of opera’s inherent magic, though, is one of Frady’s biggest priorities. This month, the trained soprano and arts administrator enters her second season with Opéra Louisiane. She’s determined to attract new fans to the 16-year-old organization. 

Her strategy: combining the classics with fresh subject matter and staging shows in rotating performance spaces. The lineup for the 2023-2024 season includes a spooky opera timed for Halloween called Hell’s Bell, and a new show, The Christmas Spider, in December. Oh, and guess what’s playing in the spring? The Barber of Seville. Yay!  

Frady is a Texas native and came to Opéra Louisiane last year by way of Knoxville, Tennessee, where she founded the Marble City Opera in 2013. The arts organization developed a reputation for pushing inclusivity and for delivering edgy and innovative opera performances. In Marble City Opera’s final show of The Gift of the Magi, for example, Frady, as the character Della, famously lopped off 10 inches of her own hair on-stage in the second act, providing impressive verisimilitude in a story about a woman who cuts and sells her hair to buy her husband a pocket watch chain, only to discover he’s sold the pocket watch to buy her hair combs. Audience members were informed about the gutsy move in the program, and also of Frady’s intention to donate her hair to the Michigan nonprofit Children with Hair Loss.

She deploys similarly engaging strategies in Baton Rouge. This fall, that includes the inaugural English language version of Hell’s Bell for the Halloween season. The juicy, supernatural thriller by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns involves themes of greed and lust and is centered around a bell whose ring brings death. It will be staged at the Old State Capitol this month and includes a pre-performance dinner. Ticket holders dine in the Senate chamber, then move to the House chamber for the show. The experience is immersive, with performers singing and acting in close proximity to the audience. And while the sets will be minimal, Frady says, the cast will wear over-the-top, cosplay-inspired costumes and make-up. 

It’s the first time Opéra Louisiane has performed in the Old State Capitol. 

“Some people who have lived here their whole lives have told me they’ve never visited it,” Frady says. “It’s always fun to bring a show to a new venue.” 

Likewise, Frady may welcome a new subset of fans to the opera genre with December’s world premiere of The Christmas Spider at the Manship Theatre. Created by Clint Borzoni and John de los Santos, the family-friendly opera draws from the Ukrainian tradition of hanging spider ornaments on the Christmas tree for good luck. It tells the story of a poor widower with two children struggling to get by during the holidays. Frady will play the wealthy landlord and touring baritone Charles Eaton will play the father. The kids will be played by local youth. 

Along with delivering high-quality operas with national performers, Opéra Louisiane also features a school program called Opera By You. This year, the program travels to 10-15 schools in East and West Baton Rouge parishes and gives kids a chance to create their own Jack and the Beanstalk-inspired opera with the help of singers and a pianist. 

Opera, Frady says, is a natural fit for Louisiana—no matter your age or background. 

“This is a musical state,” she says. “The food is great, the wine is flowing, and people are up for the arts.” operalouisiana.com

It’s show time

Oct. 5, 7 p.m. 

Hell’s Bell
Old State Capitol
Dinner before performance by Heirloom Cuisine

Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17, 3 p.m.

The Christmas Spider
Manship Theatre

This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue of 225 magazine.