FIU Opera Theater’s ‘The Turn of the Screw’ opens March 2

FIU School of Music students rehearse for opening night of 'The Turn of the Screw.'

The stage is set and FIU Opera Theater students have been busy rehearsing for this weekend’s two-day presentation of Benjamin Britten’s ghost opera, The Turn of the Screw.

The show opens on Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, with an additional showing on Saturday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m.

The opera is a setting of the Henry James novella, which Oscar Wilde once described as “the most wonderful, lurid, poisonous little tale.” It depicts the struggles of a young governess, who tries to protect the children in her charge from the evil threat of two marauding ghosts at a country manor.

Professor Robert B. Dundas, director of the FIU Opera Theater, says, “this opera is one of the masterpieces of the 20th century and a great challenge for our FIU singers.  However, the unique vocal requirements of the cast fit the specific talents of our present group of students and it was an irresistible choice for all of us.”

The production’s elaborate set design is a collaboration between students of the FIU School of Music and FIU Theatre. The musical score by Benjamin Britten, which has been described as “clever, edgy, and spooky,” will be conducted by professor Grzegorz Nowak and performed by students of the FIU Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets for both shows are now available at livethearts.com.