BYU-Idaho Radio · Idaho Falls Opera Theater Performing Hansel and Gretel
The Idaho Falls Opera Theater is performing a production of Hansel and Gretel this weekend at the Idaho Falls Civic Center. The opening night is Friday at 7:30 p.m., with two more shows following on Saturday and Monday.
This production has been in progress for almost a year but was postponed due to COVID-19.
“We started rehearsing in January, actually. The show was cast back in October or November and we were planning on performing in April, but COVID shut all that down a couple weeks before we were supposed to perform,” said Rachel Ricks, one of the lead performers in the production.
Ricks is a BYU-Idaho student. She is cast as Hansel, a young boy, who with his sister Gretel, find themselves lost in the woods.
She found her love for opera through BYU-Idaho classes featuring the style of music. Ricks has a lower female voice, which is why she was cast as Hansel.
“I’m a mezzo-soprano which means that I sing a little bit lower than most females. In opera, they give the roles of younger boys… to females with lower voices,” Ricks said.
Tickets are available online at idahofallsarts.org, or at the door. Performances are October 2, 3 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. More information is online at ifot.org.