The University of Central Florida Opera will present the Florida premiere of “Speed Dating Tonight!,” a one-act, comic opera performed in English this weekend, April 12-13.
The production at the Visual Arts Building offers an amusing take on a night of romantic mingling at a bar, performed by up to 26 speed daters, a bartender, cocktail waitress, busboy and dating coordinator. Flexible casting requirements and interchangeable parts result in an unusual performance experience.
Each performance will be preceded by a talk from Michael Ching, “Speed Dating Tonight!” composer and conductor. Audiences are also invited to post-performance roundtable discussions with performers, composers and staff. Ching was the general director of Opera Memphis from 1992-2010 and is now the music director of Buffalo’s Nickel City Opera. He also composed the comic opera “Buoso’s Ghost.”
The opera will be 7 p.m. April 12 and 3 p.m. April 13 in Auditorium 132 in the Visual Arts Building. Tickets at the door are $15 for general admission or $5 with a UCF ID.