Toledo Opera has postponed all performances of the opera Blue amid a spike in COVID cases and hospitalizations in our community. The staff and board of Toledo Opera believe that the safety of the community, performers and staff is the top priority and postponing the performances is the most responsible course of action.
Blue is the story of An African American couple in Harlem who anticipates the birth of their firstborn, a son, with both hope and fear. As the baby grows into a young man, the mother worries for his future, and the father tries to prepare his son for the realities of 21st century America, while wrestling with his own identity as a police officer, a “Black man in blue.” When their deepest fears come true, the family is forced to navigate a devastating reality seeking answers and support from their church and community. Toledo Opera presents the Tony Award®–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and NAACP Theatre Award–winning librettist Tazewell Thompson’s new opera inspired by contemporary events and Black literature. Influenced by gospel music and using vivid flashbacks, Blue places timely issues at the forefront of modern opera and invites audiences to the emotional epicenter of their impact. Chelsea Tipton, II returns to Toledo to conduct the opera and librettist Tazewell Thompson serves as the stage director.
The rescheduled dates for the performances of Blue are slated for Friday, August 26, 2022 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 2 pm. While postponing the opening of such an important show is incredibly disappointing, the relevance and invaluable nature of its subject matter makes the decision to do so imperative.
“Being a responsible community leader and taking our community’s concerns into account is part of who we are at Toledo Opera. Blue is too important of a project for us not to have a large audience benefit from the performances. It is well worth the additional effort to reschedule at this time. We will continue with our outstanding community programming focusing on Blue throughout the spring and summer months and August will be here before we know it, “shared Suzanne Rorick, executive director, Toledo Opera.
Alyssa Greenberg, PhD, community engagement director, Toledo Opera added, “We developed a comprehensive public programming series aligned with Blue with guidance from our Community Engagement Advisory Committee members and community partners. The silver lining of rescheduling is that it allows us more time to host virtual and eventually in-person events, with Blue as a means of leading public conversation and critical engagement on contemporary issues impacting our community.”
Toledo Opera’s La Traviata will proceed as originally scheduled on Friday, April 22, 2022 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 2:00 pm.
A new virtual programming schedule to complement the future opening of Blue is being developed and will be released on a date in the future. All tickets purchased for Blue will be honored on the postponed dates. If you have questions regarding tickets, please contact rcammarn@toledoopera.org or call 419.255.7464.
For more information about Blue, please visit www.toledoopera.org/upcoming-performances/season-event/blue/. For more information on Toledo Opera, visit https://toledoopera.org.