IN KEEPING with its enviable record for introducing children to the full gamut of the arts, Baboró this year features an opera specially written for young audiences.
Written by Sophie Kassies, Schaf! is the clever and witty story of a sheep who is tired of being just one of a crowd. She goes on a mad journey in search of the perfect name. The performance is beautifully sung and accompanied with live harpsichord and cello.
The production comes from Schnawwl, which is the youth and children’s theatre of Germany’s prestigious National Theatre Mannheim company, which can trace its history back to 1779.
In 1979 the Mannheim theatre became the first German municipal theatre to found a children’s theatre and opera ensemble. The name Schnawwl means ‘beak’ in the Baden dialect. Schnawwl’s theatre is in a converted fire-station and since its foundation it has gone on to stage many outstanding productions.
Schaf! features all the production values you would expect from a professional opera, with live music and a setting that includes 120 square metres of real grass and a little stream running through rocks. What the show also does very successfully is captivate and entertain a young audience giving them a wonderful introduction to the joys of opera.
Schaf! is at the Black Box on Saturday October 18 at 11am and again at 5pm. The show is suitable for children aged five and upwards.
