Minnesota Opera announces its second opera webcast – Project Opera’s production of The Giver. The webcast will be streamed on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 7pm, and Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 1pm, at operamusicbroadcast.com. There will also be a live chat during Wednesday’s webcast so viewers can participate in the experience and ask questions about the performance.

I’m apparently going to be murderized in my sleep. Watch out, Lee is going to write the rest of it. it will no longer have hands, feet, grass, night scenes or day scenes.

Actually, the comic will now just be boobies forever.

…You’d all like that, wouldn’t you?

It turns out, the MN Opera company has a kids program, that teaches kids grades 9 and up to sing opera and act! Which would explain the amount of fabulous opera talent we have around here. They were premiering an all-kids production of one of my favorite books from my childhood- The Giver by Lois Lowry. I was a bit nervous at the idea of listening to kids try to sing opera for close to two hours, but there was no need. There was not a sour note in the show, and a couple really moving performances. Particularly, the relationship between Jonas and The Giver was just as complex as it was in the book. Not only that, but both Lois Lowry and the librettist/composer, Susan Kander were there both before and during the show. I couldn’t find my copy of the book that day (it naturally showed up 2 days later) so they signed some of my sketches! It was so cool, and I got to share of of my favorite stories with a bunch of talented comic artists. I would tell you to go see this, but it was 100% sold out before opening night. The best I can offer is to let you live vicariously through my sketches, and strongly suggest you go grab the book. Click to enlarge.

In the world of “The Giver” emotions are tightly regulated, ritualized, muted, and reported in detail.

it is also devoid of color. Jonas can’t even name what he starts to see at age 12, right before he is assigned his future lifetime career.

At the Ceremony of Twelve he is selected to be The Receiver of Memories, and the Community is told that he can “see beyond”

Turns out, receiving the memories of the pre “Utopian” world isn’t so great.

I’m not going to explain this one. Read the book, if you haven’t.

What can I say, Lee and I are Minnesotans. Passive aggressive arguments are in our blood.

Myria is trying her best. She’s…just the kind of Lawful that usually means “I’m a giant ass. Follow The Rules or I will cut you.”

Myria is trying, because even Myria has to bend a little when the gods tell her The Rules are stupid. She still doesn’t have to like it, though. The Rules are The Rules, after all. And Sombath is just a little unworldly–she’ll come around on The Rules eventually, right?

Right?

I’m afraid that Myria is never going to like the world much. It’s going to keep changing. People are going to live in cities. And farm. And do things differently. And break the rules and come up with new rules. Poor, poor Myria and her world.

PS hey look, we figured out how to make polls!

Don’t be nervous, Myna. Your mother mostly got her terribleness out of her system.

Well, no. That’s a lie. But she isn’t trying to be terrible now. That probably counts for something.