Friday, March 8, Shamblin Theater hosted the opening night for Blackbird Theater’s production of Amadeus.
The Peter Shaffer play, later adapted into the Academy Award-winning film, tells the story of the tumultuous life and death of Mozart from the perspective of his long time rival Salieri. Feeling he was cheated by God because he was not blessed with the gift Mozart had, the play shows the mental and spiritual battle Salieri fought.
The Amadeus production at Lipscomb gives Blackbird Theater founders Wes Driver and Greg Greene an opportunity to work at their Alma Mater, as well as work with current Lipscomb students.
The idea began with Lipscomb Theater department chair Mike Fernandez and his encouragement for the duo to create the theater production company and be artist-in-residence. Driver is the artistic director, and Greene serves as the managing director.
The hope of Driver and Green is to inspire, yet challenge, the minds of the audience.
“The type of theater we hope to produce is transformative. We want to produce productions that will initially challenge people but ultimately inspires them,” Driver said.
For Greene, the expectation for the show is, “to transform the people’s thinking and give them an opportunity to reflect on the big issues in life. Having conversations after the show and the responses from social media is what makes a show successful.”
The production is one of the many performances from the Nashville Symphony and Orchestra throughout the months of March and April. Mozart in the Music City will be a period of all things Mozart. This includes the production of Amadeus, the Orchestra performing The Magic Flute and the Symphony holding a piano concerto.
Student tickets are available for this weekend and next Thursday’s 7 p.m. showing. SGA will be giving away 300 tickets to the student body. For more information on tickets and Blackbird Theater, visit http://blackbirdnashville.com/. For more information on Mozart in the Music City, go to http://mozartinmusiccity.com/.