The opera program at Rice trains voice students not only to sing but to act, dress up in costume and move about the stage. For the past five years, Debbie Dickinson has held the post of acting coach at the Shepherd School. Dickinson videotapes students so that they can see their mistakes, which might be poor posture or a raised eyebrow that does not reflect the nature of the song being sung. Dickinson directs one of these, while the second annual production is directed by a Houston Grand Opera director. The performances take place at the Wortham Opera Theatre in Alice Pratt Brown Hall.
Education is first.
Entertainment is second. The opera department's main goals are ensuring that the voice is intact and healthy and that the students develop an acting craft to accompany their musical skills. But, she says, only about 8 percent of people with aspirations of an operatic career will actually have one. Recognizing that, the Shepherd School wants voice students to keep music as part of their experience. Aspiring vocalists don't have to be opera diva wanna-bes to take voice lessons.