In her 25 years at William Carey University, Dr. Connie Roberts has directed and/or conducted nearly 20 chamber operas and musicals – but “The Light in the Piazza” will mark her debut appearance as a member of the cast.
“The Light in the Piazza” will be presented Oct. 18-19 at WCU’s Thomas Fine Arts Center.
The play has elements of both musical theatre and opera. Set in the 1950s, it tells the story of Margaret Johnson, a strong-willed Southern woman who takes her daughter, Clara, on a trip to Italy. When a gust of wind blows Clara’s hat into the hands of a young Italian man, neither language barriers nor familial disapproval can stop their love affair. As Clara and Fabrizio fall in love and plan to marry, Margaret must grapple with the question of whether to tell Fabrizio's family that Clara is developmentally disabled.
The decisions she, the young couple, and Fabrizio’s family make illuminate their relationships.
The roles of Margaret Johnson and her daughter, Clara, will be played by Dr. Connie Roberts and her real-life daughter, Maggie Day Roberts, a singer and actress who lives in New York. WCU students and alumni will complete the cast of 20.
General admission tickets are $10; tickets for non-WCU students and seniors are $5. For more information, call (601) 318-6175.
How it happened“I first saw this work at Lincoln Center in 2006. It was some of the most beautiful and moving theatre I had ever experienced. Our whole family was on that trip to New York and our elder daughter, Maggie, and I began to muse about how wonderful it would be to do this show together,” Roberts said.
“It was just a dream until 2016, when Maggie and I studied for our dream roles with Victoria Clark, who originated the role of the mother, Margaret Johnson, on Broadway and won a Tony Award for her performance.”
Mother and daughter spoke with several performance companies about staging the show, but what finally made it possible was a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission to present it in conjunction with an educational project called Piazza Arts Day.
“Piazza Arts Day happens the day before the official opening, when hundreds of high school students will arrive at William Carey for seminars in the morning and a performance in the afternoon,” Roberts said.
“The seminars will highlight the work of Elizabeth Spencer, the Mississippi author who wrote the novella the work is based on, the art and architecture of Italy and other subjects pertinent to the play – allowing the students to appreciate the story with deeper understanding.”
Mississippi Arts CommissionWilliam Carey University has received a $4,400 grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission in support of this project, part of $1.4 million grants the Commission will award in 2019-20.
“The Mississippi Arts Commission is proud to support arts organizations, arts activities and festivals in our state through grant-making. These funds help broaden the reach of arts by educating our communities about Mississippi’s enduring creative legacy and offering arts experiences and performances to people in nearly every area of the state,” said MAC Executive Director Malcolm White.
These grants are made possible by support from the Mississippi Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The MAC serves our state by supporting programs to enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote the arts in education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. For more information about the MAC, contact Anna Ehrgott, communications director, at (601) 359-6546 or aehrgott@arts.ms.gov.