Ozark Lyric Opera works with 16 imprisoned men to tell stories of hopelessness, redemption

Hopelessness and redemption are among the themes painted in Ozarks Lyric Opera's upcoming production that premieres this weekend.

Ozarks Lyric Opera presents "Fidelio," Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera, on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2:30 p.m. at the Gillioz Theatre. Internationally-renowned tenor Ric Furman plays the lead, Florestan. This will be the first time "Fidelio" has been performed in Missouri since the Lyric Opera of Kansas City's performance in 1983, according to Ozarks Lyric Opera Operation's Director Sean Spyres.

This local production is unique in the fact that Ozarks Lyric Opera worked with 16 men, incarcerated by the Missouri Department of Corrections, to highlight their stories through artwork and writing. These works will be projected on stage throughout the production and on display in the Gillioz Theatre's entryway.

Spyres said the decision to showcase the work of incarcerated men was inspired by therelationship with a family friend who is serving a life sentence without parole.

"We've been trying to think of ways to ... give him a voice," Sypres said. "He's done really great things behind bars. He's learned Japanese, he's taught a lot of people how to play music. When you're in for that long ... you want to have more than the story you're known for and a lot of these guys do. Over the 20 years, he's met a lot of people like him, who are eventually like, 'Well, I'm going to make the best of it and I'm going to do what I can.'"

Through this family friend, whose identity Sypres wished to keep anonymous, Ozarks Lyric Opera was able to connect with 15 different men interested in sharing their experiences with hopelessness, hope and redemption while in prison. Their names will not be shared during the production.

Sypres said one of the pieces, created by his friend, is a poem featuring a painting of a red balloon.

"He hadn't seen a balloon in-person in over two decades," Sypres said of his friend. "One just made it over the razor wires and it was just out in the yard. He took it around and showed it to everybody and then he took it, as quickly as he could, back to his cell and he painted it. He was just talking about how the lighting hit it and it was an incredible thing and how that, for him, represented hope, just to be able to see that and hold onto that."

The Ozarks Lyric Opera's collaboration with these 16 incarcerated men proves to be a "perfect vehicle," Spyres said, for "Fidelio," which is set in the prison system.

Originally titled "Leonore" after the woman Beethoven loved, "Fidelio" was written in 1805. The Ozarks Lyric Opera's production, however, is set in the United States Penal System in the 1980s. The opera's main character, Florestan, wallows in the depths of confinement for two years before having a vision of his wife, Leonore.

In attempt to save her husband from wrongful accusation, Leonore dresses up as a male prison guard, named Fidelio. She infiltrates the penitentiary and eventually is able to set Florestan free through the powerful of "faithful love" and redemption," according to an Ozarks Lyric Opera news release.

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Spyres said many aspects of "Fidelio" may be recognizable to those familiar with Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9." Beethoven wrote "Fidelio" before he became deaf and used many key elements of the opera to construct "Symphony No. 9" by the time he had lost all hearing.

"You can't always just tell a nice, pretty story," Spyres said. "While it may be tough to think about what some of these (incarcerated men) have done, it really does bring that gravity to the story, to the music."

As for connecting with internationally-touring tenor Furman, Spyres said he performed with Furman's now wife Leah Hamilton during a production of "Carmen" put on by the Springfield Regional Opera (the previous name of Ozarks Lyric Opera) about 11 years ago. Hamilton previously served as the executive director of the Springfield Regional Arts Council before she and Furman moved to Germany, where they both live and work today.

When thinking about who he wished to cast as Florestan in "Fidelio," Furman was the first person who came to Spyres' mind. So he wrote Furman a letter and fortunately for the Ozarks Lyric Opera, he accepted.

In addition to Furman, the production of "Fidelio" includes six cast members, 12 chorus members and a 24-piece orchestra, Spyres told the News-Leader.

Tickets for "Fidelio" are available on the Ozarks Lyric Opera website at ozarkslyricopera.com/fidelio.html. Tickets range between $27-47. Free valet parking is also available, provided by the Ozarks Lyric Opera.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozark Lyric Opera's 'Fidelio' to feature artwork of imprisoned men