For the second year in a row, Scenic City Opera's Laura Sage is bringing her blend of classic, undervalued operas with a modern twist to the stage.
Last year, Sage, a Collegedale native, brought Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio" to life as a "Star Trek"-inspired production. This year, she hopes to do the same for the lesser-known and rarely performed Germanic opera "Der Vampyr."
"People were curious," she said of last year's production. "There's this perception that opera is for the elite, that it's stuffy or boring - and it's absolutely not at all. ... We don't want to be known as the pop culture opera company, but adding those components gets people interested."
This year's "Der Vampyr," written in 1828 by Heinrich Marschner, had never before been performed onstage when Sage's former opera company in LA performed the piece more than 15 years ago.
"And I don't know why," she said of the opera's historic death-on-arrival. "From the second I heard the music I knew it was truly fantastic. It's an amazing opera."
For the local performance, Christopher Holloway, who played the vampire in that first stage production so many years ago, is returning to reprise his leading baritone role - a rarity in the opera world, Sage said.
To meld the classic vampire story with the current century, modern-day garb will be worn and the spoken pieces have been translated into English, though the music will remain in German, with written translations available to audience members. Additionally, modern references to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "True Blood," "Twilight" and "The Vampire Diaries" have been added.
Sage said the intimate setting of Barking Legs Theater, where the opera will be performed each night, allows for a unique and up-close experience as opposed to the far-removed stages used in many operas.
"You'll be able to feel it in your chest," said Holloway. "It's a really unique opportunity."
In order to incorporate the impressive musical score, originally written for a full orchestra, into the small space, music director Tim Hinck said a great deal of time was spent reducing the parts down to an ensemble of 10 without losing the impact.
"I've spent most of my time rewriting the score for a smaller number of instruments," he said. "The challenge was reducing the number of players while maintaining a full, dramatic and intense sound. ... This is high romanticism, this is the golden period, the peak of classical opera. The writing is a perfect match for the kind of over-the-top vampire story that this is."
Tickets for Scenic City Opera's "Der Vampyr" are available on show days, May 26-28 and June 2-4, for $25. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit sceniccityopera.org.