UT Opera Theatre Introduces a New Stage Director … and an Italian Double Feature

 

As a subset of theatrical performance that is tied to both history and innovation, opera is overflowing with its own often esoteric customs and charming specialties. Unlike cinema and dramatic theatre, opera divides its director roles into two individuals: the conductor/music director and a stage director. The latter individual, of course, guides a production’s creative side, determining the overall interpretation, directing singers in movement and character development, as well as collaborating with designers on the physical aspects of the opera. For university training programs in opera—like the University of Tennessee Opera Theatre (UTOT)—the stage director also takes on a certain degree of educational responsibility, often being a music student’s first introduction to the ins and outs of professional performance.

Stepping into the spotlight with his first production as Director of Opera Theatre at UT is James Kenon Mitchell. Joining UTOT Music Director/Conductor Kevin Class, Mitchell is assuming the reins of the UT College of Music program following the 13-year tenure of stage director James Marvel and an interim assignment for director Scott Skiba. With BM and MM degrees from Eastman School of Music, Mitchell’s working background spans all sides of music theatre. Most recently, Mitchell was the Arthur Levitt Jr. ’52 Artist-in-Residence at Williams College in Massachusetts where he worked on interdisciplinary projects that combine music and theatre. One such staging was the oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson, a work performed by the Williams College Concert Choir and Chamber Choir.

Mitchell discussed his background and how he came to stage direction —and, of course, what he hopes to accomplish with the upcoming productions.

“Originally,” Mitchell explains, “I became interested in direction because I was in rehearsal rooms a lot and playing as a rehearsal pianist for a lot of opera. I was engaging with the repertoire from that vantage point—having conversations with both directors and singers. And, so, direction became a natural midpoint between the two worlds.”

Given his predecessor’s penchant for energetic visual statements and projection serving as an economical approach to scenery, Mitchell admits that his philosophy of physical productions is somewhat different, with a different set of priorities.

“If we build a beautiful set piece, we take it into the theatre and then we take it back out when the production is done. But what singers and actors create is ephemeral. That is what is really at the heart of any opera program, but specifically, an educational one.”

“I do love design,” Mitchell counters, “and I am totally invested in that part of the production process. But I think the most interesting things on stage are the humans. And the most interesting work comes from them. The pictures that are created by well-trained actor/singers moving in and through themselves is more interesting than anything that we can create to put on the stage…a big part of the education for the singers is to find their internal motivation and to figure out how to find the connective tissue between what they read on a page and how they internalize the story that they are telling.”

For the fall production of the 2025-26 UTOT season, two one-act comic operas were chosen: La cambiale di matrimonio (The Marriage Contract) by Gioachino Rossini and Amelia al ballo (Amelia Goes to the Ball) by Gian Carlo Menotti. Both operas came from young composers near the beginning of their careers. Rossini was but 18-years old when he wrote La cambiale di matrimonio; Amelia al Ballo was Menotti’s first mature opera, completed in 1937.

“Dr. Class [music director Kevin Class] and I were interested in this idea of newness,” says Mitchell, admitting that the Menotti was already near the top of their selection list when he arrived. “But we were also interested in them because of how they are specifically good for our singers. Amelia, in particular, is a great stepping-stone towards Puccini and Leoncavallo and the verismo of the late 19th Century.”

“Menotti’s orchestra (as written) is pretty massive and we are doing a reduced orchestration, but it’s one that was actually approved by Menotti. Even within those smaller forces, we’re getting the big lush romantic feeling that he was writing. And so it’s a great opportunity for young voices to get to sing something that is in the direction of verismo, but still appropriate to where they are in their development.”

“And, the Rossini is also great because it has some really difficult technical things in it. Rossini is known for coloratura, and it also includes a lot of recitative. But because it is one act, the amount of material is slightly more manageable than some of the larger Rossini roles.”

Mitchell weighed in on UTOT’s performance space resource, the acoustic gem that is the Bijou Theatre—a venue that is simultaneously forgiving yet still challenging for singers.

“One of the first things I did after arriving was a site visit to the Bijou to just sort of walk around. It’s a beautiful building …one of the things that I’m really excited about is basically to try and use every inch of that space.”

“It’s special that we are able to provide our students a venue that is the appropriate size for them. It’s not a huge theatre, so they can be un-amplified and we don’t have to worry about voices being covered up…it’s just a fun little space in that there’s all these little nooks and crannies where you can fit interesting things that people aren’t expecting…I’m looking forward to see how we can surprise people with the way that we use that space.”