AMADIGI DI GAULA Armour from Aurora, Colorado

Back Porch F/X, a local company in Aurora, Colorado, is making the armour for the sorcerer Melissa in our North American premiere of Georg Friedrich Händel's Amadigi di Gaula. They recently posted some in-process photos on Facebook.

Fresh out of the mold - bronze armour for the Central City Opera sculpted by my student intern Jonathan Rash, USMC, Ret. and modeled by my student assistant Crissy Bender. (Description by Back Porch F/X)

Same bronze armour trimmed and painted. Well done, Marine! Sure looks like bronze, even though it's rubber and only weighs 1 lb. (Description by Back Porch F/X)

The armour above is for Melissa's Roman costume.  As we're setting this opera in the Renaissance (imagine a Harry Potter-like world of science, magic, and cool clothes), she'll also have an Elizabethan costume, as seen below.

Preliminary costume rendering of Melissa the Sorceress in this summer's production by designer Madeleine Boyd.

Melissa is played by Kathleen Kim, who recently played Zerbinetta in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Ariadne auf Naxos.  She also played the magical Armida in our 2009 production of Händel's Rinaldo.

Kathleen Kim (Armida), center, surrounded by her servants in Central City Opera’s RINALDO (2009).
Photo by Mark Kiryluk.

Do these costumes inspire you (or your kids) to dress up in magical attire, too?  Well, you're in luck! Our August 4th, 2:30 p.m., Family Matinee of Amadigi di Gaula includes a costume contest!  All kids are welcome to dress up in a magical/wizard or princess costume and be eligible for prizes from the Wizard's Chest. There will also be a wizard and magic show before the matinee, for even more mystical fun. For additional family-friendly activities this day, add-on our Take a Child to the Opera package, where you'll gain inside information about the opera accompanied by pre-performance fun activities, theatre games, and a post-opera talkback. You can also meet the cast afterward for an autograph session.

Watch for this locally-made armour when you're watching Amadigi di Gaula this summer!  We can't wait to see what costumes YOU create!

Watch the video trailer and view more information on Amadigi di Gaula, opening July 2nd.

Update July 15, 2011: Read this Aurora Sentinel feature on the effects shop that built the armour.