The biggest concern for Saturday's performance of "The Medium" was cell phones.
"The show is only an hour," Joseph Levitt, director of the Ball State University Opera Theatre, reminded the audience. "Just turn them off."
On Friday and Saturday, the Ball State Pocket Opera company had its first performance at the Hargreaves Music Building. Levitt said the two showings of Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Medium" were a success — the show drew a full house of 210 people on Friday night, while Saturday night came close with 150 audience members, Levitt said.
Levitt created Pocket Opera, which debuted this season, and directed its first performance. Levitt said the idea for the Pocket Opera was to have a smaller performance to contrast the department's larger show in the spring.
"The Medium" was an hour long and had free admission.
"It's a smaller budget, in English for accessibility and there are no ticket prices — anybody can come in," Levitt said.
Both performances took place in Music Building Room 123, which has only been used as a practice space before the weekend. The production staff set out 210 chairs in the small room for the audience; almost all of them were filled throughout the weekend. Many of the audience members had to shuffle around and strain their necks to see the show, as the stage wasn't highly elevated.
The show starred a cast of six people. Performers were Ball State students Emily Spahr, Christopher Bateson, Tina Marie Cowling, Brianna Clark, Brayton Arvin and Bonnie von Hoff. Von Hoff, a second year doctoral student, said she was happy with the weekend performances.
"The opera is extremely dark and intense," she said. "The cast did a wonderful job of communicating that. The cast really worked well together and we learned a lot from each other."
"The Medium" tells the story of the drunken, hostile fortune teller Madame Flora (von Hoff) who lives with her daughter Monica (Cowling) and Toby (Arvin), a mute servant boy. Flora tricks her customers into believing they are speaking with dead family members. She uses Monica to assist in her deception. Later, Flora is shocked and frightened by two hands grasping her neck during a séance. She blames Toby, who she abuses. Because of her secret love for Toby, Monica turns against her aging mother. Flora is driven mad by the confusion, and the opera ends in tragedy.
"It's a good introduction into opera," von Hoff said.
Ball State junior Mark Kindler said "The Medium" was the first opera he had ever seen. He said he didn't know what to expect, but he thought the show was "very good." His favorite character was Toby.
"The actor's portrayal of him was really good," Kindler said.
Sophomore Clark — who portrayed Mrs. Nolan in the show — said preparing for a show like this can be stressful, but it paid off in the end.
"It took us a while to get into the swing of things. Like every show, you're always really nervous about coming together, and miraculously, the last couple of nights, it happens," she said.
Levitt said he plans for the Opera Theatre to continue having smaller-scale performances every fall. He said the Pocket Opera company is also another way for his students to experience the real world of theatre.
"The cast has really come a long way and exceeded my expectations," he said. "It's my goal since being appointed director of the Opera Theatre to provide the students of Ball State University with the most real experience they can get."
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