PRODUCTION HEADED TO HIGH POINT. YEAH, THE PIEDMONT OPERA HAS TWO PERFORMANCES THIS WEEKEND. THEY’RE SET TO PRESENT THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO THIS FRIDAY AND AND SUNDAY AT THE HIGH POINT THEATER. THIS WILL BE THE VERY FIRST PERFORMANCE IN THE CITY, SO TO TELL US MORE THIS MORNING, WE HAVE JAMES ALBERT. AND JOINING US LIVE. HE’S THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR THE PIEDMONT OPERA. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SO PLEASE TELL US THE PREMISE OF THIS SHOW. I SAW SOME SIGNS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOME FRONT YARDS, SO IT SHOULD BE PRETTY POPULAR, HUH? THIS IS ONE OF. THIS IS PROBABLY MOZART’S MOST POPULAR OPERA, AND IT IS ONE OF THE MOST PRODUCED OPERAS ON THE PLANET. WOW. OKAY. IT WAS RECENTLY VOTED NUMBER ONE OPERA BY MORE THAN 120 OPERA SPECIALISTS ON IN THE COUNTRY. SO IT’S AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE OF MUSIC. UH, THIS IS, UH, IN THIS PLAY, UH, FIGARO OBVIOUSLY IS IS ABOUT TO BE MARRIED. UH, HIS TO HIS BRIDE, SUSANNA. BUT THERE ARE A FEW IMPEDIMENTS ALONG THE WAY, UH, WHICH CREATE COMIC FOOLISHNESS. IT’S, UH. HE SIGHS, OWED A CONTRACT TO MARRY, LET’S SAY, A WOMAN SLIGHTLY SENIOR. HIS POSITION, UH, FOR A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY AND AND, UH, BECAUSE HE PLANS ON GETTING MARRIED TODAY. UH, THAT WOMAN HAS DECIDED TO CALL THE CONTRACT. UH, IN ADDITION, THEY ARE BOTH, UH, THE SERVANTS OF THE COUNT AND THE COUNT IS CHASING SUSANNA. HIS BRIDE, RELENTLESSLY. UH, THERE ARE MORE SHENANIGANS GOING ON. UH, LET’S LET’S PUT IT THIS WAY. THE COUNT DOES NOT HAVE HIS BEST DAY DURING THE COURSE OF THE OPERA, BUT AT THE END OF THE EVENING, SUSANNA AND FIGARO, AFTER A BUNCH OF HIJINKS, HAPPILY GET MARRIED. OH, OKAY. IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING. SPOILER ALERT JAMES. MY GOODNESS. WELL, I MEAN, IT’S IN THE TITLE. YOU KNOW, MOZART DID IT INFAMOUS. FAIR ENOUGH. UH, JAMES, TALK ABOUT THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE A LITTLE BIT. IS THIS A FAMILY FRIENDLY EXPERIENCE? WHO WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE TO ATTEND? UH, MARRIAGE OF FIGARO IS A FUN OPERA THAT HAS MOMENTS OF SERIOUS ENNICE. I DON’T KNOW WHO WOULD NOT ENJOY IT. UH, THE FUN PART ABOUT THIS OPERA IS IT’S AN ENSEMBLE CAST. IT’S NOT. THE SOPRANO SINGS. AND THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THE CAST. SO IN TERMS OF KEEPING YOUR ATTENTION, UH, THERE’S THERE’S THERE ARE TWO SOPRANOS. THERE ARE TWO BARITONE JONES. UH, THERE THERE ARE THINGS ARE COMING AND GOING ALL THE TIME. SO I THINK IT’S A FAMILY ABSOLUTE FAMILY FRIENDLY ON EVERY FRONT. WONDERFUL TO HEAR AND WE KNOW THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME, AS I MENTIONED, PERFORMING IN HIGH POINT. TELL US, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING IN A NEW VENUE? YOU KNOW, IT’S EXCITING FOR US. UH, SOME PEOPLE SAID WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE STEPHEN CENTER THAT WE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, OH, GOODNESS, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? AND I SAID, I LOOK AT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY. UH, I THINK THIS IS TERRIFICALLY EXCITING TO FINALLY FULFILL OUR NAME OF BEING PIEDMONT OPERA. WE ARE PART OF THE PIEDMONT AND SO THIS IS OUR FIRST OUTING AT THE HIGH POINT THEATER, AND WE WILL BE MOVING AROUND A LITTLE BIT OVER THE NEXT FEW SEASONS. UH, BUT, UH, THE THEATER ITSELF IS A WONDERFUL SPACE. YOU CAN SIT IN ANY SEAT AND FEEL ALMOST LIKE YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PERFORMANCE. AND WE’RE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO REACHING OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND SERVING THEM IN, IN A NEW AND DIFFERENT WAY. WE’VE ALREADY MADE FRIENDS WITH SOME NEW PEOPLE. UH, DAVE BRIGGS OUT AT THE HIGH POINT THEATER, WHO MANAGES THE THEATER, HAS BEEN FANTASTIC TO US, AND, UH, WE’RE WE’RE WE’RE WE’RE FINDING A NICE CONNECTION IN THE HIGH POINT COMMUNITY. SO I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW FRIENDS, NEW SPACES AND ALSO BRINGING, UH, OUR, OUR REGULAR, UH, FRIENDS AND SUBSCRIBERS TO THE HIGH POINT AREA AND ENJOYING THIS WONDERFUL VENUE. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT SHOW, JAMES, BUT IT ALSO HAS A NICE BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THIS WEEKEND SHOW, UH, BENEFITS OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE’RE THRILLED TO PARTNER WITH OUR FRIENDS AT OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES. UH, IT’S IT’S SORT OF THE PERFECT COMBO NATION BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY THEY HELP PEOPLE REGAIN THEIR LIVES THROUGH SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. AND THAT’S ALMOST EXACTLY THE PLOT OF THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. UH, SO WE’VE PARTNERED WITH THEM. UH, THERE IS A WEDDING REGISTRY AT AMAZON WHERE YOU CAN GO YOU CAN CONNECT TO THAT THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AT PIEDMONT OPERA AND YOU CAN BUY FOR SUSANNA AND FIGARO’S WEDDING. UH, THE, THE THE PRODUCTS THAT OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES NEED TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY AS WELL. OH, THAT’S REALLY A NICE PARTNERSHIP. YEAH. IT WAS EXCELLENT TO HAVE YOU ON OUR SHOW. COME ON BACK ANYTIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND HERE IS THE INFORMATION ON THE SCREEN. NOW FOR FOLKS. PIEDMONT OPERA WILL PRESENT THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO MARCH 24TH AND THE 22ND, RATHER FIRST COMING UP THIS FRIDAY AND THEN AGAIN ON SUNDAY. BOTH PERFORMANCES WILL BE HELD AT THE HIGH POINT THEATER, AND TICKET PRICES BEGIN AT $20. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFOR