In addition to creating an opera production of exceptional artistic quality, a further goal is to develop a rich educational component for the project. This has been achieved by the creation of an internship program for young people in the theatre and music fields. In the coming months, we will be securing additional relationships with theatre schools, universities and colleges throughout the country to announce our internship program for The Face. A handpicked group of students will be given the opportunity to assist and be mentored by each member of the professional team. The students will play vital roles in both the staging and rehearsal of the opera, functioning in assistant roles for the Stage Director, Producer, Lighting Designer, Stage Manager, Film Crew, Costume/Wardrobe, Make-up/Wigs and also as covers for the cast during the prodcution. 

UPCOMING EDUCATION EVENT:  On April 10th, 2012 (2-4pm) Donald Crockett and David St. John will lead an in depth discussion of The Face in the USC Thornton School of Music's "Writer and Composer" class. Excerpts of the opera will then be performed by vocal and opera students in the class. 

UPDATE: Congratulations to Sarah Gibson (Thornton School of Music, USC, Los Angeles, CA), Karenanna Creps (Emerson College, MA) and Maggie Hasspacher (a graduate of the Thornton School of Music, USC, Los Angeles, CA) who have all been recently announced as new team members for The Face. Please see below for more about our team:

Sarah Gibson - Dubbed “a serious talent to watch” by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, pianist-composer Sarah Gibson debuted with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2005. Receiving a Bachelor of Music with High Honors in piano and composition at Indiana University she went on to receive her masters in composition at the University of Southern California where she was Outstanding Masters Student of the Year in 2010 and where she is now pursuing her D.M.A. in composition with minors in Keyboard Collaborative Arts, Conducting, and Theory. Sarah has been a Teaching Assistant in Theory/Aural Skills at USC and is now in her third year serving as the Teaching Assistant for the USC Contemporary Music Ensemble, in which she also performs.  

Karenanna Creps - Originally from Brighton, MI, Karenanna Creps earned her BFA in Theatre Performance and her BA in Humanities from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  After working in intercultural education in English, cultural studies, and the arts, both in France and in the USA, Karenanna earned her Master’s degree in Theatre Education from Emerson College.  She is a certified K-12 educator in the state of Massachusetts.  She recently accepted a position as one of two assistants to the Producer on The Face and is delighted to be working on this project featuring an international cast and crew.