L’Enfant et les Sortileges Comes Alive

In September 2001, educators from The Contemporary Museum and Hawai‘i Opera Theatre worked with schoolchildren in grades 1-6 at Waiau Elementary School in Pearl City. Their goal was to produce sets for HOT’s October 31 production of Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortileges. Collaboration seemed natural to project organizers, since David Hockney’s installation inspired by the opera is a highlight of TCM’s permanent collection.

In a series of sessions, TCM Educators taught the children about Hockney’s installation, the opera that inspired it, color, painting and design. HOT Educations were also on hand for several sessions to educate children about opera.  As a group, the children’s work formed a theatrical backdrop for the production.

Following is a description of this activity, as observed through the eyes of a staff member:

On a sunny September morning, children listened, rapt, as educators explained the narrative, and translated and performed one of the opera’s songs. The timeless story enthralls and appeals to the young: A boy who misbehaves is confined to his room, and in his anger provokes inanimate objects to become animate. In the process, he learns important life lessons. Imaginative, colorful and funny, the narrative invites a thoughtful response.