The journey

When we conceived of The Factotum, we wanted to reach broader audiences that aren’t your typical opera-goers. Coming from a gospel background growing up, neither of us felt we knew where our place was in the traditional opera world. We met as teenagers at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia, where we were lucky to be mentored by the late Robert Brown. He encouraged us to explore how free opera can be and that opera and black music don’t have to be all that different, in fact that there is space to mix things up. So, from an early age, we had it instilled in us that opera could bring people together and bridge community gaps. We were eager to explore the connection between contemporary culture and classical music and how we could find the intersection between different genres. We decided to meld together different styles, ranging from funk to R&B, Hip-Hop, gospel, and barbershop quartet, with operatic and classical traditions. Family and community have played an integral part in both of our lives, so we wanted to find a way to use opera as a storytelling device in a way that would directly resonate with our roots. 

We connected with the idea of updating Rossini’s Barber of Seville to a present day barbershop that we may visit. As the piece develops into its next iteration, we continue to develop the brotherhood of Mike and Garby, and go deeper into the nuance of their relationship, which is strained by the socio-economic situation that they are facing. We also plan to highlight that, despite the troubles that they encounter, forgiveness provides a powerful space for healing. A barber’s chair is a safe space where many men feel that they can open up and share. It’s a sacred place. The piece celebrates the power of community without shying away from the struggles that individuals face, and ultimately, it’s a story about love.