Emory students played important roles as pharaohs’ fathers and daughters, dramatizing mummification scenes and coronations in the Atlanta Opera’s production of Akhnaten at Emory this past week.

Of the 35 students who auditioned last December, director Richard Kagey of the Atlanta Opera only selected 10 to act as supernumeraries or “supers,” actors who create scenes during an opera. Kagey directed the students to portray various silent roles to the musical background composed by Philip Glass.

“For a theater student, it’s very unusual to switch to working in the world of opera, because the whole system works differently,” Kagey said, adding that rehearsals are more segmented and the students have much less to go on as they create their characters. “The professionalism of the Emory students really impressed me.”

Kagey was inspired to hire Emory students as supers when he saw a group of Theater Emory students dressed in Egyptian costumes at the announcement of the King Tut exhibit last year in the Carlos Museum. “That got me thinking … you know, these students could solve some of the problems we have in our shows,” Kagey said. The rehearsal period for the show was exceedingly short according to Kagey, lasting from Jan. 14 to opening night last Friday — less than two weeks.

“This is a piece that’s not typical,” Kagey said, adding that one of his concerns was that its modern feel should not push away audience members. “It’s not easy to do a show this quickly unless everyone is talented and willing.”
Chelsea Kaplan, a College freshman, said that it was “amazing” to work with professionals on such a high level.

“We’d be in rehearsal and they’d say ‘Sorry, I’m saving my voice,’ and I’d think in my head, ‘That’s half your voice? Really?’” she said. “I just felt lucky to be part of it.”

Kaplan said she researched pictures of Egyptian rituals to prepare for her role, as the supers often had to portray ritual scenes. The work differed from regular theater roles she had done in that much of the focus was on conveying the characters’ inner life by capturing emotions solely with the eyes and face.

“To see the final performance was just unbelievable,” Kaplan said. “The Egyptian culture was really captured by the entrancing quality of the music.”

To Sarah Wallace, College junior, the prospect of acting in a sold-out production was intimidating at first. However, the director, the principals and the chorus made all the supers feel very comfortable and included, she said.

“There’s this stigma that in the opera, people are divas. After this experience, I have no idea where that comes from,” Wallace said.

In addition to playing individual characters, such as Akhnaten’s daughter, Wallace said she and the other supers played tourists, priests, Egyptian citizens and mummifiers during the opera.

“It was definitely something I would love to do again,” Wallace said.

— Contact Shalini Ramachandran.