Small town is host to big voices

Utah's a great destination spot for a lot of things, such as hiking, skiing — and the Utah Festival Opera in Logan.

"There is an irony," said director/set designer Jack Shouse, "which is that a lot of the local people have never been to see a show. The assumption is that it couldn't be that good if it's in a small town. And the reality is that it's world-class. It just so happens that it's in Logan."

The four central productions drawing audiences this year are Verdi's "Rigoletto," Rossini's "Cinderella (La Cenerentola)," "The Secret Garden" and "Brigadoon."

"I think it's the finest collection of singers we've had in our 12 years," said Michael Ballam, the festival's general director. "I couldn't be more pleased with the four productions that we're doing this summer."

One leading artist is Ballam himself, who will be returning to the Utah Festival Opera stage after a five-year absence as Archibald Craven in "The Secret Garden." Much of that, Ballam said, has to do with his wife. "It's clearly her favorite musical, in large part because of the story.

"My wife has one of the most beautiful gardens on earth. It's a very poignant play for us because we have a son in a wheelchair, which is the central feature of 'The Secret Garden.' "

Ballam said he used to appear in a production every year — mostly due to economics. "You don't get any cheaper than free," he noted.

Trying to balance his administrative and singing/acting roles hasn't been easy, so Ballam said he doesn't plan to make this an annual occurrence — especially since the festival gets bigger each year. "I kind of set my office up in the dressing room, with computer and phone line, because it's around-the-clock vigilance to operate a company that has 200 artists."

Ballam tries to run things in a way that reflects his personal vision for the festival — which doesn't include shortcuts. He said that each year, he personally auditions roughly 1,000 singers for the 60 spots in the ensemble. And in addition to the auditions, he also conducts interviews so that he can select a cast that is willing to work within the parameters of that vision. "They have to be really hard workers."