Puppet Master Brings His Art to CMU Opera

In the upcoming opera " Zémire et Azor ," there is beauty in its beast. One of the earliest tellings of the "Beauty and the Beast," the opera has been adapted by Carnegie Mellon University Guest Director James Ortiz with the use of a massive 8-foot-tall puppet operated by four performers, while a fifth provides its voice. The show includes French songs with English dialogue. "It's a very unusual challenge as a performer," said William Ottow, a vocal performance graduate student who is one of two actors cast in the role of Azor's voice. Each role in the opera is double cast so more students can participate. "As a performer you get used to taking ownership of your role and you have to get used to different acting choices that the puppeteers may need in a scene." Ortiz created the beast puppet, known as Azor, and several others used in the upcoming show for productions at Opera Saratoga and Starlight Music Theatre in Milwaukee, with the help of the latter's prop shop. "Puppetry is an exaggerated form of acting," Ortiz said.