COURTESY OPERA CAROLINA

Opera Carolina rescheduled “I Dream” to April 2021. “I Dream” was originally scheduled for March but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 continues to impact Charlotte stages.

Opera Carolina announced the postponement of their 2019-20 season finale “I Dream” in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Composer Douglas Tappin’s rhythm and blues opera detailing the final hours of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life was set to make its second appearance in Charlotte with a bigger splash in 2020 than its successful premiere in 2018. It was scheduled to take place at Belk Theater rather than Knight Theater as it did during its first run, with most of the cast returning to bring the production to life.

However, the pandemic has altered the entire 2020-21 season, including the return of “I Dream,” which has been delayed from January 2021 to April. The other two productions scheduled for the upcoming season, “Tosca” and “Aida,” have been push to 2021-22. Opera Carolina has also canceled the signature fall fundraising event, Bella Notte, due to the pandemic.

“The postponement of ‘Tosca’ and ‘Aida’ and the rescheduled performances of ‘I Dream’ is not an announcement we ever wanted to make but it is the right one,” Opera Carolina Artistic Director James Meena said in a statement. “The safety of our patrons, our team, and our artists is the most important consideration. ‘Tosca’ and ‘Aida’ are both large-scale grand operas and wouldn’t be able to be performed from safe distances. ‘I Dream’ is a significantly smaller work and will be easier to safely distance during the performances. We’re saddened at the announcement of our season, but we are excited about what is ahead and what we have planned. We now have the opportunity to innovate and to further explore opportunities to virtually connect with our audience and with new audiences.”

Opera Carolina, like many artistic institutions, has pivoted to virtual performances throughout the pandemic. The company created an iStream series and expanded on the concept of a virtual opera house while also offering small-scale performances as the state continues to reopen. Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order moved North Carolina into Phase 2.5 last week, which allowed mass gatherings to increase to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.

Opera Carolina will release its 2020-21 season schedule later this month.

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