In an exploration of where “New Media” and the traditional form of theater meet, Northern Illinois University’s Opera Theatre has taken a simple yet exciting step toward innovating the presentation of foreign language opera to a modern American audience. Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Boutell Concert Hall, NIU Music Building, DeKalb.  

Through a collaboration with the School of Art, the NIU Opera Theatre has taken its production of “The Magic Flute” and turned it into a digital comic book/graphic novel; which will be projected center stage alongside the live performers. That projection will show the singers interacting with the world of the story and contain translations of the foreign language in word bubbles.  

This production has endeavored to combine the unmistakeable experience of live music and storytelling with the transportative power of digital media. Musically directed by conductor Lucia Matos and with art direction by Bart Woodstrup, combining Mozart, magic, and comic books in “The Magic Flute” will be an audio-visual experience that glimses into the future of a truly hybrid theatrical experience.