Throwback Article | Summer Quarterly 2020
Throwback Article - Co-OpéRa
From Co-op News Spring 2010
The Co-op is a magical place with unique and creative employees. If you happened to be shopping in our Arcata location, you may have stumbled upon Co-Opéra – “the people’s opera”. This almost exclusive employee musical event went from daydream to vision by former Co-op cashier Megan ‘Megbeam” Workman. Enjoy this throwback article of the Co-op News from Spring 2010!
Co-OpéRa — The Working People’s Opera Opens at the Arcata Co-op This June
Co-op News, Spring 2010
The idea came to me while working on the register. I could envision my coworkers and I dancing down the aisles melodramatically singing about the pineapple’s crushed feelings and the artichoke’s achy-breaky heart.
I privately laughed often at the drama unfolding in my head while telling myself that the Co-OpéRa was a crazy idea and to keep dreaming.
Then, shortly after Halloween last year, Co-op Events Coordinator Gary Pellow approached me with the request to explore how we could integrate the performance based arts collaborative of which I am a member, Synapsis, with the atmosphere at the Co-op.
Thus began the journey to a grand summer event that you will have the opportunity to enjoy: the Co-OpéRa’s debut performances of The Magic Fruit on June 25, 26 & 27.
You may still be asking yourself, “But what is a Co- OpéRa?” Do not get it too mixed up with the defi nition of “opera.”
Yes, there are elements of that art form also existent in the definition of “Co-OpéRa,” such as singing, dancing, theatrics, comedy and satire being used to relate a story.
But since this is a completely new beast that we are creating here, we are also adding to the definition experimental, inspiring, infectious and FUN.
A Co-OpéRa is “the people’s opera” because it is not being generated from a place that requires decades of formal training, it is a musical event that flows organically from where each of us as creative individuals already exists
. Many of us involved do have formal musical training but many do not, particularly in the genre of opera.
Our Co-OpéRa company includes a majority of Co-op employees, but we hope to expand future productions to include more community members.
The Magic Fruit is an adaptation of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute).
Food security will be the central theme of the adapted plot with plenty of magic and antics to entertain all members of the family.
The production will be presented in vignettes, which will bloom sequentially for a few minutes each in different parts of the store, presenting the full piece over the course of the day.
A shopper encountering one vignette can enjoy it as a selfcontained theatrical immersion or one can plan to experience all the scenes and absorb a complete story. A detailed listing of all scenes, performers, times and locations in the store will be available in June.
The Magic Fruit’s music will also be adapted into many styles of music that would not necessarily be heard in the opera house.
Co-OpéRa’s goals include, but are not limited to, enriching our community of workers and shoppers, making art of the mundane, consumer education and awareness, FUN and humanizing the workers of our Co-op.
From my perspective, creating together is one of the surest methods to deepen relationships and provide impactful experiences.
We are thrilled to embark on this wild dream and will look forward to seeing you there.
By Megan “Megbeam” Workman
Arcata Co-op Cashier
