The Belfry Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Ave., and Pacific Opera Victoria present a new production of LetB次元官网网址檚 Make An Opera and The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten and librettist Eric Crozier.

Part play, part opera, LetB次元官网网址檚 Make An Opera and The Little Sweep are part of a worldwide celebration of BrittenB次元官网网址檚 centenary.

Directed by Rachel Peake and conducted by Giuseppe Pietraroia, LetB次元官网网址檚 Make An Opera and The Little Sweep stars Rebecca Hass, Charlotte Corwin, Michael Colvin, Giles Tomkins, Mary-Ellen Rayner and the audience. In The Little Sweep the audience is invited to be part of the chorus for the opera.

Act One of the program is a play. LetB次元官网网址檚 Make An Opera portrays an adventure in collaboration,  as kids and grownups create an opera they will perform together. They learn to write words they sing. They hold auditions, wrangle sets and costumes, and survive the chaos and panic of the dress rehearsal.

The Little Sweep is the actual opera, and Act Two of the eveningB次元官网网址檚 program. It is the tale of a young sweep who gets stuck up a chimney and is rescued by plucky children who plot to keep him safe from his brutal master.

LetB次元官网网址檚 Make An Opera and The Little Sweep are part of Pacific Opera VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Britten Festival, which began with the delightfully witty Albert Herring at the Royal Theatre and continues with NoyeB次元官网网址檚 Fludde at the Church of St. John the Divine and is a collaboration with the Victoria Conservatory of Music and LetB次元官网网址檚 Make An Opera and The Little Sweep; productions that, true to the composerB次元官网网址檚 intent, involve youth, community, and professional artists in a collaborative creation of opera beyond the opera house.

B次元官网网址淏ritten designed his works for community collaboration,B次元官网网址� said Timothy Vernon, POVB次元官网网址檚 artistic director.  B次元官网网址淗e challenged us to infiltrate all aspects of a community B次元官网网址� the youth and novice artists, singers, actors and musicians, believing that the creation of art is communal.B次元官网网址�

Tickets for the special community event March 2 are $50 and include a catered pre-show silent auction beginning at 6:30 p.m., the performance at 7:30 p.m., and a catered post-show reception with the cast.

To book your tickets call the Belfry box office at 250-385-6815. The show runs March 2 to 10.