Learning resources for middle school and high school classrooms
We are excited to give teachers and students a glimpse into the story, music and images of Lyric’s 2023 production of The Factotum. The presentation below serves to prepare classes for the performance experience. It can be used as a quick reference or a longer study guide with prompts for deeper consideration both before and after coming to the theater.
This slide deck contains:
You may also elect to use the “speaker notes,” which contain additional information. Simply click on the three dots next to the slide number to gain access to them.
Listen to the music that inspired the creators of The Factotum. This playlist represents the wide range of genres and artists that influenced Will Liverman and DJ King Rico as they developed the opera.
Q&A with Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj
As opening night of the world premiere of The Factotum approaches, we had a chat with co-book writer, director, and dramaturg Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj. In this interview, read about his experience working with co-creators Will Liverman and DJ King Rico, the importance of connecting art and activism, his dreams for the opera’s legacy, and more!
Expanding the tradition
The Factotum celebrates Black joy, merges influences, and widens our view of what opera can be. The co-creators who made this “everything” opera are Will Liverman and Rocket Jackson, two artists who grew up knowing each other at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Virginia when they were voice students studying opera and music in high school. While Liverman stayed with opera, Jackson moved into jazz, hip hop, and production to become DJ King Rico. Both got their early music exposure in the Black church, primarily through gospel. Given their musical fluency, it is not surprising that The Factotum comprises a wide range of musical styles — almost a little of everything from gospel, barbershop quartet, R&B, and jazz to funk, hip hop, and trap.
Header photo: Co-creators DJ King Rico (left) and Will Liverman (right) at a creative team meeting for The Factotum. Credit: Andrew Cioffi/Lyric Opera of Chicago
Original mural artwork by Barrett Keithley commissioned by Lyric Opera of Chicago. Photo credit: Todd Rosenberg.
All other photos: Andrew Cioffi/Lyric Opera of Chicago