Romance. Heartbreak. Drama. Dido and Aeneasis Jersey Shore meets NPR.

The Augustana Opera Theatre premiered their production of this classic romance on Thursday.

The story revolves around the queen of Carthage, Dido, and a Trojan soldier, Aeneas, who meet and fall madly in love. But standing in the way of their blossoming romance are three witches who plot against Dido by convincing Aeneas he must leave to build the Roman Empire, leaving Dido heartbroken.

Henry Purcell wrote the baroque opera in the late 1600s for an all-girls boarding school.

"Once you know that the opera was written for an all-girls school, it becomes obvious in the music," orchestra director Christopher Stanichar said. "For example, all of the arias are written for female parts. The opera is really written for the perspective of a girl."

According to Stanichar, the opera should appeal to many college students because the music was written with young adults in mind.

"The music is filled with all these angst-related emotions that people in this age group are feeling," Stanichar said. "The music is really poignant."

There are 10 solo parts and a 14-member chorus.

"One reason we chose the opera was to allow performers to participate who maybe didn't want to have a solo," Grevlos said.

Junior Hannah Patzer will play the lead character of Dido. This will be her first performance in an opera.

"To get the lead in my first performance was so exciting," Patzer said. "I was shocked."

According to Patzer, this opera will present a rare opportunity for many students.

"We're kind of sheltered in South Dakota; there are really not many chances to see an opera around here," Patzer said. "It's funny, because if you go somewhere else, and tell someone you're an opera singer from South Dakota, they'll raise their eyebrows at you."

But, in contrast to the prolonged lengths of typical operas, the performance of Dido and Aeneaswill only run about an hour.

"It's uncommon, because most operas run three to four hours," Patzer said. "Dido and Aeneasflies by. It gives you a full story, but not over a long period of time."

The production is a collaboration between the opera program, the Augustana Choir and the Chamber Orchestra. This is the first time a collaboration like this has been done since 1995.

"It's really in the spirit of our sesquicentennial that we have a collaboration of both departments," music professor Lisa Grevlos, who is directing the opera, said.

Stanichar stressed the importance of music departments in a liberal arts school collaborating.

"Collaborations bring out the best of both groups involved," Stanichar said. "It fits into the liberal arts philosophy."

The addition of the orchestra also helped set the mood of the story, Patzer said.

"Performing the opera with the orchestra makes it seem more official," Patzer said. "When it was written, they didn't have piano, only harpsichord. Deanna Wehrspann is playing harpsichord and I think that helps place you in the time period."

According to Stanichar, the repetitive nature of the music is what drives the opera to its final, dramatic conclusion.

"When you listen to the music, it's composed of a lot of repetition," Stanichar said. "And I think that repetition adds tension."

Performances of Dido and Aeneaswill continue at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday in the Edith Mortensen Center Theatre.

Classics professor Rocki Wentzel will be presenting a pre-show talk before Friday's performance at 7 p.m. in the theater.