MOULTRIE — After a year of negotiations, the Peach State Opera will bring their production of “La Bohème” to the Colquitt County Arts Center. The one-time showing of the play be 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, with the proceeds going towards the Colquitt County High School Tempo Club’s spring trip to Italy.

“La Bohème” is based on a book by French writer Henri Murger titled “Scenes from Bohemian Life” and is the story of a love affair between a poor poet and an equally poor seamstress in 19th century Paris.

Peach State Opera is handling the performance of the play. They are an opera touring company that is located on the Clarkson campus of Georgia Perimeter College.

They also will be working closely with the  Colquitt County High School A Capella Choir, who will be the ensemble and provide the chorus for the production.

Connie Fritz, executive director of the Colquitt County Arts Center and coordinator of the play, thinks this is a great opportunity for students.

“The coolest thing about this is that our high school students are presented with an opportunity to perform with a professional opera company — something that many of them may never experience again,” said Fritz. “It’s a really unique opportunity not for just our community but for these students.”

Production has not begun on the play, but students have received the music so they can start preparing.

This is the first time that an opera performance has come to Moultrie, Fritz said, so expectations and excitement are through the roof.

“I have been here for 30 years, and we haven’t had an opera performance so this is the first since my time here — and I know it’s going to be a quality performance,” she said. “Peach State Opera engages professional performers who are trying to build their resumes, so they have auditioned and screened the folks in their production. We are really excited about bringing something new and different to the community.”