Ah, the opera. It is an otherworldly experience to sit in a hushed, dimly lit theater, gazing at the stage as a hidden orchestra strikes the first stirring chord. The drama is also a cathartic anecdote to end-of-semester anxiety. This April 27 through April 28, BU School of Music’s Opera Institute and their School of Theater exhibits “Alcina,” an Italian opera by Georg Friedrich Handel reimagined with striking dress, startling props and dramatic lighting. If looks could kill, “Alcina” will be deadly.

Oshin Gregorian, managing director of the BU Opera Institute, is in charge of the broad production of shows. In an interview in front of the theater, he said shows are picked based on how beneficial they will be to the artistic development of the widest possible array of students.