Britten's Midsummer.... is a good choice for college singers. Because the
instrumentation is very light, it does not call for older, more dramatic
voices. The only role that might be better as an older singer is Bottom --
just because it needs to be kind of bellowy. Oh, and there's the conflict of
Oberon. A female can always sing it if there is no counter tenor.
Running time...oh, dear. I would say 2 hours?? The last time I saw it was
this spring, but I must admit, I didn't time it. I saw it as a mostly
undergraduate production, and although I did not particularly care for most
of the voices, they WERE able to carry off the production, regardless. There
are many fun comic moments which they could relish in, which made up for
their unpolished singing. Many of the male roles (Bottom's friends) are more
acting-based, and could be played by non-classical singers, if it's just a
school production.
Most importantly, you need to be able to cover the bases:
Oberon - countertenor or contralto
Tytania - coloratura soprano
Lysander - tenor
Demetrius - baritone
Hermia - mezzo
Helena - soprano
Bottom - bass-baritone
(Flute - has some nice light tenor moments, and you would want someone who
was trained for this...otherwise, these moments would be pretty yucky)
Every other part can be done by non-classical singers, in my humble opinion.
As for difficulty to learn, it is mostly tonal, triadic, yet with lots of
chromaticism.
hope this helps,
Lauren
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