Where you know them: Artistic director Mark Junkert wants the 2009-10 season of Opera Idaho to "appeal to the masses," so he has embarked on an ambitious collaboration with some of the Treasure Valley's other premiere performing arts groups. This weekend's two performances of Gounod's "Faust" certainly gives the Devil his Due with imaginative sets, brilliant vocal performances, and "action" — yes "action" — provided by dancers from the Idaho Dance Theatre.

Why you should go: This is "Faust" like you have never seen it before, presented in one of Boise's newest state-of-the-art performing arts venues, the South Junior High School auditorium. You'll witness fabulous opera performances from a star-studded ensemble headlined by New York tenor Matt Morgan, with music conducted by Boise Philharmonic Maestro Robert Franz. Doug Copsey, a co-founder of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, promises magic, movement and "some surprises."

The lowdown: Performances at 7:30 p.m. tonight and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at South Junior High School, 3101 Cassia St., Boise; tickets range from $22 to $69 for adults and $15 to $54 for children with a special $34 Sunday matinee price, available at 387-1273 or at the Egyptian Theatre, downtown Boise.