Two local children have been turned into marionettes for the summer.

Chloe Ford and Julian Gialanella first worked together in the world-premiere of Central Park, an opera of three one-act librettos commissioned by Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera. Their debut turned out to be a big splash when WNET's Great Performances broadcast Central Park.

The pair shone through another audition process to find themselves side by side in another Glimmerglass Opera production, this time Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, slated to open Friday night. The evolution of Ford's role has unfolded at a fast clip. The choreography changes from day to day, Ford said, and last week she went from being a boy, to a boy pretending to be a girl, to an angel draping red cloth over a body. Now she's a girl again.

Passion for music runs in Ford's family. Her maternal grandmother, Sarah Sumner, is a composer and classical violinist. Ford's older brother Alexander has been in four Glimmerglass Opera productions.

"I just really like opera," said Ford as she took a dinner break with staff and cast last Wednesday evening. "We do this puppet thing. It's a lot to learn and they always seem to be changing it. It's difficult, but it's a lot of fun."

Ford is going into the fifth grade and Gialanella will be in the sixth this fall. Ford's mother, Tara Sumner, said the opera requests that a parent be on hand during rehearsals, so she's been watching as the changes take place.

"It's fascinating," Sumner said. "You bring something to do but end up watching. She's learning a lot."

Ford said when she gets home at night, she finds herself humming music in her head.

"Everything changes," Sumner said. "They are just trying things out. But she has a fabulous dress."

Gialanella has been in Glimmerglass Opera productions for the last three years.

"It's a lot of fun," Gialanella said. "It's a good experience that not a lot of other kids have. It really does feel like you're a puppet."

The opera is a little scary, Gialanella said, and so are the people in it.

"They sing in the bathroom. It's a little scary," he said.

He has learned to listen to the director and likes working with Ford.

"I get to wear a tuxedo for most of the opera, and it was tailored to fit me, so that was cool," he said.

The butterflies no longer flutter in his stomach, thanks to his three experiences and the thirteen rehearsals accompanying each.

"It's not always easy," he said. "But it's fun."

Stage manager Rebecca Zuber said Ford and Gialanella are the only two children in the show, so they are highlighted.

"When there are more kids, they tend to become their own little mob," Zuber said, "but when there are two they tend to get treated more like adults. They are very much a part of this production."

She said it's fun with Ford and Gialanella because they've grown over the years as they've been in Glimmerglass productions.

"When they return like this you get to see the changes, how they've grown, their personalities, their likes and dislikes. We get to be like surrogate aunts and uncles," Zuber said.

Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci opens on Friday at Glimmerglass Opera.