Kurt Weill's STREET SCENE
Please join us 45 minutes before each show for a pre-talk discussion with Director David Walsh.
Kurt Weill STREET SCENE
American Opera in two acts
Book by Elmer Rice, based on his play of the same name
Lyrics by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice
Based on Elmer Rice’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of 1929, the piece highlights both the hardships and the resilience of working-class people in a rundown and impoverished community at the height of the depression in New York City. The composer, Kurt Weill, a Jewish emigre who had fled Nazi Germany, and the African-American lyricist, Langston Hughes, both understood the power of the play to portray racism and intolerance in a country that showed little empathy for its underclasses. Despite the tragedies that unfold in the second half of the work (a hybrid between opera and musical theatre), the message that we are left to reflect on is the importance of real community and compassion, for and with others, in our shared existence. This all feels as pertinent today as it was then! The ’opera’ was written in 1947 and has been hugely successful on Broadway and in opera houses ever since!
David Walsh, director
Leon Kobayashi, conductor
Tickets available in advance or at the door.
Presented under license from European American Music Distributors Company, on behalf of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., the Rice Estate, and the Hughes Estate. This performance is funded in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY
OPERA: QUO VADIS? Despite the enormous popularity enjoyed by the operas of Monteverdi, Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini, among others, for much of its 400-year history, opera has been characterized by its detractors as inaccessible entertainment with little relevance for the lives of everyday people. I feel the critique should be taken to heart. Despite its widespread presence, many members of the general public today do not ‘connect’ to opera. Opera is expensive to produce and singers have to spend many years in preparation for what, in most cases, will be a relatively short career. I have given this challenge to myself, my colleagues, and our students as we embark on our next season: how can we make this effort and expense valuable to more people? I am a passionate believer in the power of opera to transform our hearts and minds. Whether you are a returning supporter or someone new to our performances, we are eager to welcome all of you to this performance. We hope you will enjoy this production and join us again in Spring 2025 for Hänsel und Gretel.
David Walsh, Director of University Opera Theatre
| Crew | |
|---|---|
| Production John Lutz, Set Design Kim Griffin, Costume, Wigs, Hair design Brandi Mans, Wardrobe Assistant Dustin Morache, Lighting and Projection Design Julia Emery Cevera, Props Design Erin Landers, Choreographer Eric (Pogi) Sumangil, Intimacy Director Brandt Roberts, Dialect Coach Alex Ritchie, Opera Theatre Teaching Assistant David Walsh, Supertitles Creation Eunhye Hyun, Supertitles Operator |
Music Leon Kobayashi, Conductor Yu-Chien Huang, Rehearsal Pianist Yuexing Zhang, Rehearsal Pianist Wesley Frye, Music Coach Paolo Debuque, Chorus Master |
| Production/Technical Staff Lisa Beecroft, Sr. Marketing Manager and Cover Art Clancy Theade, Social Media Associate Ben Eng, Audience Services Manager Sari Baker, Technical Coordinator Ben Kent, Master Electrician Adam Voreis, Audio/Video Coordinator Patrick Kessler, Audio Engineer Owen Caliri, Recording Engineer Joni Griffith, Video Documentation/Post Production John Lutz, Technical Director/Set Construction Jeni Tolifson, Scenic Painter Ansel Langmead, Deck Manager Tyler Neuer, Light Board Operator |
Lighting and Scenic Load-in Crew Anton Anderson Rodrigo Bouroncle Del Aguila Katie Bruss Anastasia Davidson Penelope Farrington Tobias Fletcher Libby Gens Anna Gottwalt Mya Halliday Simi Khulbe Gracie Lindblom Blake Love Della Mueller Tyler Neuer Ethan Saari Matthew Smith Darla Walsh Astrid Wick |
| Special Thanks Patrick Warfield Sari Baker and TMCH staff University of Minnesota Department of Theatre Arts & Dance Dalos Grobe Opera Theatre Fund Stanley and Henrietta Palmer Fund Paul and Elizabeth Wigley Twin Cities Opera Guild Mark Johnson and the Minnesota Boys Choir Parents and families of the child singers MikYoung Park Wendy Kellogg MacPhail Center for Music |
|
| Cast | |
|---|---|
| Thursday/Saturday Frank Maurrant…………Alex Ritchie Anna Maurrant…………Yi Lin Rose Maurrant…………Huanhuan Xie Willie Maurrant…………Beckett Christie Sam Kaplan…………Joe Harris Shirley Kaplan…………Emily Fatkhiyev Abraham Kaplan…………Pau Valdivieso Greta Fiorentino…………Mollie Chancie Lippo Fiorentino…………Bob Yang Emma Jones…………Erynn Hertzfeldt George Jones…………Brady Senkbeil Mae Jones…………Emily Anose Vincent Jones…………Chaitanya Laddha Olga Olsen…………Ziqian Luo Carl Olsen…………Chenxin Wang Jenny Hildebrand…………Molly Setter Mrs. Hildebrand…………Berri Stecyk Henry Davis…………Samee Rayhan Dick McGann…………Jason Neuffer Harry Easter…………Rodrigo Rivera Daniel Buchanan…………Jared Gibson Steve Sankey…………Coen Vogel Fred Cullen…………Rachel Dumont Grace…………Yingxuan Yang Dr. Wilson…………Bernie Miller City Marshall…………Bernie Miller Nurse 1…………Delaney Nickerson Nurse 2…………Amaya Mills Salvation Army Girls…………Ruby Hicks, Trinity Williams Officer Murphy…………Yuri Rivers Ambulance Driver………… Michael Djabarov Policeman………… Michael Djabarov Intern/Policeman/A Man…………James Chang A Woman…………Emily Anose |
Friday/Sunday Frank Maurrant…………Alex Ritchie Anna Maurrant…………Xinyi Zhou Rose Maurrant…………Jiayi Qi Willie Maurrant…………Beckett Christie Sam Kaplan…………Xinghai Zhang Shirley Kaplan…………Emily Fatkhiyev Abraham Kaplan…………Pau Valdivieso Greta Fiorentino…………Ziyuan Deng Lippo Fiorentino…………Bob Yang Emma Jones…………Erynn Hertzfeldt George Jones…………Brady Senkbeil Mae Jones…………Emily Anose Vincent Jones…………Chaitanya Laddha Olga Olsen…………Ziqian Luo Carl Olsen…………Wenbo Zhao Jenny Hildebrand…………Sumaya Roble Mrs. Hildebrand…………Berri Stecyk Henry Davis…………Samee Rayhan Dick McGann…………Jason Neuffer Harry Easter…………Rodrigo Rivera Daniel Buchanan…………Jared Gibson Steve Sankey…………Coen Vogel Fred Cullen…………Rachel Dumont Grace…………Yingxuan Yang Dr. Wilson…………Bernie Miller City Marshall…………Bernie Miller Nurse 1…………Delaney Nickerson Nurse 2…………Amaya Mills Salvation Army Girls…………Ruby Hicks, Trinity Williams Officer Murphy…………Yuri Rivers Ambulance Driver/Policeman…………Michael Djabarov Intern/A Man…………James Chang A Woman…………Emily Anose |
| Cover |
|---|
| Rose Maurrant…………Rachel Dumont |
| Ensemble and Chorus | |
|---|---|
| Ensemble Rachael Davison Gabby Haake Katherine Klum Aliyah Lamb Sid Loniello Felicia Luo Mary Nyhus Sarah Pipe |
Children’s Chorus Maya Shankar Yeon Hong Claire Hage Erna Lindberg Eline Knatterud Per Knatterud Joshua O’Neill Julian Blakely Siri Lund Esben Lund Ellison Rennerfeld Anya Solodin Maya Vinodh Livy Wagner Anja Kluznik |
| Orchestra | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Director Mark Russell Smith |
Conductor Leon Kobayashi |
||
| Conductor Mark Russell Smith |
Viola Samantha Lee Haley Burns Yitong Wang Spencer Grimes Mia Werden |
Clarinet JuHyun Lee Xinran Liu Dylan Moreno, bass |
Trumpet Jake Meixner James Mons |
| First Violins Charrine Liu-Maddox Anna Kim Jim Lin Clara Montes Hanxi Zheng Wendy Lai Lukas Oddsson Ran Xu |
Cello Ella Tomko Ryan Dornfeld Jacques Gregoire Sage Gonzalez Franklin Watkins Dane Hendrickson |
Bassoon Xizi Li |
Trombone Di Wang Zehao Song |
| Second Violins Hannah Reinschmidt Jennifer Wu Gibson Swalley Runze Shao Harriet Watkins Dexter French Noelle Anderson Samuel Kenney |
Bass Micah Winter Andrew Smasal Ean Gergetz Peter Hayward |
Horn Xiaomin Li Joshua Sperr |
Harp Ada Tzab |
| Flute & Piccolo Mateo Stauffenecker |
Oboe Moira Rader Rice |
Percussion Maxwell Ryan, drumset Sierra Appleby, timpani Mateo Pelaez Leo Justin |
Piano and Celesta Yu-Chien Huang Yuexing Zhang |
Based on Elmer Rice’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of 1929, the piece highlights both the hardships and the resilience of working-class people in a rundown and impoverished community at the height of the depression in New York City. The composer, Kurt Weill, a Jewish emigre who had fled Nazi Germany, and the African-American lyricist, Langston Hughes, both understood the power of the play to portray racism and intolerance in a country that showed little empathy for its underclasses. Despite the tragedies that unfold in the second half of the work (a hybrid between opera and musical theatre), the message that we are left to reflect on is the importance of real community and compassion, for and with others, in our shared existence. This all feels as pertinent today as it was then! The ’opera’ was written in 1947 and has been hugely successful on Broadway and in opera houses ever since!
David Walsh, Director of University Opera Theatre
The Kurt Weill Foundation, Inc. promotes and perpetuates the legacies of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya by encouraging an appreciation of Weill’s music through support of performances, recordings, and scholarship, and by fostering an understanding of Weill’s and Lenya’s lives and work within diverse cultural contexts. It administers the Weill-Lenya Research Center, a Grant and Collaborative Initiative Program, the Lotte Lenya Competition, the Julius Rudel/Kurt Weill Conducting Fellowship, the Harold Prince/Kurt Weill Directing Fellowship, the Kurt Weill Prize for scholarship in music theater, and publishes the Kurt Weill Edition and the Kurt Weill Newsletter. Building upon the legacies of both Weill and Lenya, the Foundation nurtures talent, particularly in the creation, performance, and study of musical theater in its various manifestations and media. Since 2012, the Kurt Weill Foundation has administered the musical and literary estate of composer Marc Blitzstein. www.kwf.org.
