Retrospect Opera, a small organisation devoted to recording nineteenth- and early twentieth-century opera by British composers, is delighted to be associated with Opera 5 and wishes the company every success for its production of Suffragette. Now that you’ve heard Smyth’s operas performed live, why not own the recording? Retrospect Opera’s 2-CD release of Smyth’s The Boatswain’s Mate is the first and only complete modern recording, and it’s had some great reviews! “exceptional... exactly how ‘revived’ operas should be presented”– John France, MusicWeb International “high production values all round” – Christopher Webber, Opera “one cannot imagine it being better done” – Robert Matthew-Walker, Musical Opinion The Boatswain’s Mate may be purchased from our website, priced at £18.45 (around CDN$ 33) for delivery outside Europe. In addition, we are currently fundraising to record Smyth’s Fête Galante early in 2018. Please help us to make this happen! We rely on crowdfunding to make our recordings possible, and we’ll be grateful for any donation, large or small, by cheque, BACS, or via Paypal. Various levels of donation bring various “perks”, including a free CD for a minimum donation of £25 (around CDN$ 45). For more information or to donate or buy one of our recordings, please visit www.retrospectopera.org.uk, or e-mail us at contact@retrospectopera.org.uk.
WELCOME “When any barrier falls… for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.” ~Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hey, Opera Goers! Welcome to Opera 5’s 2016/2017 Season performance. The world was a different place when we planned this program. Canadians had just banded together and voted for a government which valued compassion and diversity over fear-mongering rhetoric. To the south, Hilary Clinton had announced her 2016 Presidential bid, and her presidency seemed inevitable. In fact, the first grant application we wrote for these operas quoted her DNC acceptance speech. Then things changed. What was initially conceived as a celebration of how much we have achieved, has turned into a diligent reminder of how much farther we still have to go. And so, it is with great pride that we present Suffragette: an evening of Ethel Smyth operas. Beyond the artistic merits of Dame Ethel Smyth’s work, she embodies the values held by the residents of Toronto today: equality, social action, passion, and creativity. She was the first woman to have her opera produced at the MET, and she composed the tune that would later become the Suffragette anthem. All this while maintaining her sense of humour. Any woman or man who enjoys a career in classical music today owes a debt of gratitude to people like Smyth, whose tenacity and fearlessness in the face of discrimination helped shape a more equal and just society, and allowed more voices to be heard. We hope you enjoy the show! Opera 5 grows more each year, thanks to the continued support of our donors, volunteers, and audience members. We could not do what we do without you, and we look forward to more awesome opera in the years to come. If you want to join us tonight on social media, here’s our info: Instagram: @Opera5TO
Facebook: www.facebook.com/operafive
Twitter: @OperaFive
Hashtag #O5NASTYWOMAN to join in the fun tonight! Onward and Upward, ~THE OPERA 5 TEAM (Aria, Rachel, Jess and Evan)
A WELCOME FROMTHE HON. CHRYSTIA FREELAND
SYNOPSIS
Fête Galante At a party with music industry insider guests, we are introduced to the hosts, the King and Queen. The guests perform a play where Columbine is torn between the two men in her life: real-life boyfriend Pierrot and real-life bestie Harlequin. Afterwards, the King tries to persuade Columbine to dance with him in secret. Harlequin rescues her and she tries to explain the whole mishap to Pierrot. In his jealousy, he does not listen to her. Meanwhile, the Queen has summoned her Lover to the party. They meet in secret but are caught in an embrace by Columbine, who mistakes the Lover for Pierrot. Columbine tells the King and the two of them question Pierrot, who remains silent, livid and hurt that Columbine could believe he would ever betray her. Eventually, he concedes and falsely confesses his guilt. The King does not believe Pierrot and threatens to kill him to set an example for anyone who dares to cross him. Pierrot accepts his fate, but escapes his captors and stabs himself, dying by his own hand.
The Boatswain's Mate Boatswain’s Mate begins at“The Outlaw”with Harry Benn on his third pint and barmaid Mary Ann impatiently awaiting her pay-cheque so she can leave for the night. Mrs. Waters bursts in and sends Mary Ann on her way, just as Harry proposes to her for the fifth time in two weeks. Annoyed, she runs off to the bank, leaving Harry in charge of the bar. Ned Travers, an ex-soldier, waltzes into the bar. The two men hatch a plan to make Harry’s dream come true: Ned will break into Mrs. Waters’apartment and scare her. Harry, waiting outside, will rush in, punch Ned out, and sweep her off her feet. The plan is set in motion as Mrs. Waters returns. Alone in the bar, she takes stock of her life. She is interrupted by a pub crawl, led by Mary Ann, they all burst through the door demanding beer. Mrs. Waters kicks them out and closes the bar. Later that night, Ned clambers his way in through the window and proceeds to tiptoe around while Harry watches on from outside. Ned makes a racket and Mrs. Waters flies downstairs with a bat and intimidates Ned. He confesses the entire plot and how it was all Harry’s idea. She and Ned, while flirting with one another, plan their own scheme: Mrs. Waters will pretend to kill Ned to see Harry's reaction. They set up their scene and Mrs. Waters cries out“Murder!”Harry rushes in to find a hysterical Mrs. Waters holding a bat claiming to have killed a burglar. Harry is frozen stiff with terror and guilt. Mrs. Waters bids Harry to dig a grave out back. After he leaves, Mrs. Waters feels guilty about the joke and goes to confess, only to see that he has summoned a policeman. Mrs. Waters denies that a murder ever happened there and Harry must still be drunk. She beckons for Ned to reappear and Harry is dumbstruck. Mrs. Waters kicks the Policeman and Harry out and invites Ned to share morning tea with her. The two gently probe their feelings for one another, and eventually agree to meet again. After Ned departs, Mrs. Waters does a celebratory dance of excitement as Mary Ann strolls in to start her shift. The two share a cup of tea while laughing at the events of the evening.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES Learning about who Dame Ethel Smyth was and diving into her music has been so fun and fascinating. What a woman she was! I would have loved to sit her down in “The Outlaw”and listen to what she had to say about the world and how we are all managing today. For“Suffragette”, we have Fête taking place in the early 1970s and Boatswain’s Mate creeping into the 1980s. In our first meeting about how to style and design these shows, Erin and I tossed around a number of references including:“God Save The Queen”by the Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood, Betsy Johnson, The Dandies, Rolling Stone Magazine, Teddy Girls… We were looking for a n era when cultural shifts reflected through music and fashion came out as the champion of the time. Looping in Jennifer Lennon, our Maestro Evan Mitchell, and the entire production team, it has been a very collaborative effort in bringing these two worlds to light. They are vastly different in style, narrative, and genre: Fête Galante is a tragicomedy set in a lavish garden party hosted by two members of rock ’n roll royalty. It features two intertwining love triangles at the core of its plot. Here, secrecy and pretending, and keeping up appearances reign. Boatswain’s Mate is a farcical chess game of conflicting societal values upheld by Mrs. Waters and the boozy, old-fashioned men that surround her. Watching how she is able to hold her own in a male dominated time is the central idea that pulls this fantastic piece thematically into the 21st century. I hope that wherever she is, Ethel Smyth is having a beer and laughing along with us here at Theatre Passe Muraille as we celebrate her life and her music. It has been an honour to work with the entire company of “Suffragette”to bring her works to life. This one’s for you, Ethel! -JESSICA DERVENTZIS
SPONSORS
THANKYOUTO ALL OUR SPONSORS: TORONTO ARTS COUNCIL ARTSVESTâ„¢TORONTO IS OPERATED BY BUSINESS FORTHE ARTS,THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA ANDTHETORONTO ARTS COUNCIL. BEL CANTO FOUNDATION THE MERCHANTTAVERN TODAYTIX OUTLAW BREW YARNS UNTANGLED
PROGRAM
Presents OPERA 5 TEAM
SUFFRAGETTE
RACHEL KREHM General Director
FÊTE GALANTE and THE BOATSWAIN’S MATE
ARIA UMEZAWA Artistic Director
By DAME ETHEL SMYTH
EVAN MITCHELL Principal Conductor JESSICA DERVENTZIS Production Manager BOARD OF DIRECTORS VICTORIA NOVAK President GEORGE HOFF Secretary Carl Dholandas Anu Koshal David Matthews Jamie McColl Gill Sophie Trimble
Fête Galante Libretto by ETHEL SMYTH adapted from poetry by EDWARD SHANKS The Boatswain’s Mate Libretto by ETHEL SMYTH adapted from the story by W.W. JACOBS Dialogue in The Boatswain’s Mate by ARIA UMEZAWA JESSICA DERVENTZIS Director EVAN MITCHELL Music Director and Conductor ERIN GEROFSKY Production Designer BRITTNEY WERNICKE Stage Manager/Choreographer JENNIFER LENNON Lighting Designer MADISON ANGUS Assistant Director/Assistant Stage Manager TREVOR CHARTRAND Repetiteur/Coach
PROGRAM
SUFFRAGETTE FEATURING
FÊTE GALANTE The Queen – Eugenia Dermentzis The King – Jean-Philippe McClish Columbine – Elizabeth Polese** Pierrot – Alan MacDonald* Harlequin – Jonathan MacArthur The Lover – Kevin Myers* Puppets – Alexandra Smither, Michaela Dickey, Asitha Tennekoon and Jeremy Ludwig*
THE BOATSWAIN’S MATE Mrs. Waters – Alexandra Smither Ned Travers – Jeremy Ludwig* Harry Benn – Asitha Tennekoon The Policeman: Jean-Philippe McClish Mary-Ann – Michaela Dickey Pub Crawlers – Kevin Myers*, Alan MacDonald*, Jean-Philippe McClish, Elizabeth Polese**, Eugenia Dermentzis Sammy – Jonathan MacArthur Accordion Player - Chris Gao Banjo Player - Jesse Fegelman
THE ORCHESTRA Violin 1: Julia McFarlane Violin 2: Suhashini Arulanandam Viola: Rachael Abramoff Cello: Robin Howe Bass: Nick Davis Flute/Piccolo: Amelia Lyon Oboe/English Horn: Lief Mosbaugh Clarinet: Peter Stoll Bassoon: Ian Hopkin French Horn: Roslyn Black Percussion: Timothy Francom Harp: Kristan Toczko *The participation these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT ). **Elizabeth Polese’s performance is made possible by a donation from the Bel Canto Foundation.
PRODUCTIONTEAM JESSICA DERVENTZIS
DIRECTOR
ERIN GEROFSKY
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
JENNIFER LENNON
Jessica Derventzis is a travel-blog writing, coffee enthusiastic stage director by way of stage manager by way of repetiteur. Select directing favourites include: Die Zauberflöte (Opera Kelowna), The Medium, L'Heure Espagnole(Stu&Jess Productions), Our Town (Opera Nuova), Cinderella (Calgary Opera School Tour), Dido and Aeneas (Opera McGill), Die Zauberflöte, Candide (assistant, Calgary Opera), La Cenerentola (assistant, Edmonton Opera) Dead Man Walking (assistant, Vancouver Opera). Next up is La Bohème in the Okanagan wine country with Opera Kelowna. Erin Gerofsky is a Toronto based set and costume designer for theatre and film. This is her first time designing for Opera 5 (and Opera period!) and she has loved the bigness and boldness of the whole ordeal! Select design credits include: Costume Design: The Penelopiad (Dir. Sue Miner, George Brown Theatre School), The Container (Dir. Zachary Florence, TheatreFix). Set and Costume Design: Romeo and Juliet (Dir. Duncan MacIntosh, Watermark Theatre) and An Ideal Husband (Dir. Susan Ferley, Watermark Theatre).
LIGHTING DESIGNER Jennifer Lennon is a Toronto-based lighting designer for live performance. Recent design credits include: Stupidhead! (Theatre Passe Muraille), The Millennial Malcontent (Tarragon), Walk Me To the Corner (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company), The Container (set and lighting, Theatre Fix), Die Fledermaus (Opera 5), Bombay Black (Factory Theatre, Dora Award), Banana Boys (Factory Theatre), and The Twelve-Pound Look (Shaw Festival).
BRITTNEY WERNICKE
STAGE MANAGER / CHOREOGRAPHER
MADISON ANGUS
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR / ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Brittney is thrilled to be joining the Opera 5 Team this season! She specializes in Stage Management, Acting and Dancing and recently relocated to Toronto from the West Coast. Stage Management credits include Die Zauberflöte (Opera Kelowna), The Little Mermaid (Centre Stage Academy) and Traffic Jams (Resilience Theatre).
Madison Angus is thrilled to be Assistant Directing/Assistant Stage Managing on Suffragette! Directing credits include selections of Sondheim’s Into the Woods for UofT’s“Have a Little Sondheim…” concert. Equally at home on stage, roles performed include Armida in Handel’s Rinaldo, First Woodsprite in Rusalka, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Ida in Die Fledermaus.
MUSICAL STAFF EVAN MITCHELL
TREVOR CHARTRAND
CONDUCTOR/MUSIC DIRECTOR Evan Mitchell is proving to be one of the most able and imaginative young conductors in Canada. The former Assistant Conductor of both the Vancouver and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestras, Mr. Mitchell has enjoyed enormous critical success and engagement as Music Director of the Kingston Symphony. He has garnered consistent praise for his programming, approach, execution, and musical results.
REPETITEUR/COACH Trevor Chartrand is an active collaborative pianist based out of T oronto, Ontario. Trevor is also active internationally as he was music director in PĂŠrigueux France in the summers of 2015 and 2016 for the Franco American Vocal Academy. Trevor has spent the past three years at the University of Michigan, where he obtained a Doctorate of Musical Arts in collaborative piano under the tutelage of Professor Martin Katz.
On The Music: When Aria first suggested "The Boatswain's Mate" as the focus of an Opera 5 show, my first thought was "That's a wonderful, impossible idea." From a practical standpoint, most of Ethel Smyth's larger ensemble works and operas are either lost to time or outright impossible to find. Presuming that we were even able to source a set of orchestra parts, it was also EXTREMELY unlikely that we would have been able to find the necessary third party reduction for chamber ensemble. Sure enough we were coming up empty until the discovery of Retrospect Opera, a champion of 18th to 20th century English works. Not only did Retrospect have parts for both of the Smyth operas on tonight's bill, but they were brand new publications fastidiously put together by Dr. Valerie Langfield. Best of all, they were editions of Smyth's own chamber reductions, meaning that we were able to find workable parts for both operas, in reductions created by the composer. In fact, when I mourned the omission of harp in the reduction of Mrs. Waters' remarkable aria, Valerie came to the rescue with a scan of the original full manuscript. From there I created an insert representing Smyth's original orchestration for this stunning sequence. A sincere thanks to the fabulous people at Retrospect Opera, without whom we certainly could not have mounted this production. It's not an exaggeration to say that finding these composer original reductions, newly edited and essentially tailor made for Opera 5's purposes, was nothing short of miraculous. -EVAN MITCHELL
CAST EUGENIA DERMENTZIS
MICHAELA DICKEY
JEREMY LUDWIG
THE QUEEN / PUB CRAWLER Praised for her supple and lustrous voice, Eugenia Dermentzis has been hailed as“A mezzo-soprano to watch...”(Opera Canada). Eugenia is a Masters graduate of the University of Western Ontario, and trained as a Britten-Pears young artist. Performance experiences include, various appearances with Toronto Operetta Theatre, Madame Defarge in A TALE OF TWO CITIES, Penelope in IL RITORNO D'ULISSE, and Carmen in CARMEN.
MARY-ANN / PUPPET Originally from 100 Mile House, BC, Michaela holds degrees in Opera from McGill, the University of British Columbia and the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Recent credits include: Dora Award Winner - Best Ensemble, Against the Grain Theatre, Messiah; Dritte Dame, Die Zauberflöte, Confidential Opera; Ensemble, Die Fledermaus, Opera 5; Zerlina, #Uncle John, Against the Grain Theatre, Banff Centre; Cherubino, Le Nozze di Figaro and Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, McGill Opera; and Nikki, Elijah’s Kite, Pacific Opera of Victoria.
NED TRAVERS / PUPPET Baritone Jeremy Ludwig performs regularly on concert and opera stages across the country. Performances this season include appearances with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Masterworks of Oakville, Brott Opera, and recitals in Hamilton and St. Catherines. He lives in Hamilton Ontario where he maintains a busy vocal studio with his wife, soprano Julie Ludwig.
JONATHAN MACARTHUR
HARLEQUIN / SAMMY
ALAN MACDONALD
PIERROT / PUB CRAWLER
Jonathan MacArthur holds a Master’s from University of Toronto in Opera, and is the General Manager of Against the Grain Theatre. Catch Jonathan this summer with Stratford Summer Music Festival in Don Pasquale. Next season, Jonathan premieres new works with Caution Tape Sound Collective and performs in FAWN’s new creation titled, Pandora.
Toronto-based baritone Alan Macdonald has been praised by Opera Canada for his“wonderful timbre, diction and sonority.”A recent graduate of Vancouver Opera's Yulanda M FarisYoung Aritist Program, Alan was heard in the 2015-2016 season singing the roles of Prince Yamadori and the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly with Vancouver Opera and Vox Christus with the Vancouver Bach Choir in Bach's Matthäus-Passion. More info at www.alanmacdonaldbaritone.com
CAST JEAN-PHILIPPE MCCLISH
KEVIN MYERS
ELIZABETH POLESE
THE KING / PUB CRAWLER / THE POLICEMAN Bass-baritone Jean-Philippe McClish has recently performed the roles Készakállú (Bluebeard Castle), Falke (Die Fledermaus) and Dulcamara (Elisir d’amore). In concert he has sung Carmina Burana (Orff), Brahms Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and Bach Weinacht Oratorio. In 2014, he was a vocal fellow at the Toronto Summer Music Festival. This summer, he will go back for a third year to the Chautauqua Institution.
THE LOVER / PUB CRAWLER Kevin (there's one) Myers was born and raised in Deep River where he studied with Peter Morris. He did a bachelor's and master's degree at McGill under Stefano Algieri and Sanford Sylvan. After McGill, he spent two seasons in Calgary Opera's Emerging Artist program. He is now enjoying his first season as a freelance opera singer.
COLUMBINE / PUB CRAWLER Praised as a ''fresh and polished soprano'' with "power to spare" (Opera Canada), Elizabeth Polese is an alumna of UofT (MMus, BMus) and 2016/17 Rebanks Family Fellowship (RCM). She was also recently selected as a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques (Montreal) and awarded an Ottawa Choral Society Honourable Distinction. Up next is Despina (Cosi fan tutte) at Highlands Opera Studio. www.elizabethpolese.ca
ALEXANDRA SMITHER
MRS. WATERS / PUPPET
ASITHA TENNEKOON
HARRY BENN / PUPPET
Soprano Alexandra Smither has held fellowships at Songfest, the Banff Centre, Music Academy of the West, Marilyn Horne’s“The Song Continues”at Carnegie Hall, and the Franz Schubert Institute. 2017 brings a fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Centre, her debut with Houston Grand Opera Co, and a cross-Canada tour as the winner of the 40th Annual Eckhardt-Grammaté Competition. www.alexandrasmither.com
Since moving to Toronto in the fall of 2014 Sri Lankan tenor Asitha Tennekoon has quickly established himself as a versatile singer in a wide range of repertoire. A graduate of both Indiana University and Glenn Gould School, Asitha’s recent Dora Award - nominated performance in Tapestry Opera’s‘Rocking Horse Winner’garnered much critical acclaim. In concert, guest performances include Toronto Bach Festival, Tafelmusik and Opera in Concert.
THANK YOUS TO ALL THOSE LISTED BELOW, WE COULD NOT DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT YOUR WONDERFUL SUPPORT! -Thank you to our fabulous cast, crew and orchestra for“Suffragette.”You are amazing! -Thank you to Paul Winkelmans for creating this programme. -Thank you to our volunteers for“Suffragette.” -Thank you to the Honourable Chystia Freeland MP for her introduction. -Thank you to everyone who volunteered at“Sing Along in Support”in December 2016. -Thank you to everyone who sang at“Sing Along in Support”in December 2016. -Thank you to the fabulous staff atTheatre Passe Muraille. -Thank you to Amelia Lyon atYarns Untangled for making all the pussy hats and gloves. -Thank you toTerry McIntosh for billeting Jean-Philippe McClish. -Thank you to AndrewWoodley at Outlaw Brew. -Thank you to Greg Garson atThe MerchantTavern. -Thank you to all our kind and generous donors listed below.
OUR DONORS $5,000+ Dawn Davis Suzanne Gayn Elizabeth Krehm Memorial Fund Jonathan Krehm Toronto Arts Council $1,000-$4,999 JoAnna Black Rachel Krehm Bel Canto Foundation $500-$999 Jessica Derventzis Janet Graydon George Hoff Evan Mitchell Outlaw Brew The MerchantTavern Yarns Untangled $100-$499 Stephen Aylward Canadian Mortgage Capital Corporation
$100-$499 Liane Curtis Irene Davy Annamaria Enenajor Kyle Hill John Hogarth Jayme McColl Gill and Peter Gill Patrick and Lana Mitchell Janice Payne and Russell Lyon John Ryerson TodayTix Women’s Philharmonic Society UNDER $100 Christopher Aylward Heather Ferguson and David Mitchell Dana Gregoire Robert Krensky David Matthews Miranda Morningstar Nadia Potts-Gomez and Harold Gomez Lauren Rosenfeld Rosemarie andWayne Umetsu Gentian Zhuleku
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