September 18–October 4 WORLD PREMIERE
DOLORES CLAIBORNE An opera by
Tobias Picker Libretto by
J. D. McClatchy
Based on the novel Dolores Claiborne by
Stephen King
By arrangement with Andrew Welch Commissioned by
San Francisco Opera
Special Ancillary Events
WORLD PREMIERE
DOLORES CLAIBORNE
“Sometimes, an accident can be an unhappy woman’s best friend.” —Vera Donovan from the novel Dolores Claiborne Join us for the exciting world premiere of Dolores Claiborne. Based on the novel by Stephen King, this is the latest opera from critically acclaimed composer Tobias Picker, called “our finest composer for the lyric stage” by The Wall Street Journal. We invite you to special events hosted by our community partners for an intense exploration of various issues addressed in the story and the making of the opera—with interviews, lectures and activities leading up to the opera’s premiere and beyond.
BUY YOUR PERFORMANCE TICKETS TODAY!
Opera Box Office • sfopera.com • (415) 864-3330 War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street Box Office Hours: Mon 10am–5pm, Tue–Sat 10am–6pm (Sat phones only until August 17)
THE OPERA Desperate. Passionate. Trapped. Dolores Claiborne is willing to do whatever it takes to save herself and her daughter—even if that means taking a life. The feisty Maine housekeeper—one of the most compelling characters to emerge from Stephen King’s imagination— and King’s haunting novel are reconceived in a powerful theatrical presentation. American composer Tobias Picker, who “embraces opera as a populist art form” and “does so with undeniable skill” (The New York Times), teams with renowned poet J. D. McClatchy to bring King’s chilling work to the opera stage. George Manahan conducts a superb cast led by Dolora Zajick, a masterful performer “with a beautiful, house-filling voice. Every note she sings, every syllable she utters has been thought about profoundly” (The Wall Street Journal).
Performances September 18 7:30pm October 1 8pm 4 8pm
22 2pm
25 7:30pm
28 8pm
Cast
Production
Dolores Claiborne: Dolora Zajick Vera Donovan: Elizabeth Futral Selena St. George: Susannah Biller Joe St. George: Wayne Tigges Detective Thibodeau: Greg Fedderly
Conductor: George Manahan* Director: James Robinson Set Designer: Allen Moyer Costume Designer: James Schuette* Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind Projection Designer: Greg Emetaz*
*San Francisco Opera debut
Production contains adult language and themes. Approximate running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes including one intermission San Francisco Opera production Sung in English with English supertitles
Sunday, August 25, 4pm San Francisco Opera Guild’s Peninsula Chapter presents: An Afternoon with Tobias Picker
Wednesday, September 11, 6pm Guild Insight Panel
San Francisco Opera’s Director of Music Administration Dr. Clifford (Kip) Cranna will interview Tobias Picker about the making of his world premiere, with musical excerpts. Green Gables Estate, Woodside Tickets: $50–150 includes refreshments Reservations: Judy Kahn, (650) 948-8881 or judith.kahn@comcast.net sfopera.com/opera-guild/events
Monday, September 9, 7pm FREE Dolores Claiborne Litquake Event As part of the Litquake literary festival, San Francisco Chronicle Executive Features Editor David Wiegand will interview noted librettist and author J. D. McClatchy about the challenges of adapting the unique narrative of Stephen King’s intensely powerful novel for the opera stage. Glass Door Gallery, North Beach 245 Columbus Ave. www.litquake.org
September 9–11 San Francisco Opera Guild Opera Previews Guild Opera Previews feature renowned musicologists and other experts who offer fresh, in-depth looks into the season’s upcoming operas. Lecturer: Dr. Lynne Morrow Marin Chapter: Mon, Sep 9, 8pm San Jose Opera Guild: Tue, Sep 10, 10am Peninsula Chapter: Tue, Sep 10, 7:30pm San Francisco Chapter: Wed, Sep 11, 12pm East Bay Chapter: Wed, Sep 11, 8pm Location and admission fee vary per chapter. sfopera.com/previews
Delve into the making of the opera in a panel discussion among members of the cast and artistic and creative teams. Kanbar Performing Arts Center, 44 Page St. FREE to Opera members and subscribers; Tickets: $5 general public sfopera.com/insights
Monday, September 16, 6pm Alliance for Girls Dolores Claiborne Panel Discussion Alliance for Girls partners with San Francisco Opera to explore the vital issues that are raised in Stephen King’s novel about the treatment of girls. Composer Tobias Picker, librettist J. D. McClatchy and stage director James Robinson will describe how the opera deals with this important topic. YWCA of San Francisco and Marin 940 Powell St. Tickets: $15 includes refreshments www.alliance4girls.org
September 18–October 4 Pre-Opera Talks with Composer Tobias Picker and John Churchwell Enrich your opera experience by attending a preperformance talk with the composer of Dolores Claiborne. San Francisco Opera’s Head of Music Staff John Churchwell and Tobias Picker will discuss the making of the opera, held 55 minutes prior to curtain in the Opera House auditorium.
Sunday, September 22, 5pm FREE Opera on the Couch Immediately following the Sunday matinee performance of Dolores Claiborne, members of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis will discuss the opera’s theme from a psychoanalytic perspective. Books Inc., Opera Plaza
DOLORES CLAIBORNE TICKET PRICING† (Pricing per ticket) M–TH/ *
F–SU/ *
Balcony Side (BLS)*
$23 / $26*
$28 / $31*
Balcony Rear (BLR)*
$33 / $38*
$67 / $72*
Balcony Front (BLF)*
$67 / $74*
$92 / $99*
SECTION
Balcony Circle (BC) Dress Circle 2 (DC2)
$99
$140 $140
$99
$122
Orchestra or Grand Tier (ORC or GT)
$173
$218
Orchestra Premium or Grand Tier Premium (ORP or GTP)
$239
$285
Box Seats (BOX)
$312
$357
Orchestra Ring (ORR)
English supertitles are visible from all sections. Cast, programs, prices and schedule are subject to change.
$117
$122
Dress Circle (DC)
Wheelchair access and locations are available for purchase online or from the Box Office.
$99
O peraVision, HD projection screens featured in the Balcony, is made possible by the Koret-Taube Media Suite. * P erformances featuring OperaVision include a surcharge to help offset the cost of this service.
† Subscribers to our 2013–14 Season receive a discount on single ticket purchases (except Balcony Side).
Tobias Picker
COMPOSER
Tobias Picker is known for his dramatically effective and musically traditional operas. The Santa Fe Opera gave the world premiere of Picker’s widely acclaimed first opera, Emmeline, which was broadcast nationally on public television’s Great Performances series. His subsequent operas include his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, which premiered at the Los Angeles Opera; Thérèse Raquin, performed at The Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera and Opéra de Montréal; and An American Tragedy, which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera.
J. D. McClatchy
LIBRETTIST
J. D. McClatchy is the author of thirteen opera libretti, most notably for William Schuman’s A Question of Taste, Francis Thorne’s Mario and the Magician, Bruce Saylor’s Orpheus Descending and Tobias Picker’s Emmeline. McClatchy is also the author of six collections of poems, including Hazmat, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His work appears regularly in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, The Paris Review and The New Republic.
Stephen King
AUTHOR OF DOLORES CLAIBORNE , THE NOVEL
Visiting from out of town? Plan your visit to attend Dolores Claiborne and explore the various events happening in the San Francisco Bay Area. Start now to create a perfect getaway! We’ve secured great deals on hotels for our out-of-town patrons. Visit sfopera.com/hotels for a list of participating hotels and details on how to make reservations. The world premiere of Dolores Claiborne is made possible, in part, by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Koret Foundation and Tad and Dianne Taube. Additional support is provided by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Zajick’s appearance is made possible by a gift to the Great Singers Fund by Joan and David Traitel.
Fedderly
Tigges
Biller
Futral
Zajick
Manahan
With a career spanning 40 years, Stephen King is the most prolific horror and suspense writer of all time, with more than 30 of his works having been made into films—including Carrie, Misery and Dolores Claiborne (starring Kathy Bates)—and hit television shows including The Dead Zone, Haven and The Stand. In June 2013, an adaptation of his novel, Under the Dome, premiered on CBS to rave reviews.
For details and updates, please visit us at: sfopera.com/claiborne
CONNECT WITH US
sfopera.com/blog Get in the know with a look backstage! Read what cast members, production staff and artistic teams have to say about their productions on our blog.
Photos: (cover) Dolora Zajick/Cory Weaver, eclipse/Getty Images; (inside panels) houses/Getty Images, scenic design model/Allen Moyer/Technical Dept. archive; (mail panel and inside panel) lighthouse/Getty Images. Design: Clean Line Design • www.cleanlinedesign.com
(415) 864-3330
San Francisco Opera is supported, in part, by a grant from Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund.
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San Francisco Opera Association War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509
TICKETS START AT JUST $23
DOLORES CLAIBORNE
based on Stephen King’s novel
WORLD PREMIERE
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION