Flight Study Guide

Flight (Illustration by @barryekko) :

2025 Study Guide

AREPO REVUOCNAV TA

NOITACUDE

Dear Friends, Opera is an incredible unification of all the artistic disciplines and we hope that you have a wonderful time at our production of Jonathan Dove’s Flight.

Producing opera is no easy task,

and what you will see on the stage is the culmination of months of hard work from directors, conductors, designers, technicians, musicians, marketing staff, and of course, SINGERS. We hope you will share the details of this exciting experience with your friends and family, and share the passion for this incredible art form with them!

See you at the opera,

Ashley D Foot

Ashley Daniel Foot Director of Engagement and Civic Practice

STUDY GUIDE TEAM DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT, CIVIC PRACTICE | ASHLEY DANIEL FOOT EDITOR | JANE POTTER

ABOUT

FLIGHT

In the unlikely setting of an airport departure lounge, Jonathan Dove’s must-see modern masterpiece soars with comedy and compassion. From “the Mozart of the 21st century” comes a work of stunning emotional breadth.

Though it draws inspiration from the heart-wrenching true story of an Iranian refugee bureaucratically marooned in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years, Jonathan Dove’s Flight pulls off an improbable feat: it’s a wildly-engaging, melodically-accessible comedy, a triumph of pathos, and an absolute must-see!

All around The Refugee, the airport swirls with colourful characters: Bill and Tina, who hope to stoke the embers of a dull marriage; The Steward and The Stewardess, whose embers require no additional stoking; a diplomat and his very pregnant wife; a woman awaiting a lover 30 years her junior; the Immigration Officer – all while The Controller oversees operations high above the concourse, hitting decidedly high notes (like the rare airspace occupied by an incredible F-sharp above high C!).

Called the greatest new work of the past 30 years, this compassionate contemporary classic is led by the beloved Vancouver creative team of director Morris Panych and set designer Ken MacDonald, while Dove’s propulsive music is steered by the baton of Leslie Dala, Vancouver Opera’s Head of Music and Associate Conductor, whose recent VO projects include 2022– 2023’s The Flying Dutchman and the blockbuster 2023– 2024 presentation of Carmen.

Study Guide - Flight

DISCOVER MORE

Listen to Vancouver Opera’s General Director Tom Wright interview Canadian Theatre Legends Morris Panych, Director, and Ken MacDonald, Set Designer, for Flight

Inside Vancouver Opera Podcast provides a unique backstage glimpse into the world of Vancouver Opera.

Scan the QR code or got to vancouveropera.ca/ podcast/

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Excerpt from an Interview with the Composer

Jonathan Dove

Ashley Daniel Foot: Jonathan Dove turned an airport terminal into a mythic space of drama, humor, and humanity - transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. In 1988, an Iranian refugee named Mehran Karimi Nasseri found himself trapped in Charles de Gaulle Airport. He stayed there for 18 years, and his story would inspire Steven Spielberg's The Terminal. But before, it was Jonathan Dove who first saw its operatic potential.

I'm wondering, what do you hope audiences will leave Flight with? What do you hope will linger with them, not just musically, but maybe emotionally, intellectually?

Jonathan Dove: I like to think that Flight is a little world in itself. It is like a little community, but every director sees new things in it. Often talking to audience members, they have seen something that I had never thought of in the opera.

DISCOVER MORE

Listen to Ashley Daniel Foot, Vancouver Opera’s Director of Engagement and Civic Practice, interview Flights’ composer, Jonathan Dove on Inside Vancouver Opera Podcast

There is a dreamlike aspect to some of the piece, and I think that is something that perhaps people might take away. The story, as I said, it's a comedy and funny things happen.

Everyone has tried to help in a way you feel that the travelers are allowed to leave at the end of the opera because they have tried to help the refugees. In a way, there's a feeling that in the first act, the refugee appeals to the travellers for help to hide him from the immigration officer in some way or other. But everyone's too busy with their own lives, as we are often when faced with appeals for help. So I guess we have this image of what we like our lives to look like or what ordinary comfortable lives look like in areas which are not areas of conflict, but you have this encounter with somebody who's living a very different experience. So I suppose there's an invitation to remember that.

Study Guide - Flight

Scan the QR code or got to vancouveropera.ca/ podcast/

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ScreenShots: SET DESIGN

Study Guide - Flight

From the desk of Ken MacDonald, Set Designer for Flight

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Character Illustrations for Flight created for Vancouver Opera by Barry Ekko

The Refugee Study Guide - Flight

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Flight

WHO’S WHO Refugee

Controller

Bill

Tina

Cameron Shahbazi

Caitlin Wood

Asitha Tennekoon

Andriana Chuchman

Older Woman

Stewardess

Steward

Minskman

Alex Hetherington

Clarence Frazer

Neil Craighead

Minskwoman

Immigration Officer

Megan Latham

Stephanie Tritchew

Leslie Dala Conductor Study Guide - Flight

Henry Chen

Morris Panych Director vancouveropera.ca

Flight

SYNOPSIS

ACT I

Ground Staff (Illustration by @barryekko) :

Dawn. An airport.

The Flight Controller and a Refugee await the daily influx of travellers. The Controller has no use for people, but the Refugee lives in hope that someone might help him. He has no documentation and has been stuck in the airport for several weeks.

Passengers begin to arrive. Bill and Tina, a young couple, are off on holiday, armed with a book on relationships to help them put some zest back into their marriage. A diplomat and his heavily pregnant wife are heading for a new posting in cold, boring Minsk. An Older Woman, twice-married, twice-divorced, has no plans to fly anywhere; she has come to the airport to wait for her fiancé, a 22-year-old barman she met on holiday in Majorca.

The Steward and Stewardess are carrying on a steamy affair and grab every possible opportunity to get together in various corners of the terminal.

At the last minute, the pregnant Minskwoman refuses to fly, and her husband departs without her. While everyone watches in awe as the plane takes off, the Minskwoman agonizes over her decision.

The Refugee shows the others a special stone, telling them it has magical qualities if they believe in it; they scoff. When the Immigration Officer appears, the Refugee begs them all to help him, to hide him. Despite their sympathy for his predicament, the travellers refuse to get involved. They have journeys to begin.

Then the Controller announces that storms are coming and all flights are delayed indefinitely.

Study Guide - Flight

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Synopsis ACT II Night.

The travellers have camped out in the airport.

The storm is getting worse.

As they bicker about their love life, Tina accuses Bill of being predictable. The Older Woman chats with the Minskwoman and reminisces about walking along the beach with her fiancé – but wonders whether he will really show up for their rendezvous. The Controller goes outside and faces the storm; they shriek and roar together.

The Older Woman(Illustration by @barryekko) :

As the others settle down to sleep, the Minskwoman searches through her bag, recalling how it used to hold frivolous, delicious, expensive things; now it is packed with baby things, and she dreads the tired, trapped woman she feels she will become.

The Older Woman secretly approaches the Refugee and asks if his stone can create the miracle she needs in her life. He gives her the stone, says to make a wish, and tells her that in return she must help him when he asks. She wishes for her fiancé to come to her.

Study Guide - Flight

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Synopsis ACT II Night.

The Older Woman(Illustration by @barryekko) :

Study Guide - Flight

The travellers have camped out in the airport.

The storm is getting worse.

As they bicker about their love life, Tina accuses Bill of being predictable. The Older Woman chats with the Minskwoman and reminisces about walking along the beach with her fiancé – but wonders whether he will really show up for their rendezvous. The Controller goes outside and faces the storm; they shriek and roar together.

As the others settle down to sleep, the Minskwoman searches through her bag, recalling how it used to hold frivolous, delicious, expensive things; now it is packed with baby things, and she dreads the tired, trapped woman she feels she will become.

The Older Woman secretly approaches the Refugee and asks if his stone can create the miracle she needs in her life. He gives her the stone, says to make a wish, and tells her that in return she must help him when he asks. She wishes for her fiancé to come to her.

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Synopsis ACT II Continued Tina and Bill then accost the Refugee, who also gives them a stone. They make the same bargain; their wish is that Bill could be more adventurous. Then it is the turn of the Minskwoman to wish for freedom and a return to the life she once enjoyed; and of the Steward and Stewardess to wish to fly back up to the sky. The Controller observes, but refuses to join in the game.

The Refugee makes his own wish – for his brother to arrive.

Bill, determined not to be predictable, blurts out a proposition to the sleeping Stewardess, but is shocked to find he has actually made a pass at the Steward, who is not at all shocked, but takes Bill for a walk up to the control tower.

The women begin drinking. They toast the Refugee, who is thrilled to have new friends. But when they figure out that he has given each of them a magic stone, they turn on him, furious at being duped.

They throw their stones at him, knocking him unconscious. Then, panicking, they stuff his limp body into a trunk as the Controller laughs and Bill and the Steward exult in the control tower.

The Couple (Illustration by @barryekko) :

Study Guide - Flight

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The Steward and Stewardess Study Guide - Flight

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Synopsis ACT III Dawn.

The weather has cleared. A plane lands. The Minskman disembarks and reunites lovingly with his wife. Tina sees that the Steward is wearing Bill’s trousers and demands an explanation.

The men hem and haw, until Tina strikes Bill with the relationship manual and he falls unconscious. A moan comes from the trunk – and then from the Minskwoman as she goes into labour. She gives birth just as both Bill and the Refugee come to. Everyone crowds in wonder around the baby.

Tina and Bill reconcile; so do the Steward and Stewardess. The Minskwoman begins to make joyful plans for the baby and all the things they’ll need in Minsk. When the Immigration Officer arrives and confronts the Refugee, the travellers try every trick they can think of to persuade the Officer to be lenient, but he is adamant.

Learn about: Breaking into Contemporary Opera Opera plots explained in an instant. Scan the QR Code

Then the Refugee tells the story of his own flight, and of his brother, for whom he is still waiting.

The Officer tells the Refugee he cannot let him leave, but he will turn a blind eye to his presence in the airport. The travellers depart; even the older woman is prepared to go on another holiday. The Refugee and the Controller are left alone together.

The airport is his home now.

Synopsis Credit: Maureen Woodall, Pacific Opera Victoria

The Controller (Illustration by @barryekko) :

Study Guide - Flight

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Q&A

WHAT IS OPERA? WHERE DID OPERA COME FROM?

Opera came from Italy, just like gelato! The word opera means ‘work’ in Italian, as in work of art, not homework.

WHO MAKES OPERA HAPPEN? Opera is a group effort by conductors, musicians, singers, dancers, set designers, costume creators, lighting experts, directors, theatre staff, make-up artists, wig makers, carpenters, prop designers, and more, to tell a story, sing, dance, and entertain the audience all the same time.

NO MICROPHONES? Unlike Drake or Taylor Swift, opera singers don’t use microphones. Instead, they learn to project their voices. They may go from projecting over the sound of the live orchestra in one moment, to dropping to a near whisper in the next moment (just like your school principal during assemblies).

To protect each other’s hearing, opera singers cannot face directly towards each other while singing. Ear plugs are not allowed.

HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO TRAIN? Opera singers often have as many years of education as physicians, and must continue training throughout their career.

Study Guide - Flight

HOW LONG ARE OPERAS?

Operas can be up to four hours long, which may be how long French class feels, but at least you don’t have to wear a costume, make-up, possibly a wig, sing and dance under hot lights, and memorize an entire opera, like the performers do.

NO SKIPPING FRENCH CLASS! Composers write in their language, and sometimes in second or third languages too, so opera singers must often learn English, French, German, Italian, and even Russian and Czech if they want to perform worldwide. And in case you’re wondering, ‘ice cream’ in Czech is ‘zmizlina’.

DOES IT PAY THE BILLS? If you were a top opera singer, you could make as much as $20,000 per performance.

WHAT OTHER SKILLS DO OPERA SINGERS NEED? Singers must learn to brush off negative reviews in time to perform the same show the following night.

FUN FACT Opera has been around for as long as gelato, which is just over four hundred years. vancouveropera.ca

GLOSSARY

OPERA TERMS ACTS / SCENE

Acts and scenes are ways of categorizing sections of operas. An act is a large-scale division of an opera, and each opera will typically include from two to five acts. Acts can be subdivided into scenes, which are often differentiated by a change in setting or characters.

ADAGIO Literally “at ease,” adagio is a tempo marking that indicates a slow speed. An adagio tempo marking indicates that the performer should play in a slow and leisurely style.

ALLEGRO

Italian for “cheerful” or “joyful,” Allegro is the most common tempo marking in Western music, indicating a moderately fast to quick speed.

ARIA

A song for solo voice accompanied by orchestra.

BRAVO / BRAVA / BRAVI

Italian for “nicely done”; shouted by audience members after a performance. “Bravo” for men, “Brava” for women, and “Bravi” for all.

CHORUS

A section of an opera in which a large group of singers performs together, typically with orchestral accompaniment.

CRESCENDO

A gradual raising of volume in music achieved by increasing the dynamic level. When music crescendos, the performers begin at a softer dynamic level and become incrementally louder.

Study Guide - Flight

ENSEMBLE

A musical piece for two or more soloists, accompanied by orchestra. Types of ensembles include duets (for two soloists), trios (for three soloists), and quartets (for four soloists).

FORTE

Meaning “loud” or “strong” in Italian, forte is a dynamic level in music that indicates a loud volume. Adding the suffix “-issimo” to a word serves as an intensifier—since forte means “loud,” fortissimo means “very loud.”

LIBRETTO

The text of an opera, including all the words that are said or sung by performers.

OVERTURE

An instrumental piece that occurs before the first act as an introduction to an opera.

RECITATIVE

Speech-like singing in-between musical numbers that advances the plot.

SCORE

The complete musical notation for a piece, the score includes notated lines for all of the different instrumental and vocal parts that unite to constitute a musical composition.

TEMPO

Literally “time” in Italian, tempo refers to the speed of a piece of music.

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ACTIVITY

MATCH THE OPERA TERMS

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The Immigration Officer Study Guide - Flight

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Refugees in Canada: A Discussion for Flight

By Ashley Daniel Foot Introduction In Flight, Jonathan Dove and April De Angelis explore themes of displacement, resilience, and the universal desire for a safe haven. This study guide page invites readers to reflect on the refugee experience, particularly in Canada, where the stories of individuals fleeing conflict, persecution, and hardship resonate deeply within our multicultural fabric.

Discussion: Refugees and Canada’s Response Canada has a longstanding history of supporting refugees, from accepting European refugees post-World War II to modern programs like the Syrian refugee resettlement initiative. Canada’s private sponsorship program, unique worldwide, allows individuals and community groups to directly support refugees.

Key Questions: Historical Context: What significant moments in Canadian history reflect our approach to refugees? Consider examples such as the Vietnamese Boat People or the Syrian refugee crisis.

Modern Challenges: What barriers do refugees face upon arriving in Canada? How do systemic issues such as housing, employment, and language learning affect their resettlement?

Personal Connections: Have you or your community interacted with refugees? What was that experience like?

Encourage students to connect these questions to the characters in Flight and their respective struggles.

Study Guide - Flight

Resources for Further Study Books and Articles: My Vietnam, Your Vietnam by Christina Vo and Nghia M. Vo: A dual memoir exploring the intergenerational experiences of a father who fled Vietnam and his American-born daughter who returns.

The Boat People by Sharon Bala: A novel that delves into the journey of Sri Lankan refugees arriving in Canada.

They Called Me Number One by Bev Sellars: Connects colonial displacement with modern refugee experiences.

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Refugees in Canada: A Discussion for Flight

By Ashley Daniel Foot

Activity: Map Your Path to Safety Students can work individually or in groups to create a narrative journey inspired by the experience of refugees.

Imagine the Journey: Select a refugee story from Canada’s history or create an original character.

Where are they fleeing from, and why?

Identify Obstacles: Highlight challenges such as obtaining documentation, finding safe routes, and adjusting to a new culture.

Share the Story: Present your narrative as a creative writing piece, illustrated timeline, or oral presentation. Compare the fictional journey to real-life accounts.

This activity fosters empathy and a deeper understanding of the complexities refugees face.

Through understanding the lived experiences of refugees, Flight becomes a vessel for fostering compassion and action. Reflect on how your community can support those seeking safety and a place to call home. Refugees are not just statistics— they are individuals with stories, dreams, and hopes, just like us.

Study Guide - Flight

Resources for Further Study Suggestions for Online Searches “Canada provides more support to refugees and those who host them.”

“Canada increases support for asylum claimants.”

“Canada Immigration Under Pressure Amid Rising Asylum Claims” “Canada’s reduced refugee targets ‘wise’ for housing stability: UNHCR” “Canada: A People’s History: Episodes on immigration” (cbc.ca/history) "The Displaced," The New York Times Organizations: Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Canadian Council for Refugees MOSAIC BC

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Bill and Tina Study Guide - Flight

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Excerpt - Taking Flight: Exploring Travel and Liminal Spaces in the Opera Flight

By Ashley Daniel Foot

Read the complete essay here:

Jonathan Dove’s opera Flight is a modern masterpiece that resonates deeply with audiences by exploring universal themes of travel, human connection, and transformation. Set in the microcosm of an airport terminal, the opera unfolds in a space where people pause between journeys, their lives briefly intersecting.

The Airport as a Liminal Space An airport is an unusual place. It’s not quite a destination, but it’s also not a place to stay. In the opera, the terminal becomes a metaphorical liminal space—a threshold between worlds where ordinary rules and routines are suspended. Passengers are stuck between the familiar comfort of home and the unknown adventure that lies ahead.

In Flight, this transitional space reflects the characters’ emotional states. Each person at the terminal faces their own crossroads: the Steward and Stewardess wrestle with their superficial relationship, a couple embarks on a tense journey to reignite their marriage, and the Controller surveys it all from her isolated perch. At the center is the Refugee, who lives permanently in this liminal state, trapped in the airport because he cannot enter the country but has nowhere else to go.

For students, this concept of liminal space may feel familiar. High school itself is a transitional period—a bridge between childhood and adulthood. Just like the airport in Flight, it’s a time and place where you prepare for the future while grappling with uncertainty and change.

The Refugee’s Story: A Mirror to the World For students, the Refugee’s story is a reminder of the challenges faced by displaced individuals around the world. It invites reflection on issues of immigration, global inequality, and the idea of home.

His story asks us to consider how we treat those who are marginalized, encouraging empathy and action in our own lives.

Study Guide - Flight

Or visit vancouveropera.substack. com/p/travel-and-liminalspaces

Discussion Questions: 1. How does the airport in Flight reflect the characters' emotional and personal struggles?

2. Can you think of other examples of liminal spaces in literature, films, or your own life?

3. In what ways does high school serve as a liminal space, and how do you navigate it?

4. How does the Refugee’s story connect to current events about immigration and displacement?

5. What emotions did you feel while learning about the Refugee’s character, and why?

6. How does the Refugee’s resilience inspire us to think differently about our own challenges?

7. What lessons from Flight can you apply to your own life, especially during times of change?

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Books, Movies, and TV Shows Inspired by Flight or Exploring Similar Themes For those interested in delving deeper into the themes of travel, transformation, and liminal spaces explored in Flight, here are some recommended works: Books: The Road by Cormac McCarthy The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Movies: The Terminal. Directed by Steven Spielberg, 2004.

Lost in Translation. Directed by Sofia Coppola, 2003.

Wings of Desire. Directed by Wim Wenders, 1987 TV Shows: The Leftovers. Created by Damon Lindelof, 2014-2017.

Lost. Created by J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, and Damon Lindelof, 2004-2010.

Station Eleven. Created by Patrick Somerville, based on the novel

by Emily St. John Mandel, 2021.

These works echo the spirit of Flight by exploring human connection, the meaning of home, and the challenges of navigating life’s in-between moments. They provide further avenues for reflection and discussion on the themes presented in the opera.

The Terminal is a 2004 film by Steven Spielberg about Viktor Navorski, a tourist from a fictional Eastern European nation, who arrives at New York’s JFK airport just as war breaks out in his home country.

Caught up in international politics, Navorski is unable to return home, and unable to leave the airport.

More Resources: Scan the QR Code to read Grounded Dreams: Reflections on Jonathan Dove's opera Flight and Spielberg's The Terminal:

Or Visit: vancouveropera.substack. com/p/grounded-dreams Photo Credit: Flight 2020. Kimy McLaren. Photo: David Cooper Photography

Study Guide - Flight

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Older Woman Study Guide - Flight

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ACTIVITY

DM A CHARACTER Hey, Refugee, about that ‘Magic Stone’...

Flight addresses problems of the modern world like immigration, war, refugees, and having to leave behind the home you know and find a new one, often under difficult conditions.

For those who have never had to give up everything and start again, it can be hard to imagine what it feels like to give it all up. Try to imagine, from your own perspective, how this might feel: Who would you miss the most? What would you try to bring with you?

ACTIVITY After you have watched the performance, work in pairs and choose a character whose decisions or behaviours intrigued you, and engage them in a discussion. Ask them questions about their choices, and then respond on their behalf.

YOU COULD

Use a DM or texting generator.

Compose a series of emails.

Go Old School and write a letter.

Now think of questions you might ask a refugee: Which possessions did they bring with them when they fled their home? What did they have to leave behind?

How did it feel to leave loved ones behind?

What were the circumstances of their leaving?

Working in pairs, pick a character, ask that character questions, and consider how they might answer.

Resources: Generate a chat transcript Study Guide - Flight

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The Controller Study Guide - Flight

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TICKETS

CONTACT US

VO Ticket Centre Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm 604 683 0222

Vancouver Opera 1945 McLean Drive Vancouver, BC V5N 3J7 604 682 2871

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