Opera Parallele Presents a Special Pre-DEAD MAN WALKING Premiere Event, 1/21

In anticipation of its February 20-22 YBCA Theater premiere of a new production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, award-winning contemporary opera company Opera Parallèle will present a special free public event Wednesday, January 21, 7-8:30 pm at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. The evening will feature a discussion of the opera-which has had 40 productions, spanning the globe, in its 15-year history-and its controversial topic, the death penalty, along with performances of excerpts from the opera and other works. Opera Parallèle founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel will host special guests including activist and author Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, which chronicles her relationship with a Louisiana death-row inmate, and which was also made into a celebrated motion picture; composer Jake Heggie, mezzo-sopranos Frederica von Stade and Catherine Cook, sopranos Kristin Clayton and Nicolle Foland, and Roslyn Barak, cantor of Temple Emanu-El. Admission for the event is free of charge and advance reservations are required at opdmw.brownpapertickets.com .

The evening will include Sister Helen's passionate presentation and discussion about the transformation of her famous memoir into film, stage play, and opera. Leaders from initiatives against the death penalty will take part in a panel discussion. In addition, selections from Dead Man Walking will offer a preview of Opera Parallèle's February 2015 production at YBCA Theater. January 21 guest performers include Frederica von Stade, who created the role of Mrs. De Rocher at San Francisco Opera in 2000, and Catherine Cook, Opera Parallèle's Mrs. De Rocher, who was also in the original production. Jake Heggie will accompany excerpts from the opera, Ms. von Stade's performance of Heggie songs written to texts by Sister Helen, and a performance of Ravel's Kaddish with Temple Emanu-El's renowned cantor, Roslyn Barak.

About Opera Parallèle's Production of Dead Man Walking

Opera Parallèle will open its 2015 season with the premiere of a new production of Jake Heggie's landmark workDead Man Walking-marking the 15th anniversary of the 21st century masterwork-in three performances Fridayand Saturday, February 20 and 21, 2015 at 8 pm and Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 2 pm at YBCA Theater in San Francisco. Based on Sister Helen Prejean's memoir and passionate statement against capital punishment of the same title, Dead Man Walking plumbs the depths of human emotion, resilience, fortitude, hope, and redemption, making it an ideal subject for the operatic stage and for Opera Parallèle's brand of story-telling, exploring the human experience in provocative and intense stagings. The premiere will be followed by the Company taking to the road for the first time to present a concert version of Dead Man Walking at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA, March 7 and 8, 2015.

About the New Production of Dead Man Walking

Opera Parallèle presents the new production in signature "OP style" featuring dynamic, flexible sets, digital projections, and a high-impact performance style. OP Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel describes the production as, "dismantling an atmosphere of confinement and imbalance over the course of the story. It starts with hard-edged panels that contain disjointed bars, symbolizing the structured chaos of prison and the psyche. The use of technology helps us to enhance this powerful story, illustrating and deepening individual moments."

Original media, choreography and striking lighting and shadow effects against a monolithic stage set will underscore the intimate and controversial subject matter and intense dramatic content. The production is overseen by Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement, who will conduct the performances. Staufenbiel's team of production designers will include Dave Dunning (Set Design), Matthew Antaky (Lighting Design), David Murakami (Media Design), Frédéric Boulay (Projection Design), Christine Crook (Costume Design), and Jeanna Parham (Wig/Makeup Design). The company will also collaborate in this production with ODC choreographer and Co-Artistic Director KT Nelson. The work has been newly re-orchestrated under the supervision of Jake Heggie and Nicole Paiement. The cast features Jennifer Rivera (Sister Helen Prejean), Michael Mayes (Joe De Rocher), Catherine Cook (Mrs. De Rocher), Talise Trevigne (Sister Rose), Robert Orth (Owen Hart), John Duykers (Father Grenville), plus Kristin Clayton, Philip Skinner, Michelle Rice, Joseph Meyers, Mark Hernandez, Jonathan Smucker, and members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, a frequent OP collaborator.

Tickets for Dead Man Walking are priced at $35-135, and are available at the YBCA box office. Visitoperaparallele.org/tix for full ticket information for all productions.

About Dead Man Walking

"It's hard to believe it has been nearly 15 years since Dead Man Walking had its world premiere," says Jake Heggie. "Since then, the piece has been heard in nearly 40 separate productions around the globe; it's been the subject of a documentary and two very starry recordings, but the opera has never returned to its birthplace. So, I am overjoyed that Opera Parallèle will bring Dead Man Walking home in what promises to be a startling, stirring, haunting new production. I am a huge fan of this brave, visionary company and have been consistently knocked out by its work. A magnificent cast has been assembled for the occasion and I'm convinced the opera audience here won't know what hit it! I can hardly wait."

Composed by Jake Heggie with libretto by Terrence McNally, Dead Man Walking was commissioned by San Francisco Opera and premiered on the War Memorial Opera House stage in 2000. Since then, it has been rendered in more than 40 productions worldwide, but the Opera Parallèle production will be the first time it has been seen in San Francisco since its premiere 15 years ago. Dead Man Walking is based on Sister Helen Prejean's 1993 memoir, which tells of her time working with death row inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary, and of a particular relationship she developed with one of the inmates. Sister Helen's memoir was also the subject of a celebrated 1995 film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. The popularity of the opera can be credited not only to the timeless relevance of its subject and the humanity of its story, but on how successfully the composer and librettist captured the essence and impact of the story in an intense musical and dramatic setting.

Additional Dead Man Walking Outreach Events

• A staging rehearsal of the opera on Saturday, February 14, at 3:00-5:00 pm will be open to the public for a behind-the-scenes look at the process of preparing for production at First Baptist Church of San Francisco, 22 Waller St. This free open rehearsal is presented as part of the company's Opera-On-Display program.

• As part of OP's Invitation-to-Opera and its multifaceted education programs, students from the greater Bay Area will be invited to the opera's final dress rehearsal, February 19, 4-6pm at YBCA Theater.

Photo Credit: re-visualization illustrations by Eve Skylar