San Diego Opera to Present Southern California Premiere of FELLOW TRAVELERS in July 2026

San Diego Opera has announced it will present the Southern California premiere of Fellow Travelers, the acclaimed opera by Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce, from July 10–12, 2026. The production, part of a national Tenth Anniversary Tour, will be staged at the historic Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego and marks the only California performances of the opera next year.

Based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel, Fellow Travelers follows a secret romance between two men navigating the fear and political paranoia of McCarthy-era Washington, D.C. Directed by Kevin Newbury, who helmed the opera’s original 2016 premiere, the San Diego production will be conducted by Patrick Summers and performed by members of the San Diego Symphony.

The cast features tenor Andy Acosta as Timothy Laughlin and baritone Joseph Lattanzi reprising his original role as Hawkins Fuller. Vanessa Becerra will perform as Miss Lightfoot and Amber R. Monroe as Mary Johnson. Additional cast includes Marcus DeLoach, Elisa Sunshine, Randell McGee, Kyle Pfortmiller, and Jeremy Weiss.

“This story is incredibly moving,” said David Bennett, San Diego Opera’s General Director and CEO. “The musical score is beautiful, and the cast is top-notch. I can’t wait to share Fellow Travelers with San Diego.”