Christopher Allen News

Cincinnati Opera is pleased to announce the casting of principal roles for composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith's new opera Castor and Patience, which will have its world premiere in Cincinnati, July 16 - 26, 2020, highlighting the company's 100th anniversary season.

Cincinnati Opera announces the casting of principal roles for composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith's new opera Castor and Patience, which will have its world premiere in Cincinnati, July 16 - 26, 2020, highlighting the company's 100th anniversary season.

Canadian Stage and Studio 180 Theatre are pleased to announce the cast for the Toronto premiere production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat by Lynn Nottage. A Canadian Stage and Studio 180 co-production, performances begin on January 14, 2020 at the Berkeley Street Theatre. 

Opera Theatre of St. Louis has opened its 44th festival season. This is St. Louis' prized centerpiece of opera, with a world-wide reputation. It is famous for its superb productions. The company's home is the beautiful and comfortable 763-seat Browning Theatre at Webster University. Gourmet picnic suppers may be enjoyed before the show on the lovely grounds of the theater. All operas are performed in English with super-titles.

Young People's Theatre closes their season with the world premiere of Jeff Ho's ANTIGONE, which stands as an impressive contemporary take on Sophocles' classic play. The story begins with the title character's brother Neikes (Jeff Yung) leading a breakout from the re-education facility he's held in alongside his friend Haemon (Simon Gagnon). Before he can escape and lead the demonstration against the facility in the city's sacred square, he is met by the headmistress Tiresia (Soo Garay) who allows him to leave relatively easily, swayed by the memory of his mother who's been left as a "ghost in a shell" after heavy re-education. Yung offers an intense yet endearing depiction of the rebel, and regardless of his placement within the in-the-round theatre commands attention.

Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, today announced a host of programs celebrating the company's upcoming 100th anniversary in 2020, along with repertoire and casting highlights of the 2020 Summer Festival.

Young People's Theatre (YPT) is thrilled to present Antigone: by Jeff Ho. An urgently contemporary adaptation of the classic Greek story, inspired by the 2014 Umbrella Movement student protests in Hong Kong and the 1989 uprising in Tiananmen Square, Antigone: will be presented 'in the round' on YPT's Mainstage April 29 to May 16.

Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) announced today details of its 2019-20 season. The opera series features beloved classics "Don Giovanni" and "Pagliacci;" works long-absent from the MOT repertoire, "Sweeney Todd" and "Gianni Schicchi," and the highly-anticipated company premiere of "Champion," a contemporary American opera. The dance series features the return of American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem, as well as the Detroit Opera House premiere of French contemporary ballet company Malandain Ballet Biarritz. An Oct. 12 gala concert, featuring acclaimed American Tenor Michael Fabiano and principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre, will serve to launch the season.

Now & Then Creative Company is excited to kick off their 2nd season with the ultimate absurd comedy - Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco - opening next Friday, November 2. This classic from 1959 examines a disturbing and hilarious chain of events that spawn from the arrival of a stampeding rhinoceros...well, was it a rhinoceros? Could it be something...more? The laughs are plenty, the story is outrageous, and at the center of it all, we feel Ionesco's searing social commentary of mid-20th century Europe - which solidifies the play's timelessness. Part cautionary tale, part absurd romp, Rhinoceros feels fresh, relevant, and offers something for everyone.

Whether from disease, 19th century #MeToo-style abuse, or unrequited love, Opera Philadelphia's (OP) Festival O18 opening weekend showed us three ways that central female characters lost their grip on reality. While I considered only one of them a total success, audience openness to sometimes-demanding material made it clear that the company has found a formula that strikes at the hearts of opera-goers, new and old.

Lauded as “one of the most creative and ambitious companies in this country” (New York Times), Opera Philadelphia justified that reputation once again when it launched its inaugural Festival O last season; the Washington Post found it “one of the most enjoyable additions to the fall calendar in years,” and the Philadelphia Inquirer noted the festival's ambition “not to follow taste but to lead it.”

Penny Van Horn, Board Chair of The Solti Foundation U.S. and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, today announced the names of the eight recipients of the 2018 Solti Foundation Career Assistance Awards. The young conductors hold positions throughout the United States, with posts in Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.

Penny Van Horn, Board Chair of The Solti Foundation U.S. and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, announced today the Foundation's ninth grant, The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, to Roderick Cox, Associate Conductor of the 114-year old Minnesota Orchestra. The $30,000 grant is the largest grant awarded to young American conductors in the United States.

Of all the composers in the world Giuseppe Verdi is by far the most popular. Of all the operas in the world his 'La traviata' is by far the most frequently performed. Have you missed out on this mega hit? You can fill in that cultural gap with the splendid production now offered by Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Aside Theatre Company is proud to present the world premiere of BUT IN OURSELVES by Hannah Stewart and Keach James Siriani-Madden.

Young People's Theatre (YPT) is proud to present the premiere of Christine Quintana's powerful play about consent, Selfie. The award-winning play for ages 13 and up will be presented in the Studio April 23 to May 11.

National Chorale, New York's premier professional choral company under the Artistic Direction of Everett McCorvey, continues its 2017-2018 Season at Lincoln Center with the New York Premiere of Angela Rice's Thy Will Be Done on Friday, March 16, 2018 at 8pm at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC. Tickets are $30-100 and are available at www.nationalchorale.com or by calling (212) 333-5333.

The Atlanta Opera continues its 2017-18 season with Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment, known for its romance, comedy, and vocal acrobatics. Andriana Chuchman will make her Atlanta debut as Marie, the adopted daughter of the French 21st regiment. Santiago Ballerini, an alum of The Atlanta Opera Studio artist, returns to Atlanta as Tonio. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe makes her role debut as The Marquise of Berkenfeld. This production marks the debut of The Daughter of the Regiment at the Cobb Energy Centre, and the first presentation in Atlanta since 1985.

The concept, a collaboration between Komische Oper Berlin and London-based performance group 1927, (Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt), was utterly unique, and Cincinnati Opera's production values were top notch.

Penny Van Horn, Board Chair of The Solti Foundation U.S. and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, today announced the names of the recipients of the 2017 Solti Foundation Career Assistance Awards, bringing the number of such grants given by the Foundation to 55, and the amount awarded to young conductors since 2004 to $500,000, a major milestone in the organization's history. This year's recipients hold positions throughout the United States, Canada and Brazil with posts in California, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, Hamilton, Ontario, and Rio de Janiero.