Stage Door News
Stage Door News
For its fifth season, Toronto independent opera company Opera 5 presents Suffragette – a double bill of operas by English composer Dame Ethel Smyth, composer of the Woman’s Social and Political Union anthem. Though she has fallen into obscurity, Smyth was an influential composer at the turn of the 20th century. The 1902 production of her opera Der Wald was the first opera composed by a woman mounted at The MET, and it would be over a century before another woman composer was featured. She was an active member of the Suffragette movement, and spent two months in jail for smashing the windows of a British Parliamentarian. Suffragette will showcase the range of Smyth’s work by featuring two works: Fête Galante, and the feminist opera The Boatswain’s Mate. The show will take place at Theatre Passe Muraille - Mainspace, June 22-25, 2017.
The cast features Sri Lankan tenor Asitha Tennekoon, who recently performed in Tapestry Opera’s Rocking Horse Winner; mezzo-soprano Eugenia Dermentzis, who has recently performed with Against the Grain Theatre and Toronto Operetta Theatre; soprano Alexandra Smither who is a 2017 Vocal Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center; and Kevin Myers, a recent graduate from the Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program. The show is being led by an all-women production team, headed by Opera 5 Production Manager and Stage Director, Jessica Derventzis; Production Designer Erin Gerofsky; and Lighting Designer Jennifer Lennon. On the podium is Opera 5 Principal Conductor Evan Mitchell (Music Director, Kingston Symphony) leading a chamber orchestra performing composer-original reductions edited by Valerie Langfield.
“In many ways, Dame Ethel Smyth paved the way for female artists working in the classical industry,” says Opera 5 Artistic Director Aria Umezawa. “Through her music, she challenged the idea of what was considered appropriate music for a woman to compose, and through her involvement with the Suffragette movement, she helped pave the way for millions of people to stand up and demand equal rights. I think now, more than ever, it is important to remind ourselves of how far we have come, and the progress that is at stake if we stay silent in the face of the bigotry and fear-mongering that is making its way into public discourse.”
Opera 5 is a dynamic, independent opera company in Toronto. It is run by Rachel Krehm - General Director; Aria Umezawa - Artistic Director; Jessica Derventzis - Production Manager; and Evan Mitchell – Principal Conductor, three of whom are Toronto-born women. The company is known for its popular web series titled Opera Cheats, which deconstructs opera plots and opera-going rules with a humorous twist. You can watch the series at www.opera5.ca/opera-cheats
Suffragette
June 22-24, 7:30PM
June 25, 6:00PM
Theatre Passe Muraille, Mainspace - 16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto
Tickets: At the door, online: www.opera5.ca/suffragettetix or phone: 416-504-7529.
More Info including complete cast and production team: www.opera5.ca/suffragette
2017-05-02
Toronto: Opera 5 presents a double bill of operas by Dame Ethel Smyth June 22-25