Renegade Opera Presents

Adam’s Run

by Ruby Fulton and Baynard Woods

Runtime: Approximately 1 hour

Please stay and enjoy our post-show programming!

a note from the creators

When we first started working on Adam’s Run a decade ago, the climate crisis wasn’t yet so obvious; Donald Trump was still a TV show host; and the media environment wasn’t nearly so splintered. In other words, things seemed to be a lot better than they are now--which was, in many ways the point: Things will get worse.

By the time the film we made of the opera premiered in 2017, Trump had just taken office and the “alt-right” militias and gangs like the Proud Boys were reveling in the fascist victory and the U.S. was pulling out of the already way-too-weak Paris Climate Accord. It hit a lot differently.

Now, six years after that, almost all of our climate-change jokes have been undermined and outstripped by the absurdity of our reality and we face a threat of a nationalist right-wing actually recognizing the climate crisis in the form of an ecofascism and the opera seems some kind of barometer of how grim things will get.

But there’s also something glorious about taking this opera, which was written for film and is in many ways about the mediation of our ever-present screens, and placing it back at the heart of opera, in the real, unmediated world with real people standing in front of you singing and playing music.

The opera presents a world where we all look to our screens for information about the ever-changing weather--but the screens can provide no answers, only entertainment and division. So perhaps this live performance points us in the right direction. The more we engage in the real, physical world, the less susceptible we will be to the illusions that continue to leave us baffled and helpless in this unprecedented crisis.

We’re grateful to Renegade for taking up this kind of bonkers opera and taking it out of the world of screens and into the world we can only change if we learn to come together in novel ways-- and for pushing us to re-envision it for a live audience in a place at the forefront of resistance.

Much love and grim solidarity.

Baynard Woods and Ruby Fulton

a note from the stage director

It’s not every day you get handed an opera like Adam’s Run. To quote librettist Baynard Woods, it’s “kind of bonkers.”

It’s in a world that’s similar to ours, but not quite right. There are conventions of traditional opera, but not many. It’s philosophically dense, sonically exciting, riotously hilarious, and at its core asks a question many have, though few want to answer: What can you believe in at the end of the world?

Whether it’s television, your singular cause, a God, someone in your life, or something much more abstract––what is the “why” that drives you forward, day by day? And, even more pressing than that: What happens when the thing you believe in falls apart?

-Melory Mirashrafi

Cast

Julie Shore | Maddie Tran

Madeleine Tran is a Portland, OR based soprano, actor, fight choreographer, and occasional street and festival performer. She was born in Tacoma, WA and studied classical voice at the University of Portland under Dr. Nicole Hanig. Madeleine studies and teaches stage combat under the mentorship of Kristen Mun. She has performed locally with many companies, including Artist's Repertory Theater, Third Rail Repertory, Portland Opera, Mock's Crest Productions, and of course- Renegade Opera!

Dana Daring | Lisa Neher

Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her, “NEER”) is an award-winning composer and new music mezzo on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability. Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher’s performance credits include Third Angle New Music, Really Spicy Opera, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre Oregon, New Music Gathering, Resonance Ensemble, Experiments in Opera, Renegade Opera, and Big Mouth Society. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus. Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week) and a “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Neher’s compositions are inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of family and friends, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. She has been commissioned and performed by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Third Angle New Music, FearNoMusic, Dinosaur Annex, and New Opera West, among others. www.lisanehermusic.com

Reverend Billy Noble | Quinton Gardner

Quinton Gardner is a bass-baritone working out of Portland, OR. Before joining the Portland Opera chorus in 2022, he performed in the world premiere of Damien Geter’s “An African American Requiem” with the Resonance Ensemble, as well as the subsequent performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. As a chorister for Portland Opera, he performed in the “George and Friends” celebration of conductor George Manahan, as well as appearing in his first fully staged production in the chorus of “Carmen”. Recently with the Resonance Ensemble, he performed in a program called “Earth’s Protection” featuring the works of Jasmine Barnes, Reena Esmail and Sarah Kirkland Snider. Quinton is also a recording artist and involved in projects such as his brainchild, Full Metal Jackson, as well as Only Zuul and Lightbreaker. Quinton studied voice under his father, bass-baritone Jake Gardner. He maintains a small, local, private voice teaching practice.

Ensemble/ Julie Shore Cover | Maeve Stier

Maeve Stier is a multi-disciplinary performing artist and arranger from Portland, OR. In the world of musical theater, they played accordion in Stumptown Stages' production of Cabaret and premiered a 6-person queer retelling of The Music Man with Third Rail Repertory Theater. Other performance experience includes roles and workshops with Portland Opera, PSU Opera, Orpheus PDX, and Aquilon Music Festival, as well as chorus work with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, and internationally acclaimed artists such as Pink Martini, Sarah Brightman, and Josh Groban. They are a regular performer at Mendelssohn's and can be found at markets, festivals, and street corners around the PNW with their accordion.

Ensemble/Billy Noble Cover | Nick Toto/Luciano Verinotti

Nick Tibbs-Toto is a non-binary singing actor and dragking from Los Angeles and is a recent transplant here to Portland. They grew up as a chorister in the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and have been singing in operas from a young age. They received their Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Arts from the USC Thornton School of Music. Since graduating they have been creating art opportunities for themselves and others around them. They have a digital drag show, The Tibbs and Toto Show, which makes space for drag artists like kings that wouldn’t be seen otherwise. This has brought them back to opera with a chance to show their community something new.

Rodney richards | Matt Rowning

Matt Rowning (he/they) is a musician, sound designer, actor and healthcare worker from SE Portland, where riding the MAX green line taught them not just how to stay alive, but thrive. His guitar playing, composition, sound design, and acting have proven a sign of poor prognosis for dozens of productions and multiple bands, including CHERA CHERA and his solo project, CHERUB FACE. Proud member of AFM Local 99. @chaereb
Selected credits: Guitar, tick…tick…Boom! (Portland Center Stage), Heathers: The Musical (Linfield University), Un Pajarito Canta (Portland Revels); Sound design and original composition, It’s A Wonderful Life! (PCS), American Fast (Artists Rep), and Mary Jane (Third Rail Rep); Simon Zealotes in Jesus Christ Superstar (Post5 Theater Company); Healthcare worker (Local Hospital)

Ensemble/Dana Daring Cover | Elliot Menard

Elliot Menard is an opera-maker (a vocalist, composer, producer, and grant writer), passionate about bringing new opera-theater to life. She performs opera, art song, and choral repertoire (from early to contemporary), as well as Jewish cantorial music, jazz, improvisation, and extended techniques. She has recently performed in CalArts’ production of HERE BE SIRENS (Kate Soper) as Polyxo, Open Gate Theater’s Hecuba (Will Salmon), New Opera Days Ostrava’s premiere of Partial Memories (Judith Berkson), and Renegade Opera’s Tito (Mozart) as Anna (Annio). As a composer, she pursues how text allows music to emerge. Her compositions have been programmed at CalArts, the N.E.O Voice Festival, and Open Gate Theater. Her producorial practice, as the Development Director and Co-Founder of Renegade Opera, centers on supporting emerging artists, living composers, and opera’s many forms. She holds an MFA in Voice Arts from CalArts and a BA in Classics from Reed College.

Orchestra

Ignacio Ojeda Romero | Piano

Nacho Ojeda is a musician, pianist and interdisciplinary performer based in New York City. Born in Sevilla, Spain in 1995, he began his studies at the age of 5. He earned his Bachelor of Music in piano performance in the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid and a Master of Music in classical piano performance in the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, as well as a master’s in Contemporary Performance in the Manhattan School of Music under renowned musicians Peggy Kampmeier and Anthony de Mare. Nacho is deeply interested in the music of our time and the inventive possibilities New Music provides in terms of performance and collaboration among artists of different disciplines. He understands composition, performance and improvisation as three sides of the same process – music-making – and approaches music with passion and intention regardless of its genre. For him, collaboration with composers, actors, dancers, visual artists and other musicians is paramount to reaching a meaningful channel of expression.

Tyler Slaughter | Viola

Born and raised in Reno, NV. Tyler began playing violin in 6th grade through his public school music program and later picked up viola during his junior year in high school. Tyler received his Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Nevada Reno in 2018 where he continued participating in the University Orchestra. In an effort to become more well-rounded, Tyler also joined the University Chamber Choir, Marching/Pep Band, and took a semester of euphonium lessons. Other performing opportunities Tyler has enjoyed are The Reno Pops Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, Ruby Mountain Symphony, Tualatin Valley Symphony, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Tyler began his teaching career as a middle school orchestra teacher in Sparks, NV where he taught a full-time string program for three years before moving to Portland to pursue his Master's in Music from Portland State University where he is currently attending school.

Colleen Bernstein | Percussion

Colleen Bernstein is an award-winning percussionist and educator recognized for her versatility and passion. She has performed on multiple Broadway musicals and previously collaborated with notable artists including Béla Fleck, Judy Collins, Tania León, Concertgebouw Orchestra Camerata, American Symphony Orchestra, Silkroad Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, Balla Kouyate, and Sandbox Percussion. As a soloist, Bernstein has performed a concerto with Albany Symphony, presented sets at MATA Festival, New Music Gathering, World Vibes Congress, and Oh My Ears Festival, and won prizes internationally including at the Universal Marimba Competition. She is a member of American Wild Ensemble and Creative Leaps International. Bernstein is a professor at William Paterson University and Hunter College, and Director of Percussion for New Jersey Youth Symphony. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and University of Michigan, and is an artist endorser for Black Swamp Percussion and Malletech.

Derec Steinman | Bass/Percussion

Derec Steinman is a drummer and bassist based in New York City.

Ryan Downs | Violin

Ryan grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she first learned to play the violin and participated in the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. She plays in the Eugene Symphony Orchestra and teaches Suzuki violin in Portland. Ryan earned a Bachelor's Degree in violin performance and string pedagogy from the University of New Mexico (2018) and a Master's of Music in violin performance from the University of Oregon (2020).

Philip Kettler | Cello

Philip Kettler is the newly appointed Principal Cellist of the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra. A passionate chamber musician and teacher, he also serves as the cellist of the Langroise Trio and Lecturer/Artist-in-Residence at The College of Idaho. He began his positions in Boise after three seasons with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, where he served as Second Cellist and the orchestra’s youngest member. Philip also regularly performs with the Indianapolis Symphony and Sarasota Orchestra, and previously held principal positions in orchestras including the Terre Haute Symphony, Carmel Symphony, and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, among others. In recent seasons, Philip has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at the Chevy Chase Concert Series (Washington, DC), Blair Concert Series (Nashville, TN), Concerts at Bradley Hills (Bethesda, MD), and Chamber Music Evergreen (Evergreen, CO). In the summer, Philip is the Assistant Principal Cellist of the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, and has spent previous summers performing with the National Repertory Orchestra and at the music festivals of Aspen, Bowdoin, and Aix-en-Provence (France). Philip is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Music degree at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he also earned his Masters degree. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Vanderbilt University and also completed studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands. His principal teachers include Eric Kim, Felix Wang, and Dmitry Ferschtman. Philip is regularly invited to serve as an adjudicator and clinician for competitions and festivals throughout the Northwest and Mountain West.

Sean Fredenburg | saxophone

Sean Fredenburg serves as the Instructor of Saxophone at Portland State University where he teaches applied saxophone, chamber music, aural skills, and woodwind techniques. He is dedicated to promoting new music works by many bright young composers. Outside of the university setting, he is the saxophone chamber music coach for the Portland Youth Wind Ensemble, and appears as artist faculty at Woodwinds at Wallowa Lake. He has also previously served as instructor of saxophone and world music at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Sean holds degrees from Louisiana State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oregon. His primary teachers have been Griffin Campbell, Steven Stusek, and Idit Shner.

Matt Rowning | Guitar

Creative Team

Stage Director | Melory Mirashrafi

Melory Mirashrafi (they/she/او) is a first-generation Iranian-American theatre artist based in Oregon. Melory’s work spans from new plays and translations to musicals and operas, focusing on art that is rigorous, relevant, and theatrical. They have spent time at notable institutions including the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, where they work as Artistic & Producing Associate. Selected credits: Young Americans (Portland Center Stage); American Fast (Artists Repertory Theatre); English (Speakeasy Stage Company); La Cenerentola (Portland Opera); the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Portland Center Stage); The God Cluster (Fuse Theatre Ensemble); The Music Man (Third Rail Repertory Theatre); Layalina & <<when we write with ashes>> (National Queer Theatre); Shahmaran (Shaking the Tree Theatre); Our Utopia (Bag&Baggage Productions); The Little Prince (Opera Theater Oregon). Melory’s writing can be found in the Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays and Routledge’s Troubling Traditions: Canonicity, Theatre, and Performance in the US. Proud SDC member. @meloryjasmin

Assistant DIRECTOR | Tommy Soultanian

Tommy Soultanian (they/them) is a first generation Armenian-American, classically trained mezzo-soprano and multidisciplinary theatre artist. After receiving their degree in Vocal Performance from Portland State in 2020, Tommy made the switch to the other side of the stage. Since then they have worked with Artists Repertory Theatre, Opera Theatre Oregon and now Renegade.

Costume Designer | Kelli Mcdonough

My name is Kelli McDonough. It was a delightful surprise that I ended up working in costume design the past year out of school. No matter where I end up, I know I want to create one of a kind garments that reflect what I love: Whimsy, weird and weird!

Scenic Designer | Bobbie yeo

Bobbie Yeo is a musician and sculptor based out of Portland, Oregon. She is an alumnus of Oregon College of Art and Craft, graduating with a BFA with a double concentration in metal and fiber arts. Though formally trained in metalsmithing, Yeo has found her niche in woodworking, which has become the predominant process utilized in her large-scale installations. A major influence for Yeo has been the artwork of Lee Bontecou, who created darkly organic sculptural pieces with precise fabrication of welded armatures enveloped in a variety of mixed media. Yeo’s installations have been featured at various music festivals and local arts events, such as SOAK (the Portland Regional Burn) and Tectonic SHIFT Festival.

Lighting Designer | Mandana Khoshnevisan

Mandy is currently the Technical Director and a Resident Artist at Bag&Baggage; she studied literature, theater, and history (and improvisation) at Stanford University, where she earned a B.A. and M.A. in English. She wears many theatrical hats; most recently, she designed the set for Red Velvet at B&B, costumed Golden Girls Live! at the Funhouse Lounge, and designed projections and costumes for The Last White Man (B&B). You may have also seen her onstage, most recently in the one-person show I Fucking Hate Shakespeare (B&B) or Die Hard: The Musical Parody (Funhouse), or at Chapel Theater with Wish Heart Dance. Recently, she published her first book, Managed Mischief, about improvisation and creativity. At home, she maintains an excess of books, art supplies, and impractical musical instruments.

Ruby Fulton | composer

Composer Ruby Fulton writes music which invites listeners to explore non-musical ideas through sound. Her musical portfolio includes explorations of mental illness, psychedelic research, addiction, chess strategy, and environmental change; and profiles of iconic popular figures like the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and musicians Syd Barrett and Whitney Houston. She has collaborated on interdisciplinary projects with thinkers and makers in the sciences and literary, movement and visual arts. Much of her work falls into the category of concert music, written for solos and duos to full orchestras. She is also a multi-instrumentalist, writing for violin, trumpet, and keys. Whatever musical genre or instruments Fulton chooses, her music reflects the rhythms and pulses of daily life, and the world around her.

MUSIC DIRECTOR/Conductor | Danielle Jagelski

Danielle Jagelski is a conductor and composer. At home in both operatic and orchestral realms, she is the Artistic Director of Renegade Opera, Associate Conductor of PROTESTRA, Producer at First Nations Performing Arts, and mentor for Girls Who Conduct. Recent engagements include Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly at Temple University Opera Theater, Garden of Alice by Elizabeth Raum with City Lyric Opera (NYC), assistant conductor for Le nozze di Figaro at the Estates Theater (Prague, CZ), and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (Portland, OR). Sought out for her execution of newly written and contemporary works, she has performed concerts of world premieres at Manhattan School of Music, New Music Manhattan, National Music & Global Culture Society at Lincoln Center. As a composer, her music has been heard throughout the US, Canada, and Germany with ensembles such as Hear Us Hear Them Ensemble, New Native Theatre, The American Patriots Project, and Chicago’s Artemis Singers. An enrolled member of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Tribes with mixed heritage from Polish/Irish settler communities, Danielle is a fierce advocate for equity in musical spaces and has presented her research on Indigenous representation and Mixed-Race theory throughout the US and Canada. daniellejagelskiconductor.com

Stage Manager | Alea Tran

Alea Tran is a theatre artist whose interests lie in creating art that provides space and support for minority voices and developing new works. In addition to freelancing in a variety of backstage roles, they are a member of the PATHWAYS mentorship program through Artists Repertory and work box office at Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Recent productions include Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (asst. stage manager, Oregon Children’s); American Fast (production manager, Artists Repertory); Chicken & Biscuits (asst. stage manager, Portland Playhouse); The Hombres (props assistant, Artists Repertory). This is their first opera!

Scenic Designer | Tyler Buswell

Tyler Buswell is a proud drag queen (Donatella Nobody), actor, scenic designer and multi-disciplined visual artist. He has worked as a scenic artist/carpenter for Third Rail, PCS, Portland Playhouse, CoHo and OCT and has designed for ART, Theatre Vertigo, Chapel Theatre, Bag&Baggage, Post5 and many others- he will make his Portland Center Stage design debut this winter with Liberace and Liza Holiday at the Mansion (A Tribute)- a show conceived by and starring his amazing husband, David Saffert. He has ten Broadwayworld nominations for Outstanding Set Design winning for Bootycandy by Robert O’Hara with Fuse Ensemble and runner-up for Camelot at Lakewood. His work can be seen from here to the beautiful state of Maine where he served two years as a workshop educator, designer and technical director at Camp Manitou. He currently serves as the technical director and designer for Northwest Academy- teaching tech theatre, costume and makeup design to an incredible group of middle and high schoolers, grades 6-12. tylerbuswell.com

Sound Designer | Chris O’Toole

Chris O’Toole is a Portland based composer and sound designer with a deep love for absurdity and dark whimsy. She has written and designed for various companies including Jewish Theatre Collaborative, Defunkt Theater, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, and NWCT's Young Professionals program, frequently provides live underscoring with groups like Spectravagasm, and stretches out to write for experimental horror group, The Reformers. Chris is currently writing and performing with the Dark Country band Death Knell, and the Nouveau-Industrial Sister Sarafia.

Baynard Woods | Librettist

Baynard Woods is a writer, journalist, filmmaker and librettist who lives in Baltimore. Click here to read an article explaining the use of stricken out text when publishing Baynard’s name.

Additional Credits

Creative Producers: Elliot Menard, Danielle Jagelski, Claire Robertson-Preis, Maddy Ross, Joellen Sweeney, Abby Krawson, Maddie Tran, Jess Preis, and Nick Toto

Special Thanks

Sharon and Graham Ross, Northwest Children's Theater and School, Roger Monroe, Paul Brown, Prairie High School, Jeremy and Abby Quinn, Shawn Lee, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Josh and David Dassa, Zak Eidsvoog, Nicholas Meyer, Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, Artist Repertory Theater,