Renegade Opera Presents
Tito
a modern, interactive adaptation of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission
Program
Synopsis
Welcome to the White House of the Unified States of America, where President Flavia Tito is making waves. Her new administration promises to give the people back the power that was stolen by the late President Vitello (may he Rest In Peace). In that spirit, there’s a new event on the White House calendar: Transparency Day. President Tito is inviting a group of reporters to the briefing room for the first time since Vitello banned the press from entering the White House. She plans to lay out her platform and gain the trust of the American people in time for the newly-reinstated presidential elections. Little does she know, a violent revolt lies in wait from within her own administration. Secretary of State Victoria Booth has her eye on the presidency, and with the power of seduction, she has enlisted Tito’s campaign manager, Sara Wilkes, to help her achieve her goal at any cost. Will Victoria get what she desires? Will Tito maintain the icy grip that the president has held over the country since Vitello took office? We will all see the headlines, but only the people in the building will know the whole truth. Don’t miss your chance to get in on the action.
Cast
Flavia Tito | Madeline Ross
Madeline Ross made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 as a jazz soloist where she “scatt[ed] to beat the band” (NY Concert Review). She was recently hailed for “effortlessly nailing” her performance as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Oregon Arts Watch). She won first prize at the National Association of Teachers of Singing classical voice competition in 2020 and has recently returned from a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. premiering An African American Requiem with Resonance Ensemble and NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed with Portland Opera, Resonance Ensemble, The Oregon Symphony, 45th Parallel, Portland Opera To Go, and Opera Theater Oregon. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Renegade Opera, Portland’s unconventional opera company. Upcoming engagements include Mozart’s Tito with Renegade Opera (August 2022) and the role of First Wood Sprite in Dvorak’s Rusalka with Portland Opera (Spring 2023). www.madelinelross.com
VICTORIA BOOTH | LINDSEY RAE JOHNSON
Soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson hails from Minneapolis. She has performed internationally as well as with the San Francisco Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, and Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. Locally Lindsey has performed with Portland Opera, Queer Opera, Ping & Woof Opera, Lark Opera, Opera on Tap, Portland SummerFest Opera in the Park, Classical Revolution PDX, Coulter Concert Series, Light Opera of Portland, Mocks Crest Productions, and the Dickens Carolers. www.lindseyraejohnson.com
SARA WILKES | SADIE GREGG
Sadie Gregg has been commended by the press as "a mezzo-soprano with a rich, flexible instrument," and as “a standout” whose "amber-toned mezzo-soprano sounded strong across her full range." Performances include Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Odyssey Opera, Oregon Mahler Festival, Tualatin Valley Symphony, and Bravo! Concerts Northwest. Sadie is featured on the original recordings of The Emerald Tablet and Viva’s Holiday with Cult of Orpheus. In addition to performing, Sadie leads Opera on Tap Portland as a Managing Diva, and maintains a private vocal studio. www.sadiegregg.com
SYLVIA WILKES | MADISON HALL
Madison Hall is a middle school Spanish teacher in Salem, Oregon. Madison sings locally with the Willamette Master Chorus and as a soloist with various ensembles. She studied voice performance and Spanish at Willamette University, where she sang with the chamber choir and vocal jazz ensemble before completing graduate coursework in opera performance at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Madison is delighted to be making her opera debut in Portland.
TOUR GUIDE | BEATRIZ ABELLA
Beatriz Abella, Mezzo-Soprano (she/her), is a first generation Filipino-American who was born and raised in Alaska and is thrilled to make her debut with Renegade Opera. She’s enjoyed the privilege of performing with Light Opera of Portland, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Camelot Theatre, Mocks Crest Opera, Brava! Opera Theatre, Portland Opera, Opera Cecilia and Portland-based film companies 945 Productions and VolcanoBeach Productions. Proud of her heritage, Beatriz continues to prioritize diversity and inclusivity with her artistic pursuits.
SPECIAL AGENT WOLFE | SHANON KEEHN
Shanon Keehn is a new face at Renegade Opera having just received her BA in Theatre last winter from George Fox University. She dabbles in work both on and off the stage as evidenced by her most recent credits as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing and stage managing Silent Sky both of which were with GFU Theatre, as well as voice acting various characters on the dramedy podcast Average Folks. Shanon is immensely grateful for the whole team at Renegade Opera for making their first show post graduation such a wonderful and educational experience.
ANNA LIEBERMANN | ELLIOT MENARD
Elliot Menard is an opera-maker: a vocal performer, producer, and grant writer. Her practice centers on the democratization of opera — creating space for diverse narratives within works, reimagining opera’s inaccessible traditions, and advocating for performing artists. She is the Grants Director (as well as a co-founder) of Renegade Opera. As a mezzo-soprano, she performs repertoire from contemporary, modern, classical, and baroque opera and art song, as well as vocal improvisation. As a producer, she develops thoughtful adaptations of classical operas that speak to the present. Most recently, she has performed with New Opera Days Ostrava, premiering Judith Berkson’s microtonal opera, Partial Memories. She is glad to be back in Portland, co-producing Renegade Opera’s Tito and singing the role of Anna. She holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Classics from Reed College and is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Voice Arts at California Institute of the Arts. elliotmenard.com
PETRA THOMPSON | ALLISON KNOTTS
Mezzo-soprano Allison Kim-Yok Knotts is from Portland, Oregon, and studies with Nancy Olson Chatalas. She attended Oregon State University, where she studied with Megan Sand. She has performed with the Corvallis Repertory Singers, the Willamette Master Chorus, Opera on Tap Portland, Ping & Woof Opera, Portland Summer Opera Workshop, Portland Summerfest, Our Song Artists, Opera Bend, Lark Opera, and Portland Opera.
SPEAKER AMADEUS (PIANIST) | JESSE PREIS
Jesse A. Preis is a pianist and tenor from Emblem, Wyoming. Jesse graduated in 2016 from the University of Montana in Missoula, MT, where they studied piano with Steven Hesla and earned double Bachelor of Arts degrees in Piano Performance & Pedagogy and Vocal Performance. Jesse studied voice abroad in Vienna and Graz, Austria (The American Institute of Musical Studies) during the summers of 2015 and 2016. In 2019, Jesse completed an M.M. Vocal Performance at West Virginia University. While at WVU, they sang the Armored Guard/High Priest in The Magic Flute and frequently served as a collaborative pianist for recitals, local churches, and productions. They are excited to be back with Renegade Opera, having sung the role of Perry, tenor for the 2021 production of Orfeo in Underland. Jesse works as a piano teacher at Hoffman Academy and is the Director of Musical Ministry at Prince of Life and St Stephen Lutheran churches. Outside of work, they enjoy spending time with their border collie Zinnia, exploring new cuisines, and hiking.
Creative Team
Stage Director | Joellen Sweeney
Joellen Sweeney (Director) is grateful to spend another summer with Renegade Opera! Joellen served as the Stage Director for last summer's Orfeo in Underland, and as director for Secret Diaries of Pennsylvania Avenue in 2020. She has also directed work for Enso Theatre Ensemble, Theatre33, and for her own company, Bedrock Theatre. a performance collective that combines storytelling, live music and hiking in parks and wilderness areas. In addition to directing, Joellen is an actor whose regional credits include work with Seattle Shakespeare Company, Artists Repertory Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, Northwest Children's Theatre and others. Joellen earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program, and this fall, she'll begin teaching acting and voice for the stage at Willamette University. www.joellensweeney.com
INTIMACY DIRECTOR | JACE MEYER-CROSBY
J.C. “Jace” Meyer Crosby is a director, intimacy director, writer, teacher, and learner. Directing credits include Strindberg adaptations Maid Julie and Creditors, an original adaptation of Faust, the one-act Positive for the Rochester Fringe Festival, and Bert V. Royal’s Dog Sees God. At the 2019 Fringe Festival, he directed multimedia work Homo Familiarus, an exploration of different forms of human intimacy in eleven scenes. As an intimacy director and coordinator, he is dedicated to spreading consent culture and storytelling excellence in the staging of intimate scenes for stage and screen. Favorite intimacy directing projects have been At Swim, Two Boys with DVC; Oklahoma! and Indecent at JCC Centerstage; Passion Play at Lewis & Clark College; and Dearest Eva with Kryptic Films. Jace is available for productions, workshops, and speaking engagements via jcmeyercrosby.com.
Costume Designer | MADELEINE TRAN
Madeleine Tran is a Portland, OR based soprano, actor, fight choreographer, and occasional street and festival performer. She was born in Tacoma, WA but obtained her degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Portland in 2018 and continues to study with Dr. Nicole Hanig. As a classical soprano, she has appeared with Portland Opera, Mock's Crest Productions, Renegade Opera, PSU's Queer Opera, and others, and has also appeared locally in the straight and musical theater scene, including performances with Artist's Repertory Theater and Third Rail Theater Company. She is a current fight apprentice under Kristen Mun, and has recently begun pursuing opportunities teaching stage combat workshops and providing fight choreography for small theaters and school productions around town. She is passionate about creating exciting and accessible performance art that has something to say, and grateful for companies like Renegade Opera that are doing the work to continue bringing those ideals into the world of classical music.
MUSIC DIRECTOR | Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer is a diverse singer who maintains an active singing and teaching career in Portland, OR. As a voice & piano teacher, Nicholas has taught thousands of lessons, working with professional musicians, public speakers, rock singers, hip-hop artists, treble & teenage voices, karaoke enthusiasts and everyone in between. Nicholas works with students to create a positive and encouraging environment and caters his lessons to the unique needs of each student. Employing his extensive classical music training and nearly 30 years of piano playing, Nicholas thrives in teaching all styles of music and every experience level, from beginner to advanced.
Stage Manager | Brooke Larson
Brooke Larson is a freelance stage manager based in the Portland metro area. In 2019, she graduated from George Fox University with her Bachelor’s of Arts in Theatre with a double concentration in Acting/Directing and Design/Technology. As a stage manager, she has worked with Broadway Rose Theatre Company, Portland State University’s Queer Opera, and George Fox University, as well as in the patron services departments at Oregon Children’s Theater and Portland Center Stage. She is currently the Access Manager at Broadway Rose, where she hopes to expand and grow their various accessibility programs. Her journey with Renegade Opera Company began in the summer of 2021 with their production of Orfeo in Underland. Her love of theatre and performing began when she performed in the youth cast of Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree as a child. When Brooke is not working, she enjoys reading, catching up on the latest news from Broadway, and spending time with her family’s two labradors: Bristol Rose and Bentley.
Credits
Based on Justice or Mercy written by Leo Balkovetz and produced by Promenade Opera Project in Boston, MA.
Creative Producers: Madeline Ross, Danielle Jagelski, Elliot Menard, Claire Robertson-Preis, Abigail Krawson, Madeleine Tran
Build Crew: Madeline Ross, Danielle Jagelski, Joellen Sweeney, Christine Richardson, Elliot Menard, Alec Chase, Shanon Keehn, and Brooke Larson
Special Thanks
Sharon and Graham Ross, Zak Eidsvoog, Joy Frisbie, Northwest Children's Theater and School, Roger Monroe, Paul Brown, Rory Breshears, Matthew Kerrigan, Vin Shambry, Jo Pierce, Christine Richardson, Nicole Hanig.
2022 Season Sponsors
2022 Season Supporters
Beatriz Abella, Jensi Albright, Pepper Ann, Melissa Apfelbaum, Barbara Arum, Lizabeth Arum, Richard Bower, Elizabeth Brownson, Zenora Burris, Patricia E. Cavanaugh, Nancy Chatalas, Anonymous, Leslie Dailey, Beth Dassa, Patti Duthie, Karin Eidsvoog, Sarah Gerberding, Nicole and Ross Hanig, Karen Halvorsen, Leslie Hassberg, Ellie Hodder, Gregory Homza, Marie Hoover, Veronique Hubert, Lindsey Johnson, James A. Johnson, Amy Johnson, Beth Kahlen, Timothy Lafolette, Nicole Leupp, Tom Lupton, Sarah Makar, Anna Makar, Erika Martin, Pascal Matheis, Camille M. Mayeux, Nicholas Meyer, Scott Meyer, Debra Meyer, Georgia Obradovich, Will Patton, Lanse Richardson, Teagan Roberts, Thomas and Kerianne Robertson, Claire Robertson-Preis, Adrian Rosales, Sharon Ross, Graham Ross, Elizabeth S. Liacos, Claire Severson, Melvin Shambry, Alexis Silver, Kathleen Strohecker, Therese Tran, Barbara Votrobeck, Lynn Weigand, Sebastian Zinn.