Lucretia

Male Chorus: Nikolas James
Female Chorus: Kaitlyn Gaughan

Collatinus: Timothy Hurtt
Junius: Chase Côté
Tarquinius: Adam Rodgers
Lucretia: McKenna Brunson
Bianca : Andreia Lucaciu
Lucia: Nalani Matthias
Ensemble:
Benjamin Chen
Ali Crosley
John Drake
Daniel Laverriere
Wonyoung Seo
Presented October 27-31, 2023
Temple Opera Theater
Tomlinson Theater, Philadelphia, PA 

Director: kt shorb
Conductor: Emily Senturia 
Scenic Designer Michael Mehler
Costume Designer: Yinxue Wang 
Lighting Designer Allison McSwain
Props Manager: Jon Ward
Stage Manager: Gaby Fonseca Luna 
Scenic Design: Stephen Wiseley
Costume Design: Rebecca KanachIntimacy Director: Colleen Hughes
Lighting Director: Jason Norris
Fight Director: Ian Rose
Music Preparation: Christopher Turbessi
Producer: Brandon McShaffrey
Stage Manager: Miranda Watkins 

Director’s Note

As a director, I’ve always been attracted to “problematic texts,” pieces
that somehow create cognitive dissonance with contemporary
audiences and can contain material that enact harm on people
historically silenced. Perhaps because I am a queer, non-binary,
Asian American Buddhist, I am motivated by the challenge of finding
liberation in contexts that on surface feel like they oppress me.
When asked to direct Lucretia, I felt it would be a particularly
arresting challenge. This mid-20 th century version of a classical
story—written by a gay Briton in the wake of World War II—about
power, gendered violence, and collective shame felt oddly (queerly?)
resonant to our era of #metoo and post-Roe v. Wade. Lucretia’s
impossible choice between living a life of heartbreak, fear, and
shame versus “virtuous” death is not one we can relegate to the past.
It is unfortunately one women still make today. Folding that into
Britten’s glorious and evocative sound created a purposeful tension.

Upon learning the casting, I also needed to avoid reenforcing racial
stereotypes while also furthering the pedagogical needs and growth
of the remarkable and earnest cast. So-called “color-blind casting” is
the industry norm that has led to more opportunities for singers of
color and wider representation onstage. Yet, people’s bodies make
meaning. I see the culture in opera shifting to examine both truths
with more nuance. Therefore, as the director also charged with
teaching singers-in-training, my questions were clear. How do we
honor this nuanced conversation and also foster expansion of
repertory and opportunity? How do we train emerging opera talent so
opera of tomorrow will look more like our society than it does today?
Engaging with problematic texts requires actively reducing harm. It
also carries risk. I can only hope I’ve provided the care that furthers
our path toward these larger shifts in opera and society.
As a director, it is never my job to tell performers or audiences what
to think, Instead, I create an environment where performers can bring
their bravest selves toward asking uncomfortable questions in
collaboration with the audience. We live in times where the
performing arts not only work under siege, but are perhaps more vital
than ever toward fostering empathy and dialogue. Female Chorus
asks, “is all this suffering and pain, is this in vain?” The doubt she
expresses is fertile ground on which we ask ourselves, how can we
end suffering and pain? How are we all accountable to one another?
I do not hold the answers, but I hope what we leave onstage sows
seeds that grow toward finding what we need.