FIRST NIGHT!
Presented by Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management
2015-2016 “SEEKING THE HUMAN ELEMENT” SEASON
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EVENTS BEGIN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 AT 5:30 PM
THE MARGOT AND BILL WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE
AT THE AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
“Celebrity” Red Carpet Entrance
Delectable Gourmet Dinner
The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of the World Premiere of Great Scott
Curtain Time, 8:00 p.m.
Festive After Party with Cast
FIRST NIGHT CHAIRS
ELLEN AND DON WINSPEAR
Honorary Chairs Mrs. Micki Rawlings and
The Honorable Michael S. Rawlings
DALLAS, July 27, 2015 – It’s the biggest night of the year as The Dallas Opera presents FIRST NIGHT—the extraordinary kick-off of the 2015-2016 “SEEKING THE HUMAN ELEMENT” Season.
The evening, which celebrates the eagerly anticipated new season, is chaired by Ellen and Don Winspear with Honorary Chairs Mrs. Micki Rawlings and The Honorable Michael S. Rawlings, with Presenting Sponsor Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management.
The excitement begins with a red carpet entrance featuring “mannequin” models in original opera interpretations outside the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House on Friday, October 30, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. The Pre-Performance Dinner, a lovely tented event in nearby Sammons Park, starts at 6:00 p.m. and is chaired by Anne and Steven Stodghill and catered by gourmet guru Wolfgang Puck.
PHOTO ID: L-R- ELLEN AND DON WINSPEAR, JENNIFER AND KEITH CERNY – FIRST NIGHT 2014
The Dallas Opera’s world premiere production of Great Scott by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally, the Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance, begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.
Following the opera, the exhilarating events continue with the FIRST NIGHT After Party with the cast, Friday, October 30, 11:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Party-goers will be dancing and dining through the evening to finish the night with a bang!
The Winspear Opera house is located at 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX, 75201.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the opening of FIRST SIGHT/FIRST NIGHT. This is such a momentous season for The Dallas Opera. Don and I are delighted to be a part of it!” raved Chair Ellen Winspear.
“Opening night for The Dallas Opera has always been the pinnacle evening for the company. With three world premieres this year, including a new opera by famed composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally, this season’s opening night celebrates a truly world-class season,” added Chair Don Winspear.
“This will certainly be a memorable evening as this year’s FIRST NIGHT includes what promises to be a phenomenal world premiere. Jake Heggie’s Great Scott features superstar singers of today, a production ‘dream team,’ the incredible Dallas Opera Orchestra led by renowned conductor Patrick Summers, the acclaimed Dallas Opera Chorus and innovative sets and costumes—all coming together to create a night of magic! Add to that the events surrounding the premiere, and anticipating the entire season to come, it will be a wonderful FIRST NIGHT to remember!” explains Keith Cerny, The Dallas Opera’s CEO and General Director.
The opening night festivities will also include the custom, opera-themed styles by Elizabeth Anyaa, Michael Faircloth, Geoffrey Henning, Khahn Nguyen and Edo Popken revealed at FIRST SIGHT Fashion Show. The designs will be modeled alongside the “red carpet entrance” to the Winspear Opera House.
The Pre-Performance Dinner is Friday, October 30, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. The black-tie fete will be adorned by creative collaborators Jeffrey Horn and Larry Leathers, sure to delight patrons with a scintillating setting. A savory selection of gourmet delights inspired by Great Scott, will be prepared by Wolfgang Puck. Tables for the dinner range from $25,000 to $7,500 with individual tickets available. All dinner tickets include After Party tickets. Please visit www.dallasopera.org/firstnight to purchase tickets.
“Guests attending FIRST NIGHT will experience a most exquisite ‘Friday Night Lights!’ Couture gowns on the grid-iron, cheerleaders, mums, fabulous dinner and a world premiere in a world-class opera house! The After Party is sure to be a hit as guests dance the night away and nosh on stadium food with a gastronomic twist!” exclaimed Jeffrey Horn, Event Architect for FIRST NIGHT, and CEO of Triad Event Solutions.
The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Great Scott, opens on the evening of Friday, October 30 at 8:00 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.
Great Scott, an opera with tremendous heart, marks Mr. Heggie and Mr. McNally’s first major collaboration since Dead Man Walking (2000), which was hailed as a “masterpiece” by the San Francisco Chronicle. One of theater’s most prominent playwrights, Mr. McNally has won multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards, and an Emmy Award. In McNally’s original story and libretto, international opera star Arden Scott returns to her hometown to try to save the struggling opera company that launched her to fame and fortune.
In his first TDO appearance since the world premiere of Moby-Dick, the distinguished Patrick Summers will conduct the world premiere, Broadway legend and Tony Award-winner Jack O’Brien will stage the production, and Tony and Olivier Award-winner Bob Crowley will design the production. Lighting Design is by Brian MacDevitt with video projections by Elaine J. McCarthy.
Grammy Award winning superstar mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, portrays the role of Arden Scott. She leads a brilliant all-star cast that includes soprano Ailyn Pérez, as Tatyana Bakst, and the legendary Frederica von Stade as Mrs. Edward “Winnie” Flato, the founder and chief benefactor of the American Opera Company. In the role of architect Sid Taylor, the man from Arden Scott’s past who might not be content to remain there, is opera heart-throb Nathan Gunn.
Performances will continue on November 1(m), 4, 7 & 15(m), 2015 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. All evening performances besides the Opening Night of the Season will begin promptly at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 PM. A free, pre-performance lecture (“The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks”) will be conducted one hour prior to curtain at most performances.
The festivities continue at the After Party immediately following the opera back at Sammons Park. Patrons can dance and dine the night away alongside Great Scott cast members who will join the party. DJ Lucy Wrubel will keep the crowd groovin’ and entertained spinning fun tunes while Wolfgang Puck Sweet & Savory will offer a sumptuous breakfast bar, delicious desserts, coffee and specialty cocktails.
EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS AT THE DALLAS OPERA
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, 2015-2016 SEASON SPONSOR FOR THE DALLAS OPERA’S “SEEKING THE HUMAN ELEMENT” SEASON
Ticket Information for the 2015-2016 Dallas Opera Season
All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center unless otherwise described. Single Tickets range from $19 to $275 and will be available July 15. Full and Flex Subscriptions are on sale now starting at $75. Family performance tickets (available June 1) are just $5. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2015-2016 FALL SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Ninth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired. The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain, at most performances excluding FIRST NIGHT of the season.
GREAT SCOTT by Jake Heggie
October 30, November 1(m), 4, 7 & 15(m), 2015
A Thrilling Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Libretto by Terrence McNally*
Time: Present Day
Place: A Major American City
Conductor: Patrick Summers
Stage Director: Jack O’Brien*
Set and Costume Designer: Bob Crowley
Lighting Designer: Brian MacDevitt*
Projections Designer: Elaine J. McCarthy
Wig & make-up Designer: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Joyce DiDonato* (Arden Scott) (The Marnie and Kern Wildenthal Principal Artist) Ailyn Pérez (Tatyana Bakst), Frederica von Stade (Mrs. Edward “Winnie” Flato), Nathan Gunn (Sid Taylor), Anthony Roth Costanzo* (Roane Heckle), Kevin Burdette (Eric Gold), Rodell Rosel* (Anthony Candolino), Michael Mayes* (Wendell Swan).
A Brand-New Dallas Opera Production!
TOSCA by Giacomo Puccini
November 6, 8(m), 11, 14, 20 & 22(m), 2015
A passionate and timeless masterpiece in a beloved period production
An opera in three acts first performed in Rome, Italy on January 14, 1900
Text by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa after Victorien Sardou’s 1887 French-language play, La Tosca
Time: Early 19th century
Place: Locations in and around the City of Rome
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director: Ellen Douglas Schlaefer*
Set and Costume Designer: Ulisse Santicchi
Lighting Designer: Marie Barrett
Wig & make-up Designer: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotten
Starring: Emily Magee (Floria Tosca), Giancarlo Monsalve* (Mario Cavaradossi), Raymond Aceto (Baron Scarpia), Ryan Kuster (Angelotti), Dale Travis* (A Sacristan), William Ferguson (Spoletta), Wes Mason (Sciarrone).
One of The Dallas Opera’s Most Popular!
BECOMING SANTA CLAUS by Mark Adamo
December 4, 6(m), 9 & 12, 2015
An Eagerly Awaited Dallas Opera World Premiere!
Libretto by the composer, Mark Adamo.
Time: Now
Place: An Elven kingdom in the far, far north; also, the stable of the first Christmas
Conductor: Emmanuel Villaume
Stage Director and Choreographer: Paul Curran
Set and Costume Designer: Gary McCann*
Lighting Designer: Paul Hackenmueller*
Projections Designer: Driscoll Otto*
Wig & make-up Designer: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Jennifer Rivera* (Queen Sophine), Juan José de León (Prince Claus), Matt Boehler* (Donkey), Hila Plitmann* (YAN), Lucy Schaufer* (IB), Keith Jameson (YAB), Kevin Burdette (OB).
Another New Dallas Opera Production!
* Dallas Opera Debut
** American Debut
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Texas Instruments Foundation, TACA, City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for its continuing support.
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