THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO PRESENT ITS FOURTEENTH
FREE LIVE SIMULCAST – IN TWO LOCATIONS!
MOBY-DICK
Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s 2010 Masterpiece
Returns as a High-Definition Adventure
For Audiences in Klyde Warren Park (Dallas)
And Kay Yeager Coliseum (Wichita Falls)
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FRIDAY, NOV. 4, 2016
Curtain Time, 7:30 p.m.
Live from the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
At The AT&T Performing Arts Center
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Pre-Performance Entertainment includes the 1948
Warner Bros. Classic Cartoon: “Buccaneer Bunny”
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Support for “MOBY-DICK: The Simulcast” from
The AT&T Performing Arts Center
And The Priddy Foundation
DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 – The Dallas Opera is thrilled to announce the fourteenth in a series of free public simulcasts, this time involving a game-changing Dallas Opera production: Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s critically acclaimed twenty-first century masterpiece: MOBY-DICK, starring world-renowned heldentenor Jay Hunter Morris as Captain Ahab.
The special simulcast presentation in Dallas and Wichita Falls, Texas, will coincide with opening night of the production on Friday, November 4, 2016 (program begins at 6:30 p.m., curtain time, 7:30 p.m.). Patrons across North Texas will have two simulcast venues to choose from:
- The Greater Dallas Simulcast will be held at Klyde Warren Park, located at 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Dallas, TX 75201. Sign up today for reminders at dallasopera.org/simulcast. This is a free, public space and no reservations of any kind are required to attend.
- The “Opera in the Falls” Simulcast will take place in Kay Yeager Coliseum, 1000 5th Street, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. Sign up today at dallasopera.org/operainthefalls. Presenting Sponsor, The Priddy Foundation.
This superb, action-packed opera will originate from the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center and will be presented on high-definition LED screens. There is no charge for admission to either venue.
Moby-Dick set a new standard for contemporary opera when it first took audiences by storm in 2010. The original production incorporates an epic set design by Robert Brill, stunning video projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, and period-authentic costumes designed by Jane Greenwood with lighting by Gavan Swift.
Heggie’s sweeping, neo-Romantic score will be performed by The Dallas Opera Orchestra and The Dallas Opera Chorus, as well as internationally acclaimed singers conducted by the Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume.
The simulcast itself will be produced by The Dallas Opera and hosted from Klyde Warren Park by KLUV’S Jody Dean and Kristian Roberts, Education Program Senior Manager for The Dallas Opera.
The Wichita Falls Simulcast will be hosted locally by KFDX 3 News Anchor Gwyn Bevel.
Support for The Dallas Opera’s Moby-Dick Simulcast is generously provided by the AT&T Performing Arts Center and The Priddy Foundation (the Presenting Sponsor for the Wichita Falls Moby-Dick Simulcast).
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Something new will be added to the mix this fall: The Dallas Opera Arts Reach Committee (headed by Maile Shea) will host a Family Activity Zone at Klyde Warren Park from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. that same day. Fun-filled activities for the kiddos will include
- A “Show and Tell” session featuring actual props from the Dallas Opera production of Moby-Dick
- A scavenger hunt in the park
- A Moby-Dick-inspired photo opportunity
- Additional educational activities and crafts
The pre-performance festivities (beginning at 6:30 p.m.) will include opportunities for trivia lovers to win prizes, as well as a special screening of the hilarious 1948 Warner Brothers cartoon “Buccaneer Bunny,” directed by Fritz Freleng and pitting a cheerfully cheeky Bugs Bunny (“What a maroon!”) against frustrated Pirate (Yosemite) Sam.
The cartoon begins on a remote island where the pirate is attempting to bury his treasure. Bugs, in a rabbit hole nearby, preens with jewels from the cache, prompting Pirate Sam to warn him that “Dead rabbits tell no tales.”
From there, the action leaps aboard the anchored pirate ship – and the inevitable chase is on!
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The November 4th Dallas/Wichita Falls simulcasts will mark the fourteenth free public simulcast in TDO’s ongoing series—as well as the company’s first simulcast in Wichita Falls!
Wichita Falls Mayor Glenn Barham says his city “has a lot of good things happening…A live simulcast of Moby-Dick will be a great opportunity for many in our community to see exactly what the arts offer.
“We are looking forward to this simulcast and will be on the front row—if the seats are available.”
“Since launching The Dallas Opera’s free simulcast program six years ago, with support from The Dallas Opera Board and our union partners,” notes Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, “it has proven to be one of our most significant innovations, attracting tens of thousands to experience opera in many different cities and venues—in an entirely different way. For first-time opera-goers, this event is a real eye opener!
“And what a thrill to see The Dallas Opera simulcasts evolving into a popular North Texas tradition! These days, I’m asked by people from all walks of life, when we plan to host our next simulcast. It’s especially gratifying to be able to present a revival of this extraordinary Dallas Opera world premiere production—with the phenomenal Jay Hunter Morris as Ahab, renowned artists like Stephen Costello and Morgan Smith who created these roles in 2010, and a few new twists!”
“Audiences in both cities,” Cerny adds, “can expect an unforgettable theatrical experience from this powerful twenty-first-century classic with its all-star cast.”
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The public is encouraged to arrive early to secure their spot on the lawn and take advantage of the variety of available wining-and-dining options ranging from Savor, serving New American cuisine and classic cocktails and desserts in a modern on-site “gastropub,” to other nearby eateries and food trucks. Those interested in attending are advised to mark their calendars and stand up to be counted at www.dallasopera.org/simulcast/.
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Music Director Emmanuel Villaume, who conducts this revival, recently earned rave reviews for his podium artistry at this summer’s Santa Fe Opera Festival. Maestro Villaume, conducting La fanciulla del West, was praised by Opera Warhorses for giving audiences “a passionate, rousing performance with a melodramatic sweep that suggested a deep appreciation by Villaume of Puccini’s score.”
Heidi Waleson of The Wall Street Journal noted that “Emmanuel Villaume conducted with sweep and urgency.”
His work at The Dallas Opera last season inspired Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News to write that “Villaume does an impressive job of coordinating both singers and orchestra in some very complicated music.”
“Keith Cerny and I are excited to program works that patrons have longed to experience just as much as we do. My energies are devoted to sharing this most relevant and revealing of art forms with North Texas and all the world,” explains Maestro Villaume.
“We invite everyone to join us in Klyde Warren Park, Kay Yeager Coliseum in Wichita Falls, and—of course—the magnificent Winspear Opera House, to experience the musicianship and incomparable artistry that can only be fully appreciated in an outstanding live performance.”
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MOBY-DICK, a production by Leonard Foglia originally commissioned and produced by The Dallas Opera, “opened in a blaze of glory” in 2010. In the years since, it has been met with thunderous applause and critical acclaim in ports of call around the world.
Composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer based their work on Herman Melville’s epic tale of Captain Ahab’s obsession with a great white whale—and the destruction it brings upon his crew. The opera splendidly illustrates the danger, tensions, and exhilaration of life aboard a 19th century whaling ship, as shipmates battle the harsh forces of nature in addition to Ahab’s brewing madness.
George Loomis of the Financial Times (U.K.) raved that audiences “…can warm to Heggie’s musically lush, aptly proportioned and forthrightly tonal score (which) also boasts striking melodies, vivid atmospheric scenes and vocal lines capable of showing off voices.”
Texas-born Tenor Jay Hunter Morris will star in the role of Captain Ahab, which has become a signature role for the Dallas Opera favorite. Hailed as a force of nature in his portrayal, “…he sang with pressurized fury that practically shook the seats of the…Opera House,” exclaimed Richard Scheinin of the San Jose Mercury News.
“Enduring three hours strapped into a peg leg, Morris sang the heldentenor role with the dramatic intensity of a man possessed, tempered by the character of a stoic New Englander. It was an admirable interpretation,” wrote Jane Rosenberg of Seen and Heard International.
The Marnie and Kern Wildenthal Principal Artist, Stephen Costello, “bright-toned, sympathetic” returns to The Dallas Opera to reprise his role as Greenhorn. David Patrick Stearns of Gramophone (U.K.) reviewed the tenor’s poignant performance on the San Francisco Opera DVD; “Singing with more ease and richness of tone than anytime previously, Stephen Costello (Greenhorn) projects a sense of profound personal revelation in the final moments when, rescued at sea, he owns his own name (‘Call me Ishmael’).
Baritone Morgan Smith also reprises his role as Starbuck for which he earned universal critical acclaim. Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle touted his performance as joining “vocal splendor, moral authority and deep empathy in a phenomenal combination.”
Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News also singled out his portrayal for special praise: “Morgan Smith’s strong, dense baritone perfectly suits the sturdy Quaker Starbuck.”
Making his Dallas Opera debut is up-and-coming South African bass-baritone, Musa Ngqungwana. Maria Nockin of Opera Today wrote Mr. Ngqungwana portrayed “an intense, commanding Queequeg whose musings showed the spiritual side of the voyage.”
MOBY-DICK was originally directed in 2010 by Leonard Foglia, who later staged the critically acclaimed 2015 world premiere of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s Everest. According to Heidi Waleson of The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Foglia’s “staging brilliantly captured the immediacy and peril of the piece.” Keturah Stickann, who also worked on the original 2010 production, will direct the 2016 revival of Mr. Foglia’s landmark production.
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Sung in English, with English language translations projected above the stage, MOBY-DICK can be experienced at any of five additional performances: November 6(m), 9, 12, 18 & 20(m), 2016 in the Winspear Opera House with tickets starting at just $19. Tickets may be purchased online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org or by contacting the friendly professionals in The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000.
About Klyde Warren Park
Klyde Warren Park is a 5.2-acre deck park, bridging Uptown Dallas to Downtown Dallas. The park includes a performance pavilion, restaurant, dog park, children’s park, great lawn, shaded walking paths, water features, free Wi-Fi, ping pong and foosball tables, and a reading and games area. The mission of Klyde Warren Park is to provide free daily programs to all visitors. Klyde Warren Park is privately operated and managed by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information on programming, volunteering or to make a donation to support free daily programs, please visit www.KlydeWarrenPark.org.
About Kay Yeager Coliseum
Kay Yeager Coliseum was completed in 2003 as the final addition to the Wichita Falls Multi-Purpose Events Center complex. This entertainment venue is the cornerstone of the complex featuring permanent seating for 6,500 people and a variety of set-up options for conventions, sporting events, concerts and more. Kay Yeager Coliseum is home to the Wichita Falls Wildcats hockey team, as well as the site for events including Midwestern State University graduation ceremonies, Ranch Roundup and WWE Wrestling. Other events include concerts from top-name entertainers like Cher, Miranda Lambert, and Papa Roach. Kay Yeager Coliseum also includes an NBA-quality basketball floor, indoor soccer and football turf, locker rooms, training rooms and suites, as well as a state-of-the-art digital scoreboard. For additional information, visit www.wfmpec.com.
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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CA
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