Lighting Designer

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of opera this summer at The Glimmerglass Festival with the 2024 production of Francesco Cavalli's "La Calisto." This captivating performance, under the artistic and general direction of Rob Ainsley, brings to life a sparkling early opera that masterfully combines comedy, pathos, gods, mortals, and even a few rutting satyrs. Ainsley's 2013 realization of the score expands Cavalli’s original continuo and strings with original parts for winds and brass, promising a rich and immersive auditory experience.

"La Calisto" weaves together two myths of transformation, delivering a hilarious caper filled with mistaken identities, raunchy trysts, and celestial magic. Set in the midst of Cavalli's career, the opera was designed to entertain and amuse the discerning Venetian public. This bold take on the classic opera will be conducted by Ainsley, directed by Mo Zhou, and choreographed by Eric Sean Fogel, featuring set design by Charlie Corcoran, costume design by Carlos Soto, and lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker.

The opera, sung in Italian with projected English text, runs for approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes. Performances are scheduled from July 23 to August 17, 2024, offering multiple opportunities to experience this magnificent production.

The story follows Jove's attempts to seduce the beautiful nymph Calisto, a follower of the goddess Diana who has taken a vow of chastity. The plot thickens with mistaken identities, unrequited loves, and divine interventions, leading to unexpected transformations and celestial destinies.

Generously sponsored by Allison and W. Keyes Hill-Edgar, the cast features Emilie Kealani as Calisto, Taylor Raven as Diana/Jove as Diana, Eve Gigliotti as Juno, Craig Irvin as Jove, and a talented ensemble that brings this mythological world to life.

Don't miss your chance to be part of this myth, mystery, and adventure at The Glimmerglass Festival. Secure your tickets now for a summer filled with unforgettable opera experiences.

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La Calisto

Alice Busch Opera Theater

On a lush tropical island during World War II, battles of the heart are center stage in the Goodspeed premiere of the soaring Rodgers & Hammerstein classic. A lovestruck nurse and a young lieutenant are pulled into the tide of separate romances in an exotic world of risk and passion. But prejudice clouds their potential paradise. Get swept away by twin love stories and a rapturous score that includes “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair,” “Bali Ha’i” and more.

South Pacific

The Goodspeed

Experience the power and passion of Puccini's final masterpiece, "Turandot," in a new production that promises to captivate audiences at the Kennedy Center's Opera House from May 11 to May 25, 2024. Directed by the acclaimed Francesca Zambello, this rendition of "Turandot" is not just an opera; it's a journey into the heart of love's transformative power.

Set against the backdrop of ancient China, "Turandot" tells the tale of the cold-hearted Princess Turandot, who challenges her suitors to solve three riddles on pain of death. The plot thickens when Prince Calaf, mesmerized by Turandot's beauty, takes on the challenge, leading to a story of risk, riddles, and romantic determination. This production is unique, featuring a WORLD PREMIERE ending that offers a fresh perspective on the classic opera. With music by Giacomo Puccini and Christopher Tin, and a libretto by Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni, and Susan Soon He Stanton, this "Turandot" is a blend of traditional opera with contemporary creativity.

The opera is performed in Italian with projected English titles, ensuring that all attendees can fully immerse themselves in the drama and beauty of the performance. The cast features some of the opera world's most talented voices, including Ewa Plonka, Marjorie Owens, Yonghoon Lee, Jonathan Burton, and Peixin Chen, among others. Speranza Scappucci conducts, bringing her renowned skill to Puccini's score, which includes the iconic aria "Nessun dorma."

Tickets for "Turandot" are available as part of a subscription to the Washington National Opera (WNO) season, offering not just the best seats but also exclusive savings and maximum flexibility. The opera's run includes several performances, ensuring ample opportunity for opera enthusiasts and newcomers alike to experience this spectacular production.

Mark your calendars for the opening night on May 11, 2024, and prepare for an evening of unforgettable opera. "Turandot" at the Kennedy Center is more than just a performance; it's an event that promises to leave audiences pondering the power of love and the mysteries of the human heart.

Turandot

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Journey to a secluded upstate town, away from all the hustle and bustle but suspiciously short on cell reception. What will happen when a New York City transplant points out what the kids have been missing? Will the over-protective parents see the error of their ways, or will the grandparents need to step in to save the day? Glimmerglass is proud to present our annual youth opera on the Alice Busch Opera Theater mainstage again this season. This newly commissioned one-hour opera is fun for the whole family; all ages are welcome as we celebrate the talents of some of the youngest performers in our community alongside our Festival artists and world-class production team.

2023 The Rip Van Winkles

Musical theater legend Sutton Foster (The Music Man) returns to the City Center stage as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone alongside Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) as Prince Dauntless in this beloved musical fairytale. Led by Tony-nominated director and Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet (Into the Woods, Lionel Bart’s Oliver!) and with a new concert adaptation by Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Once Upon a Mattress sets an unapologetic free spirit loose in a repressed kingdom, reveling in Winnifred’s ability to charm and transform with willpower, honesty, and a little bit of help from her friends.

Once Upon a Mattress

New York City Center

Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive, cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs. Maria Friedman first directed the musical at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory which subsequently transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre to critical acclaim—the most five-star reviews in West End history—winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical.

Merrily We Roll Along

New York Theatre Workshop

On the edge of the Wyoming wilderness, the last guests linger late into the night at a celebration for the new President of their conservative Catholic college. Reunited after seven years, the friends toss back whiskey and name-check Thomas Aquinas, Hannah Arendt, Steve Bannon, even Bojack Horseman, tracking their distance from each other and the people they thought they’d be by now. Will Arbery’s portrait of white conservatives trying to make sense of where they, and their country, stand is an incisive yet personal look at the intelligence and despair of the Catholic right.   

Heros Of The Fourth Turning

Studio Theatre

The recently widowed “Mother of America” lies alone in her Mount Vernon bed, ravaged by illness and attended to by the enslaved people who will be free the moment she dies. This uproarious form-shifting fever dream takes us deep into the ramifications of one of America's original sins. Dizzying and fantastical, this Chicago premiere from Pulitzer winner James Ijames boldly remixes this country's dark history with a delicate balance of truth and humor.

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Step into the jungle, where adventure awaits! Orphaned child Mowgli seeks refuge with a group of wolves deep in the jungle. Should the pack accept Mowgli as its own, even if it makes an enemy of the dangerous tiger Shere Khan?

Jungle Book

Kennedy Center

Wagner’s Tannhäuser receives a highly anticipated new staging from internationally acclaimed director Francesca Zambello—and Houston audiences will be the first to experience her strikingly beautiful production. Lust and love, diametrically opposed forces in the opera’s universe, do battle within the title character’s psyche as the story unfolds. At curtain’s open, Tannhäuser has abandoned his life as a poet who sings of courtly love in favor of the carnal delights of the goddess Venus, spending a rapture-filled year on her magic mountain in the sky. Seeking something more, he renounces her, hoping to find redemption—and a union back home in Germany with his spiritual love Elisabeth. But his epic journey to salvation has been cursed.  

Tannhäuser

Wortham Theater Center

Originally Produced on Broadway by The Shubert Organization and Emanuel Azenberg By arrangement with Playwrights Horizons, Inc. New York City which produced the original production of Sunday in The Park With George in 1983.

Sunday in The Park With George

The Glimmerglass Festival

The House on Mango Street, a coming-of-age classic, has been acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught in schools and universities alike, and translated around the world. Novelist Sandra Cisneros, winner of the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, has teamed up with Grammy-nominated composer Derek Bermel for an opera inspired by her classic book, which unfolds in a series of episodes seen through the eyes of a young girl. Through a series of interactions, which range from fascinating to funny to frightening, she comes to understand that storytelling is the medicine she can offer her community — and herself.

Amith Chandrashaker

Lighting Designer

Events

Upcoming events

13 - 15 Dec, 2024

Jungle Book · Washington National Opera

Apr 25 - May 11, 2025

Tannhäuser · Houston Grand Opera

Jul 12 - Aug 17, 2025

Sunday in The Park With George · Glimmerglass Festival

Jul 18 - Aug 16, 2025

The House on Mango Street · Glimmerglass Festival

Past events

Jul 23 - Aug 17, 2024

La Calisto · Glimmerglass Festival

Jun 21 - Aug 11, 2024

South Pacific · Goodspeed Musicals

About

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