The Handmaid’s Tale contains scenes of violence, misogyny, and sexual assault. In order to help you best prepare for the opera, please note that this synopsis contains plot details and events.
2021 AD. After multiple disasters cause environmental ruin and widespread infertility, the United States has been taken over by an extremist Christian sect and reborn as the Republic of Gilead, where women have been returned to their “rightful” place in society.
They are prohibited from holding property or working and are divided into a strict class system: Aunts are in charge of re- education and the enforcement of social codes, Marthas work as cooks and housekeepers, Wives are the property of elite men, and Handmaids are women designated to bear the children of the leaders of Gilead.
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also read about BLO’s 2019 Community Partnerships
with BARCC and Casa Myrna…

MARGARET ATWOOD
Author,
The Handmaid’s Tale
MARGARET ATWOOD | Author, The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays. Her recent novels are The Heart Goes Last and the MaddAddam trilogy—the Giller and Booker Prize- shortlisted Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam. Other novels include The Blind Assassin, winner of the Booker Prize; and Alias Grace, The Robber Bride, Cat’s Eye, The Penelopiad—a retelling of the Odyssey—and the modern classic The Handmaid’s Tale – now a critically acclaimed television series. Hag-Seed, a novel revisitation of Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, was published in 2016. Her most recent graphic series is Angel Catbird. In 2017, she was awarded the German Peace Prize, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, and the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award.

POUL RUDERS
Composer
POUL RUDERS | Composer
Poul Ruders is a composer for both the opera stage and the symphonic concert hall. His operas have been staged in Copenhagen, New York City, London, Toronto and Munich, and his orchestral music commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Ruders lives in the countryside of Denmark and has produced a deep and highly varied catalog which includes five operas, 45 symphonic works and concertos, and dozens of chamber and solo pieces. The music of Poul Ruders has been well- documented by the record labels DaCapo (Denmark) and Bridge (USA), and is published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen. In 2019, Poul Ruders will celebrate his 70th birthday with the world premiere of his newest opera, The Thirteenth Child, staged by the Santa Fe Opera. Prior to the premiere, Bridge Records will release a studio recording of the two act ‘fairytale’ opera. Ruders’ best known opera, The Handmaid’s Tale, will see two new productions in the 2018/19 Season, including this Boston Lyric Opera production as well as another in Europe.

PAUL BENTLEY
Librettist
PAUL BENTLEY | Librettist
Paul Bentley is a British actor and writer. Acting in London’s West End includes Sondheim’s Assassins, Company, and Follies, Lloyd Webber’s Cats and Aspects of Love, the Captain in HMS Pinafore (Olivier Award nomination), and Dame Edna – the Spectacle. Television includes the High Septon in Game of Thrones series 3, 4, and 5. Writings include librettos for Poul Ruders’ operas The Handmaid’s Tale and Kafka’s Trial; A Handmaid’s Diary, a book about The Handmaid’s Tale opera from the first phone call to the First Night; The Man Who Came After Hyacinth Bobo, a Fourth Crusade novel; and Inquisition, a play about the Jesuit scientist Teilhard de Chardin.
CREATIVE TEAM

DAVID ANGUS
Conductor
DAVID ANGUS | Conductor
David Angus is Music Director of Boston Lyric Opera, following a very successful period as Music Director of Glimmerglass Opera. As a British/ Danish conductor, Maestro Angus has had a marked interest in Poul Ruders’ work, particularly this piece, for many years. He conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra every season and is also Honorary Conductor of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, where he was Chief Conductor for many years and built the orchestra into one of the most exciting young orchestras in Northern Europe. Maestro Angus now conducts all over Europe and North America. He began his career working at Opera North (U.K.) and at Glyndebourne, where he conducted a wide range of operas, and went on to work in Italy and across Europe. In the concert hall, he performs particularly in the U.K. and Scandinavia, and this Season, apart from conducting all productions at BLO, includes further work in the recording studio with the London Philharmonic, and performing with the orchestra of Opera North (U.K.).

ANNE BOGART*
Stage Director
ANNE BOGART | Stage Director
Anne Bogart is a Co-Artistic Director of the ensemble-based SITI Company, head of the MFA Directing program at Columbia University, and author of five books: A Director Prepares, The Viewpoints Book, And Then You Act, Conversations with Anne and What’s the Story. With SITI, Ms. Bogart has directed more than 30 works in venues around the world, including The Bacchae, Chess Match No. 5, Steel Hammer, The Theater is a Blank Page, Persians, A Rite, Café Variations, Radio Macbeth, American Document, Bobrauschenbergamerica, and Hotel Cassiopeia. Recent opera works include Handel’s Alcina, Dvorak’s Dimitrij, Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars, Verdi’s Macbeth, Bellini’s Norma, and Bizet’s Carmen. Her many awards and fellowships include three honorary doctorates (Cornish School of the Arts, Bard College and Skidmore College), a Duke Artist Fellowship, a United States Artists Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rockefeller/ Bellagio Fellowship, and a Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Residency Fellowship.

SHURA BARYSHNIKOV*
Movement Director
SHURA BARYSHNIKOV | Movement Director
Shura Baryshnikov is an interdisciplinary artist who works broadly as a dancer, actor, improvisor, choreographer, and somatic movement educator. Ms. Baryshnikov is a co-founding Artistic Director of Rhode Island-based contemporary dance project Doppelgänger Dance Collective and a founding member of the Contact Improvisation performance and research ensemble, Set Go. Most recently, she has performed the role of Orlando in The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre’s production of As You Like It, Joan of Arc in Honneger’s Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher at Odyssey Opera, Salome in Bridge Repertory Theater’s production of Oscar Wilde’s Salome, and was a cast member in Sharon and Richard Jenkins’ production of Oklahoma! at Trinity Repertory Company. Ms. Baryshnikov has collaborated with dance artists such as Heidi Henderson, Gabriel Forestieri, and Paul Singh and performed with companies including Lorraine Chapman the Company, Betsy Miller Dance Projects, Festival Ballet Providence, among others. She is Head of Physical Theatre for the Brown/ Trinity Rep MFA Program in the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University and has also instructed at MIT, Dean College, Rhode Island College, and more.

JAMES SCHUETTE
Set & Costume Designer
JAMES SCHUETTE | Set & Costume Designer
James Schuette has designed scenery and/or costumes for over 17 SITI Company productions. His work has been seen at American Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, BAM, Berkeley Rep, Classic Stage, Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, NY Live Arts, New York Theatre Workshop, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Papermill Playhouse, Playwrights Horizons, Public Theatre/NY Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep, Steppenwolf, Signature Theatre, Trinity Rep, Vineyard Theatre, Wexner Center, Yale Rep, Boston Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theatre, Glimmerglass Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, Minnesota Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of St Louis, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, and internationally.
BRIAN SCOTT*
Lighting Designer
BRIAN SCOTT | Lighting Designer

Brian Scott is a Lighting Designer based in New York City. As a SITI Company member, he has designed lighting for Chess Match No5, The Bacchae, Trojan Women (The Getty Villa), American Document (Martha Graham Dance Company), Under Construction, WhoDoYouThinkYouAre, Hotel Cassiopeia, Death and the Ploughman, War of the Worlds Radio Play, and Bobrauschenbergamerica (Henry Hewes Design Award 2004). Recent design work includes Lost In The Stars (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra) and Dimitrij (Bard Summerscape). At the Park Avenue Armory, he designed lighting for The Event Of A Thread for Ann Hamilton; The Theatre is a Blank Page with SITI Company and Ann Hamilton; and Tears Become… Streams Become, Bound to Hurt, and Neck of the Woods with Douglas Gordon. He has also designed lighting for Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet. As a member of Austin-based Rude Mechanicals, he has designed numerous productions including Method Gun, I’ve Never Been So Happy, How Late It Was How Late, Lipstick Traces, Requiem for Tesla, and Matchplay.

J JUMBELIC
Sound Designer
J JUMBELIC | Sound Designer
J Jumbelic is a Boston-based freelance theatrical sound composer and full time production sound engineer at the Huntington Theatre Company. Mr. Jumbelic’s New England credits include A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Huntington Theatre Company); Dead House, Lost Tempo, Every Piece of Me, Franklin, The Honey Trap, Faithless (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Vicuña, A Great Wilderness, Cakewalk, The Boys in the Band, The Submission, The Big Meal, Bent, The Normal Heart (Zeitgeist Stage Company); My Three Angels, Ghost Train, Spamalot (The Barnstormers Theater); Small Craft Warnings (Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival), The Laramie Project (Curry College), 9 Parts of Desire (Capital Repertory Theatre), in addition to many sound compositions in collaboration with local Massachusetts choreographers.

ADAM THOMPSON*
Video Designer
ADAM THOMPSON | Video Designer
Adam J. Thompson is a designer working with video and interactive technology in live performance. Recent credits include video design for Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Diversionary Theatre), Mary Motorhead and Crude Capital (Beth Morrison Projects), Pipeline (City Theatre), Emma and Max (The Flea), and the 63rd Annual Obie Awards (Terminal 5). Associate video design credits include The Emperor (Theatre for a New Audience/Young Vic), This Ain’t No Disco (Atlantic Theatre Company), and He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box (Theatre for a New Audience). As a director and designer, he created the live cinema works Venice Double Feature (HERE), Searching for Sebald (Gowanus Art & Production), and The Orpheus Variations (Under the Radar at The Public Theater, HERE, others). He is the founder of The Deconstructive Theatre Project, an alumnus of The Public Theater’s Devised Theatre Working Group and the HERE Artist Residency Program, and a collaborator with The Builders Association and Big Art Group. Mr. Thompson is a recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jerome Robbins Foundation, and others, and was recently selected as an ambassador to the 2018 Beijing International Design Biennial.

TOM WATSON
Wig-Makeup Designer
TOM WATSON | Wig-Makeup Designer
Tom Watson headed the wig/makeup department at The Metropolitan Opera for 17 years. He has designed more than 80 Broadway productions, including Wicked, Rock of Ages, The King and I (Lincoln Center Theater, Tour), Thérèse Raquin, Fiddler on the Roof, Oslo (LCT, London), Falsettos, The Little Foxes, Junk (LCT), The Parisian Woman, My Fair Lady, King Kong, and All My Sons.
THIS PRODUCTION WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE
SPONSORSHIP OF THE HANDMAID’S CIRCLE. WE RECOGNIZE
AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THIS LANDMARK PRODUCTION.
We additionally thank the following sponsors:
Linda Cabot Black, with special support for David Angus, conductor
Sandra A. Urie & Frank F. Herron, with special support for Anne Bogart, stage director
Willa & Taylor Bodman, with special support for James Schuette, set & costume designer,
and Brian Scott, lighting designer
Susan & Dennis Shapiro, with special support for the Boston Lyric Opera Chorus
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA ORCHESTRA ANNIE RABBAT Concertmaster
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA CHORUS BRETT HODGDON‡ Chorus Master
REHEARSAL COACH/ACCOMPANIST NATHAN SALAZAR†
ASSISTANT STAGE DIRECTOR MIKHAELA MAHONY*
STAGE MANAGER CYNTHIA HENNON MARINO
CAST

JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO
Sponsored by Ms. RoAnn Costin
Mezzo-Soprano
OFFRED
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO | Mezzo-Soprano | OFFRED

Jennifer Johnson Cano returns to BLO where she performed Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and the title role in Bizet’s Carmen. Ms. Cano joined The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera after winning The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and has given over one hundred performances at the Met, with recent roles including Bersi, Hansel, Mercédès, Nicklausse, Wellgunde, Waltraute, among others. This Season, Ms. Cano returned to the Metropolitan Opera stage as Emilia (Otello) and Meg Page (Falstaff). Orchestral engagements include performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Cincinnati Symphony. On the recital and chamber music platform, Ms. Cano recently performed at Carnegie Hall and will return to Chamber Music of Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for a performance of Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Falla’s Psyche. Ms. Cano will sing in two World Premieres this Season; Paul Moravec’s A New Country and Gregg Kallor’s Sketches from Frankenstein Suite. Other operatic appearances have included Orphée (Orphée et Eurydice) with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Des Moines Metro Opera, Diana (La Calisto) with Cincinnati Opera, Marguerite (La Damnation de Faust) with the Tucson Symphony, and many more.

CAROLINE WORRA
Sponsored by Abigail B. Mason
Soprano
AUNT LYDIA
CAROLINE WORRA | Soprano | AUNT LYDIA

Caroline Worra, a Grammy® Award-nominee, returns to BLO where she performed in Agrippina, Così Fan Tutte, Greek, Idomeneo, Lizzie Borden, among others. Ms. Worra has been on the rosters of The Metropolitan Opera, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, and many more. She also performed on two U.S. National Tours with San Francisco’s Merola/Western Opera Theatre singing Violetta (La Traviata) and Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus). Ms. Worra gave a debut recital at Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall) and performed on the main stage of Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C, Britten’s Spring Symphony, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. She has also performed in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the LaCrosse Symphony. Internationally, Ms. Worra has performed at Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily (Anne Trulove, The Rake’s Progress), The Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland (Jenny, The Mines of Sulphur), and with Espaço Cultural Alexandre Innecco in Brazil (Violetta, La Traviata). Upcoming operatic engagements include Some Light Emerges with Utopia Opera and Glory Denied with Urban Arias, and recitals with Berkshire Opera Festival and Tuba Bach Chamber Festival.

KATHRYN SKEMP MORAN
Soprano
JANINE – OFWARREN
KATHRYN SKEMP MORAN | Soprano | JANINE – OFWARREN

Kathryn Skemp Moran returns to BLO where she performed Frasquita in Carmen, Bubikopf in The Emperor of Atlantis, and Flora in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Other operatic roles include Laurie in The Tender Land with Madison Opera, Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos with Utah Opera, and Jano in Jenufa with Glimmerglass Opera. Ms. Moran has performed with the Boston Pops under Keith Lockhart on tour and in Symphony Hall, and Off-Broadway in The Music Teacher with The New Group. Ms. Moran has a Bachelor of Music and Musical Theater degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Music from Boston University.

CHELSEA BASLER‡
Sponsored by Miguel and Suki de Bragança
Soprano
MOIRA
CHELSEA BASLER | Soprano | MOIRA
Chelsea Basler, a Grammy® Award-nominee, is returning to BLO as a Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist alumna, having appeared in numerous productions including The Threepenny Opera (Lucy), Carmen (Micaëla), The Magic Flute (Papagena), and many more. Upcoming engagements include joining the roster of The Metropolitan Opera, covering in Manon (Poussette) and La Bohème (Musetta), a return to BLO where she will sing the role of Mary Johnson in the Company’s production of Fellow Travelers, and her Arizona Opera debut in fall 2020. Prior engagements include performances with Opera Saratoga (Susanna, Le Nozze di Figaro), Virginia Opera (Turandot), and debuts with both Nashville Opera and Pasadena Opera in the title role of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. Ms. Basler has also completed several prestigious young artist residencies, performing at Santa Fe Opera, Opera Saratoga, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, among others. On the concert stage she has performed with the Omaha Symphony, Boston’s Mercury Orchestra, Glen Falls Symphony, and the Cape Symphony. Frequently awarded and recognized in competitions, she has a BM from New England Conservatory and an MM and artist certificate from Boston University.

MARIA ZIFCHAK*
Sponsored by Alicia Cooney & Stephen Quigley
Mezzo-Soprano
SERENA JOY
MARIA ZIFCHAK | Mezzo-Soprano | SERENA JOY
Maria Zifchak joins Boston Lyric Opera this Season in her Company debut. The 2018/19 Season included a return to The Metropolitan Opera in La Traviata (Annina) and The Magic Flute (Third Lady), a return to Seattle Opera in The Turn of the Screw (Mrs. Grose), and a production of Dead Man Walking (Mrs. DeRocher) with Atlanta Opera. Recent credits include Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Romeo and Juliette (Gertrude), Rigoletto (Giovanna), and La Traviata (Annina) on the Met stage; Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett) with Atlanta Opera; a public master class with the Lindemann Young Artist Program, and more. Ms. Zifchak has sung with English National Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Cincinnati Opera, Toledo Opera, Nashville Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera, and many more. On the concert platform, she has performed with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Teatro Grattacielo at Alice Tully Hall, National Chorale, and at Carnegie Hall with New York Choral Society and Oratorio Society of New York, among others. Upcoming engagements include Maria Stuarda (Hannah) and Madama Butterfly (Suzuki) with The Metropolitan Opera.
JAMES RICARDO MILORD*
Actor
TV PRESENTER
JAMES RICARDO MILORD | Actor | TV PRESENTER
James Ricardo Milord is a Boston-based performer who has recently been seen in The Agitators and Cyrano with Gloucester Stage Company. Other credits include Anna Christie and Barbecue (The Lyric Stage Company of Boston); Akeelah and the Bee (Wheelock Family Theatre); Clybourne Park (Longwood Players Club); The Good Negro, Splendor, The Brothers Size Trilogy, Clockwork Orange (Company One); and Macbeth (Shakespeare Now), among many others. Mr. Milord’s film credits include Honest Thief (Solution Entertainment Group), Proud Mary (Screen Gems), The Brotherhood (Showtime), in addition to numerous independent films and industrial commercials.

FELICIA GAVILANES‡
Sponsored by Alicia Cooney & Stephen Quigley
Mezzo-Soprano
THE DOUBLE (OFFRED IN THE TIME BEFORE)
FELICIA GAVILANES | Mezzo-Soprano | THE DOUBLE (OFFRED IN THE TIME BEFORE)
Felicia Gavilanes is a Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist alumna having performed in BLO’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. Recent company debuts in the U.S. and abroad include Odyssey Opera (Leoena, La Belle Hélène), Teatro Lírico Nacional de Cuba (Dido, Dido and Aeneas), Winter Opera St. Louis (Zulma, L’Italiana in Algeri), Gulfshore Opera, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and more. Additional operatic roles include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Mrs. DeRocher in Dead Man Walking, Flora in La Traviata, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Asakir in Sumeida’s Song, and Tisbe in La Cenerentola. On the concert platform, Ms. Gavilanes has been featured in Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Queen Jezebel/Angel), and has performed at the Gran Teatro de la Habana, the Staatstheater Darmstadt and the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome.

JESSE DARDEN‡**
Sponsored by Gerard & Sherryl Cohen
Tenor
LUKE
JESSE DARDEN | Tenor | LUKE
Jesse Darden returns to BLO as the Company’s first Principal Artist-in-Residence, performing in all four operas of the 2018/19 Season. This summer, Mr. Darden returned to Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist covering the role of Robert Wilson in Doctor Atomic; he previously served as an Apprentice Artist with the company in 2017, and has also completed apprenticeships with Chautauqua Opera and Opera North. Mr. Darden was a New England Regional Finalist with the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, won Third Prize in the Gerda Lissner International Voice Competition, and was a recipient of the Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist Award. He has performed roles and solos with Odyssey Opera, Dartmouth College, Piedmont Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and the Chautauqua Symphony. Mr. Darden is also a BLO Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist alumnus

LYNN TORGOVE
Mezzo-Soprano
RITA
LYNN TORGOVE | Mezzo-Soprano | RITA
Lynne Torgove, a Boston-based singer and stage director, returns to BLO where she performed in Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Turn of the Screw. Operatic roles include the Son/Juniper Bird in the World Premiere of the Philip Glass/Robert Moran opera, The Juniper Tree, Eurydice (Orphée), and Polly Peachum (The Threepenny Opera) with the American Repertory Theater. Ms. Torgove has appeared as a soloist with Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, Boston Camerata, Aston Magna, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony, American Repertory Theater, and Berkshire Choral Festival, among others. As a stage director, Ms. Torgove has directed productions of Sullivan’s The Zoo and Walton’s The Bear (Odyssey Opera), Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors (Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra), Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Foss’s Griffelkin (MIT), John Harbison’s Full Moon in March (BMOP), and more. Ms. Torgove has been on the faculties of the Opera Institute at Boston University, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the Longy School of Music, and Hebrew College.

MICHELLE TRAINOR‡
Sponsored by Janet & Irv Plotkin
Soprano
OFGLEN
MICHELLE TRAINOR | Soprano | OFGLEN
Michelle Trainor is a BLO Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist alumna, where she has sung in The Barber of Seville, The Threepenny Opera, Burke & Hare, The Marriage of Figaro, The Inspector, Macbeth, Clemency, The Magic Flute, The Merry Widow, and The Love Potion. Ms. Trainor recently made her debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Der Rosenkavalier with Andris Nelsons. This fall, she performed Benoni in Gounod’s La Reine de Saba with Odyssey Opera, Berta in The Barber of Seville with Michigan Opera Theatre, and made her Boston Modern Orchestra Project debut as Oneeta/Princess Batcheat in Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Other recent highlights Der Zwerg (Odyssey Opera), Isolde’s Liebestod (Brookline Symphony Orchestra), and Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony (New World Chorale). Ms. Trainor has recorded MacMillan’s Clemency and Schubert’s Hagar’s Lament on the BIS label with BLO and was the 2011 recipient of the Company’s Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence. As a concert soloist, she has performed at Carnegie Hall and in Boston Ballet’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also sang Jocasta in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex with Emmanuel Music, where she will return this Season for Mrs. Peachum in The Beggar’s Opera.

DANA BETH MILLER
Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Timothy & Jessica Donohue
Mezzo-Soprano
OFFRED’S MOTHER
DANA BETH MILLER | Mezzo-Soprano | OFFRED’S MOTHER
Dana Beth Miller returns to BLO where she performed the title role in Carmen in 2009. In the 2018/19 Season, Ms. Miller joins The Metropolitan Opera for their Ring Cycle production in Die Walküre, and makes her debut with both the Boston Symphony Orchestra (La Badessa, Suor Angelica) and the Tanglewood Festival (Grimgerde, Die Walküre). Ms. Miller is a recipient of many awards and has performed roles both in the U.S. and internationally with Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Seattle Opera, Dallas Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and more. Recent credits include Erda in Das Rheingold (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Arizona Opera), the mezzo-soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem (Oregon Symphony), Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera (Deutsche Opera Berlin, Florida Grand Opera), Dame Quickly in Falstaff (Opera Colorado), Anna in Les Troyens and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and her debut in the U.K. with English National Opera as Amneris in a new production of Aïda at the London Coliseum. On the concert platform, she recently performed as a soloist with the National Taiwan Symphony, Washington Concert Opera, the Český Krumlov International Music Festival in the Czech Republic, and more.

MATTHEW DIBATTISTA
Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. E. Lee Perry
Tenor
THE DOCTOR
MATTHEW DIBATTISTA | Tenor | THE DOCTOR
Matthew DiBattista returns to BLO where he performed in Les Contes d’Hoffman, Madama Butterfly, The Marriage of Figaro, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has been on the roster of The Metropolitan Opera and has performed four straight seasons with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Recent performances include The Witch (Hänsel und Gretel), Triquet (Eugene Onegin), Borsa (Rigoletto), with Michigan Opera Theatre; Spoletta (Tosca) with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood; Goro (Madama Butterfly) and Scaramuccio (Ariadne auf Naxos) with Santa Fe Opera, and more. Other credits include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Glimmerglass Opera, Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Omaha, Tulsa Opera, Opera Boston, Opera Colorado, Long Beach Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, among others. He appeared for eight of the last nine seasons as principal artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. On the concert stage, Mr. DiBattista has been soloist in Britten’s War Requiem with Keith Lockhart and the Dayton Philharmonic; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Boston Landmarks Orchestra at Fenway Park, Fresno Symphony, Wichita Symphony); Carmina Burana (Wichita Symphony, New Orleans Opera), and more.

OMAR NAJMI‡
Sponsored by Dr. Joseph & Mrs. Anita Loscalzo
Tenor
NICK
OMAR NAJMI | Tenor | NICK
Omar Najmi returns to BLO as a Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist alumnus having appeared in many productions with the Company including Kátya Kabanová, The Love Potion, Lizzie Borden, I Puritani, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute, and Werther. Mr. Najmi is also an alumnus of the Opera Colorado Young Artist Program (Lucia di Lammermoor, La Fanciulla del West, The Elixir of Love, The Barber of Seville) and has been a Young Artist with Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Opera North. He has performed with Opera NEO (Don Giovanni, The Merry Widow, Idomeneo), Opera Fayetteville (Flight and Little Women), Odyssey Opera (Lucio Silla), the American Lyric Theater (La Reina workshop), and more. Mr. Najmi made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 as the tenor soloist in Mark Hayes’ Gloria and has performed on the concert stage with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, Cape Cod Chorale, among others. As a composer, he will be premiering his first original chamber opera, En la Ardiente Oscuridad, this year.

DAVID CUSHING‡
Sponsored by Allison K. Ryder & David B. Jones
Baritone
THE COMMANDER
DAVID CUSHING | Baritone | THE COMMANDER

David Cushing returns to BLO where he has performed in numerous productions including Tosca, The Treepenny Opera, Burke & Hare, The Rake’s Progress, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Rigoletto, and many more. Operatic appearances include the title roles in Don Pasquale and The Marriage of Figaro, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mr. Cushing has sung with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Colorado, and Nashville Opera, with recent credits including performances with Bar Harbor Music Festival (Don Pasquale, Don Pasquale), Opera Tampa (Basilio, Il Barbiere di Saviglia and Banquo, Macbeth), and a World Premiere with White Snake Projects (Sun Tze, Rev. 23). Orchestral engagements include solo performances with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Emmanuel Music at Jordan Hall, the Tanglewood Festival, and a recent debut at Symphony Hall as a soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Mr. Cushing is a BLO Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist alumnus.

VERA SAVAGE‡
Mezzo-Soprano
NEW OFGLEN
VERA SAVAGE | Mezzo-Soprano | NEW OFGLEN

Vera Savage, last year’s winner of BLO’s annual Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence, returns to the Company where she has performed in
The Merry Widow, The Threepenny Opera, and more. Ms. Savage’s recent performances include
Mercédès in Bizet’s Carmen with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff with both Opera Saratoga and Opera on the James, Madam Larina in Eugene Onegin with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Tisbe in La Cenerentola at Opera Saratoga, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito at Opera in the Heights, and Mrs. Baines in Elmer Gantry with Florentine Opera. Recent engagements include performances with Commonwealth Chorale and Ms. Savage’s debut at the Spoleto Festival USA in Donizetti’s rarely-performed opera Pia de’ Tolomei.
OFFRED & LUKE’S DAUGHTER
SAMANTA WILLISTON* (MAY 5 & 10)
BEATRICE EDDY* (MAY 8 & 12)
SUPERNUMERARIE
MATTHEW BARRETT-MILLER
CAROLINE BERGWALL
JOHN BUCY
JOSÉ CABRERA
BECCA FREEMAN
LIANA GENOUD
MICHAEL KELLY
MEAGHAN ROBICHAUD
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA ORCHESTRA
ANNIE RABBAT | CONCERTMASTER
VIOLIN I
ANNIE RABBAT
TERA GORSETT KECK
SANDRA KOTT
LENA WONG
HEIDI BRAUN-HILL
ZENAS HSU
HEATHER BRAUN BAKKEN
ROHAN GREGORY
ROBERT CURTIS
SARAH ATWOOD
ASUKA USUI
VIOLIN II
COLIN DAVIS Acting Principal
ROKSANA SUDOL
ROSE DRUCKER
NIVEDITA SARNATH
CYNTHIA CUMMINGS
YUMI OKADA
STACEY ALDEN
RYO USAMI
SUSAN CARRAI
VIOLA
KENNETH STALBERG Principal
DAVID FELTNER
ABIGAIL CROSS
DON KRISHNASWAMI
JOAN ELLERSICK
NORIKO FUTAGAMI
CELLO
ARON ZELKOWICZ Acting Principal
ELEANOR BLAKE
KEVIN CRUDDER
SAM OU
VELLADA MIRAGIAS
BASS
BARRY BOETTGER Acting Principal
KEVIN GREEN
ANTHONY D’AMICO
NATHAN VARGA
PICCOLO
ALLISON PARRAMORE Acting Principal
OBOE
NANCY DIMOCK Principal
MARY CICCONETTI
OBOE/ENGLISH HORN
CATHERINE WEINFIELD-ZELL
CLARINET
JAN HALLORAN Principal
KAREN HENINGER
CLARINET/BASS CLARINET
GARY GORCZYCA
BASSOON
MARGARET PHILLIPS Acting Principal
HAZEL MALCOLMSON
JENSEN LING
FRENCH HORN
WHITACRE HILL Acting Principal
DIRK HILLYER
CLARK MATTHEWS
IRIS ROSENSTEIN
TRUMPET
TERRY EVERSON Acting Principal
JESSE LEVINE
GREG WHITAKER
TROMBONE
JOHN FAIETA Acting Principal
ALEXEI DOOHOVSKOY
DONALD ROBINSON
TUBA
TAKATSUGU HAGIWARA Acting Principal
HARP
INA ZDOROVETCHI Principal
DIGITAL PIANO
NATHAN SALAZAR
KEYBOARD
BRETT HODGDON
TIMPANI
ROBERT SCHULZ Acting Principal
PERCUSSION
WILLIAM MANLEY Acting Principal
GREGORY SIMONDS
THE BOSTON LYRIC OPERA CHORUS
BRETT HODGDON | CHORUS MASTER
SOPRANO
CHELSEA BACCAY
ALISA CASSOLA
SIRGOURNEY COOK
MOLLY CROOKEDACRE
KELLEY HOLLIS
JESSICA JACOBS
TAMRA GRACE JONES
MARIE MCCARVILLE
BRIANNA J. ROBINSON
RACHELE SCHMIEGE
ABIGAIL SMITH
EMMA SORENSON
JULIA WOLCOTT
ISABELLE ZELEDON
ALTO
JESSICA JOHNSON BROCK
HEATHER GALLAGHER
KIRSTEN HART
HELEN HASSINGER
JESSINE JOHNSON
ELIZABETH KINDER
JAIME KORKOS
JOANNA POPE
ARIELLE ROGERS
VANESSA SCHUKIS
TENOR
ETHAN BREMNER
CHRISTON CARNEY
CHRIS MAHER
FRED VAN NESS
BASS
JORGEANDRÉS CAMARGO
JUNHAN CHOI
KAMIL EKINCI
FRED FURNARI
TAYLOR HORNER
MICHAEL MILLER
DEVON RUSSO
RON WILLIAMS
HANDMAIDS, AUNTS, GUARDS, ETC.
CHELSEA BACCAY
JESSICA JOHNSON BROCK†
Sponsored by Mr. Edward J. Leary
JORGEANDRÉS CAMARGO
FRED FURNARI
HEATHER GALLAGHER‡
KIRSTEN HART
TAYLOR HORNER
JAIME KORKOS
CHRIS MAHER
MICHAEL MILLER
BRIANNA J. ROBINSON†
VANESSA SCHUKIS
EMMA SORENSON‡
PRODUCTION/ARTISTIC STAFF
Daniel B. Chapman Production & Technical Manager
Cynthia Hennon Marino Stage Manager
Melanie Bacaling Assistant Stage Manager
Julie Marie Langevin Assistant Stage Manager
Bruno Baker Production Assistant
Bethany Weed Production Department Assistant
Lisa Berg Props Master
Maxx Finn Assistant Lighting Designer
Austin Boyle Lighting Director
Charles Neumann Associate Costume Designer
Gail Buckley Costume Supervisor
Ashley Callahan Associate Wig & Makeup Designer
SooA Kim Associate Video Designer
Eliot Bayless Video Technician
Renee Goudreau Audio Technician
Satrina Massey Surtitle Operator
Ashton Bush Music Librarian
Maynard Goldman Orchestra Personnel Manager
Jane Pisciottoli Papa Child Wrangler
Costumes built by Costume Works
ROAD CREW
Brendan Ritchie Head Production Carpenter
Patrick Barrett First Assistant Production Carpenter
Brian Willis Second Assistant Production Carpenter
Michael Gottke Head Production Electrician
Donald King First Assistant Production Electrician
John Sullivan Second Assistant Production Electrician
Becky (Rebecca) Marsh Light Board Programmer
Emily Picot Head of Production Properties
Hilliary Kramer First Assistant of Production Properties
Dianna Reardon Wardrobe Supervisor
*Boston Lyric Opera Debut
†Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist
‡Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist Alumnus
**Principal Artist-in-Residence
Harvard University Ray Lavietes Pavilion
45 North Harvard Street, Boston
The Handmaid’s Tale will be staged in a gymnasium that recalls the infamous Red Center from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel
Harvard’s refurbished and rededicated arena for men’s and women’s basketball – The Ray ’36 and Estelle Lavietes Pavilion, formerly called the Briggs Athletic Center – stands among the most historic venues in the sport. The facility underwent multiphase renovation in recent years, completing its transformation prior to the 2017-18 season.
Learn more about how we’ve redesigned spaces to create immersive productions
BLO Blog: Transforming Spaces for Opera
Directions & Parking
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Red Line to Harvard Square and then 14 minute walk
66, 86 Bus to N Harvard St @ Gate 2 Harvard Stadium and then 3 minute walk
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
From the West
- Take the Massachusetts Turnpike east to Exit 18 (Allston/Cambridge)
- After paying toll, bear left at fork towards Allston
- Turn right at second set of lights onto North Harvard Street
- Proceed approximately one mile
From the North
- Take I-93 south to Storrow Drive exit
- Take Storrow Drive west for approximately five miles
- Exit at Harvard Square/North Harvard Street
- At top of exit, turn left onto North Harvard Street
From the South
- Take I-95 north to I-93 north
- Follow I-93 until Exit 20 (Massachusetts Turnpike)
- Take Mass. Pike west to Exit 20 (Allston/Cambridge)
- After paying toll, bear left at fork towards Allston. Turn right at second set of lights onto North Harvard Street. Proceed approximately one mile.
Alternative From the Southwest/Northwest
- Take Route 128 (I-95) to Massachusetts Turnpike
- Take Mass. Pike east to exit 18. (Allston/Cambridge)
- After paying toll, bear left at fork towards Allston
- Turn right at second set of lights onto North Harvard Street. Proceed approximately one mile
PARKING
Harvard University
65 North Harvard Street – opens 2 hours before performance start time
$10, CASH ONLY
Enter through Gate 8 and follow directions from Parking Staff. Accessible Parking at Harvard: there are accessible parking spots available a short walk from Lavietes Pavilion. Parking staff will direct you. Once you’ve parked, red BLO flags will lead you right to Lavietes. Additional details are available at https://gocrimson.com/directions/home
Church Street Lot
41 Church Street – $24 5PM-5PM – 15 minute walk
University Place Garage
45 University Road – $14 – 14 minute walk
BLO is not affiliated with these parking options, and parking rates and availability are subject to change.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Lavietes Pavilion can accommodate both wheelchair and companion seating. Restrooms are located on the main level. Assisted listening devices are available at the box office.
COAT CHECK
Please note there will not be a coat check of any kind for this production.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Concessions will be served at all performances, including sandwiches & wraps, light bites, and desserts. Beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase.
This is not a Harvard University event and is not controlled, presented, or supervised by Harvard University or any of its schools or programs.
