Name: Susannah
Start: 2023-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2023-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Bloomsbury Theatre

Organization

Admin

University College Opera

Conductor

Matt Scott Rogers

Stage director

Isabelle Kettle

Assistant Director

Daisy Syme-Taylor

Assistant musical director

Lizzie McEneaney

Set designer

Beatrice Frant

Ewan Sleath

Choreographer

Annelise Bucher

Executive producer

Rory Benton

Harry Robinson

Lighting designer

Edward Kirby

Orchestra

University College Symphony Orchestra (UCL)

Others

University College Symphony Chorus (UCL)

Soprano

Lottie Craven

Susannah

Tenor

Benjamin Guillaud-Leblanc

Bass-baritone

Lawrence Gillians

Blitch

Magnus Cameron

Little Bat

Hamish Rogers

Elder Hayes

Julius Reim

Elder Gleaton

Friedrich Kling

Elder McLean

Bass

Angus Benton

Elder Ott

Charlotte Khan

Mrs Hayes

Thérésa Bernard

Mrs Gleaton

Mezzo-soprano

Maria Khokhar

Mrs McLean

Contralto

Saskia Kirk

Mrs Ott

Ingliż

London

United Kingdom

Bloomsbury Theatre

Susannah Floyd

Public

Sharan Allad

Approved

A full strength UCOpera welcomes you back for our staging of an Opera immensely popular in the United States, but little known and performed over our side of the pond, which we are very excited to share with you: Carlisle Floyd’s Magnum Opus Susannah. Adapted from the apocryphal story of Susannah and the Elders, It is the dramatic tale of injustice and ostracization of an innocent woman, Susannah, in the conservative religious community of New Hope Valley, Tennessee.

Written at the height of the McCarthy nightmare in 1953, with the premiere of the piece in 1955, UCO reimagines the story in the present-day. Floyd investigates themes of repression, hypocrisy and innocence in the face of a vicious witch-hunt, propagated unfairly by those in positions of power in order to hide their own shortcomings. Contemporary resonances abound, not least within the context of Susannah’s abuse at the hands of the charismatic preacher Olin Blitch. Set against a musical backdrop of a mix of Appalachian-inspired music, along with some more deliciously demonic and dramatic motifs, Susannah is infused throughout with an extraordinary dramatic and musical intensity, leading to a shocking climax. We look forward to seeing you at one of the performances, and thank you for your continued support.

Sung in English
Cast & Musician’s List:


Susannah Polk: Lottie Craven
Sam Polk: Benjamin Guillaud-Leblanc
Olin Blitch: Lawrence Gillians
Little Bat Mclean: Magnus Cameron
Elder Hayes: Hamish Rogers
Elder Gleaton: Julius Reim
Elder McLean: Friedrich Kling
Elder Ott: Angus Benton
Mrs Hayes: Charlotte Khan
Mrs Gleaton: Thérésa Bernard
Mrs McLean: Maria Khokhar
Mrs Ott: Saskia Kirk
Chorus: UCL Symphony Chorus
Orchestra: UCL Symphony Orchestra
 
Creatives:


Director: Isabelle Kettle
Assistant Director: Daisy Syme-Taylor
Musical Director: Matt Scott Rogers
Assistant Musical Director: Lizzie McEneaney
Designers: Beatrice Frant & Ewan Sleath
Choreography: Annelise Bucher
Producers: Rory Benton & Harry Robinson
Lighting Designer: Edward Kirby
Production Manager: Celeste Aoqing Wu
Stage Manager: Hongjing Wang
Graphic Design: Lily Peng

English

Krediti ta' prestazzjoni (Il-Kast & l-Ekwipaġġ )

Kast

Ekwipaġġ

Ensemble