Organization

Admin

Festival Opera

Conductor

Matilda Hofman

Stage director

Omari Tau Williams

Singer

Marcus J Paige

Br’er Rabbit

Br’er Fox

Shawnette Sulker

Sister Sparrow

Aisha Campbell

Sister Robin

Leberta Lorál

Madame Partridge

English

Tales from the Briar Patch

Walnut Creek

United States

Lesher Center for the Arts

Hofmann Theatre

Tales from the Briar Patch Okoye

Public

Keerthi Raj

Approved

This short opera is family friendly and full of fun, while paying tribute to the African tradition of storytelling for all ages. Sister Sparrow, Sister Robin, and Madame Partridge retell the antics of Br’er Rabbit and his nemesis Br’er Fox. The music blends African American musical styles of jazz, blues, and gospel with contemporary concert music sounds.

 

The stories in Tales from the Briar Patch are derived from African folk tales. The character “Br’er Rabbit” is a parallel to the trickster, “Anansi the Spider,” of ancient Ghanaian folklore. While many people associate him and his friends with Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus stories, the stories predate Harris. The creators Okoye and Moore updated the language, using animals to portray the story, with a trio of spirited birds narrating.

Tales from the Briar Patch by Okoye, From (2023/2023), Directed by Omari Tau Williams,, Conductor Matilda Hofman, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, United States

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues