{"id":70,"date":"2021-07-07T21:18:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T21:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackoperaresearch.net\/forum\/?p=70"},"modified":"2021-07-08T18:29:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T18:29:41","slug":"what-do-we-do-with-dreams-thoughts-after-seeing-a-performance-of-william-grant-stills-highway-1-usa-at-the-opera-theatre-of-st-louis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackoperaresearch.net\/forum\/2021\/07\/07\/what-do-we-do-with-dreams-thoughts-after-seeing-a-performance-of-william-grant-stills-highway-1-usa-at-the-opera-theatre-of-st-louis\/","title":{"rendered":"What do we do with Dreams? Thoughts after seeing a performance of William Grant Still\u2019s Highway 1, USA at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Naomi Andr\u00e9<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The promotional poster for Opera Theatre St Louis’s production of Highway 1, USA<\/em>, by William Grant Still.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Opera Theatre of St. Louis might have been the first opera company to reopen and present a full season in person since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  In May-June 2021 OTSL presented six events in festival format on the campus of Webster University.  This was my first time at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and I was so excited to see opera again after 16+ months of pandemic shut down and learn more about their summer festival. I will quickly outline the summer festival and then present a few ideas about this little-known opera (Highway 1, USA<\/em>) by one of the giants of Black classical composers, William Grant Still. Hopefully, this performance will lead to many more productions and place this work more squarely in the repertoire of the opera canon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have two disclaimers to make. First, I was only able to attend one opera, though had I to do things again, I would definitely rearrange my summer to attend more. Second, my trip was the result of having worked with OTSL in March and April to organize and present Belonging in Opera: Learning from Our Past, Engaging with Our Future<\/em>, a two-day symposium (April 6 and 13) that explored the history of Black composers and the current and future landscape of Black creativity in opera and adjacent spaces. You can watch these sessions here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In previous seasons, the company offered an elegant selection of boxed dinners (complete with bar service) to enjoy outside at lovely picnic tables before entering the auditorium for the opera. This season, the outside dining experience continued with socially distanced tables, and a parking lot was converted into an outdoor theatre. Seats were arranged in socially-distanced small groups (2, 3, and 4) to protect the audience, orchestra and singers. There was a raised stage, and singers used microphones to help project their voices in the outdoor space. The season was not only a great opportunity to feel almost normal attending a live performance, but also a most welcomed combination of older and newer works, familiar and lesser-known repertoire. All operas were chamber sized and had small casts, giving the event an intimate feel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Posters for OTSL’s full re-opening season, summer 2021.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This in-the-parking-lot re-opening season featured six events. The comedy finale from Puccini\u2019s Il Trittico<\/em>, Gianni Schicchi<\/em>, opened the season. Next was Still\u2019s Highway I, USA<\/em>, followed by Poulenc\u2019s La Voix Humaine<\/em>, and three recently composed world premieres combined as three acts in an evening\u2019s performance and billed as the New Works, Bold Voices Lab. The other two events were a Juneteenth celebration, I Dream a World,<\/em> presented in partnership with the Missouri Historical Society, and two Centerstage performances of A Young Artist Showcase<\/em>. The three new operas for the New Works, Bold Voices Lab were On the Edge<\/em>, about parenting and teaching young children during the pandemic (music by Laura Karpman and libretto by Taura Stinson); Moon Tea<\/em>, that brought together Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and the Apollo 11 astronauts after the 1969 moon landing (music by Steven Mackey and libretto by Rinde Eckert); and The Tongue & The Lash<\/em>, that stages an imagined conversation between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr. after their historic debate in 1965 about whether, nearly 60 years later, \u201cthe American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro?\u201d[1]<\/a> (music by Damien Sneed and libretto by Karen Chilton).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OTSL website has a lot of online materials about these six events, and you can read more about the plots and artist biographies there. Most of the operas have 25-minute introductory videos featuring the repetiteurs discussing the operas and playing excerpts on the piano. I\u2019ve watched all of them for the season, and they are so informative and helpful! Here is the the discussion for Still\u2019s Highway 1, USA <\/em>by repetiteur Aurelia Andrew. Andrew\u2019s presentation was especially helpful as I was exploring ideas around the theme of \u201cdreams\u201d in this opera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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