New Opera Goes to Hell to Entertain with Sartre Play

This is not your father or your mother’s opera. Get out of your comfort zone and give this form of multimedia entertainment a try: Chicago Opera Vanguard reimagines Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential play “No Exit” as an opera.

For this modern morality play, director George Cederquist has gathered an impressive ensemble of singing actors, musicians and visual artists from across Chicago’s creative community. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, “Hell is … other people!” His classic black comedy NO EXIT premiered in German-occupied Paris in 1944. There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide as three self-absorbed people, who neither know nor like each other, are trapped together in one room… forever! Full of intense drama and sly comedy, NO EXIT is a haunting and humorous vision of damnation that you will never forget, especially in operatic form.

There are only three performances, so make your reservations right away. The price is right; note the student discount.

• General Admission is $25; $10 student/senior discount tickets available for the Friday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available online at www.chicagovanguard.org.
• Performances are:
  • 8 p.m. Friday, October 16
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, October 17
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, October 18
• The opera will be performed at the Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N Halsted St.
• Running time is approximately 80 minutes with one intermission.

Composer Andy Vores was born in Wales in 1956 and raised in England. He studied composition at Lancaster University with Edward Cowie. In 1986 he was a Tanglewood Composition Fellow, studying with Oliver Knussen. In 1989 Vores moved to Boston and in 2001 was appointed Chair of Composition, Theory and Music History at The Boston Conservatory.

Mr. Vores’ music has been performed by the London Sinfonietta, the Boston Modern Orchestral Project, the New England Philharmonic, The Cantata Singers, the Scottish National Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, The Nash Ensemble, the BBC Singers, Irvine Arditti, Sarah Walker Lynn Torgove, Dominique Labelle, Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish, Sanford Sylvan, Kendra Colton, Kathleen Supové, David Kravitz, Karol Bennett and many others.

NO EXIT is directed by George Cederquist [Yale, Northwestern, Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre], and features soprano Susan Nelson as “Estelle,” mezzo-soprano Caitlin McKechney as “Inez,” tenor Herb Lenz as “Garcin” and baritone Peter Weathers as “Valet.”

The extensive design team includes video projections by Cat Forster, sets and costumes by Izumi Inaba [University of Buffalo, Northwestern] and lighting by Samantha Szigeti [Northwestern].

NO EXIT was commissioned by the Guerilla Opera ensemble in residence at The Boston Conservatory.

NO EXIT is the season kickoff for the Chicago Opera Vanguard, in partnership with Center on Halsted and Praxis Productions, and the Chicago premiere of this opera treatment of the existentialist play. There are only three (3) performances.

This event is part of Center on Halsted’s celebration of Chicago Artists Month 2009, “Chicago Artists Month 2.0.” More information on Chicago Artists Month can be found at chicagoartistsmonth.org.