D I G I T A L P R O G R A M
Opera in the Pines presents the Maine premiere of Robert Ward’s The Crucible in an immersive theater experience that summons the audience as the jury of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. When the women of Salem are accused of witchcraft, we witness the betrayal of an entire community; the ruthlessness of the prosecutors, the eagerness of neighbor to testify against neighbor, and the destructive power of socially sanctioned violence. This haunting reminder of witch hunts throughout history, that still exist in the present day, forces us to confront the fundamentals of human nature and question the systems by which power is sustained, challenged and lost.
The Crucible was commissioned in 1961 by the New York City Opera. With a libretto by Bernard Stambler, the opera is based directly on the Arthur Miller play and famously inspired by the McCarthyism of the 1950s. Miller implied that the Red Scare once again sacrificed innocent people to public hysteria. When he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1956, Miller refused to supply names of people he met years before at an alleged communist writers’ meeting. Ward’s operatic version went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and a New York Music Critics Circle Citation. It is one of the most performed operas by an American composer.
Composer: Robert Ward (1917 – 2013) was an American composer, best remembered for his opera The Crucible.
Librettist: Bernard Stambler was an American librettist and writer.
Elizabeth Proctor: Named "Debut Artist of the Year" by the Joy in Singing Foundation, Abi Levis* has appeared as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony, the Handel and Haydn Society, Florida Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque, Portland Baroque, Utah Opera/Symphony, Opera Parallele, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Wolf Trap Opera, Los Angeles, Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and The Dallas Opera. She is also a prize winner of numerous competitions both at home abroad, including the Klaudia Taev Competition, the William Mattheus Sullivan Foundation, The McCammon Competition, and the Classical Singer Competition. She enjoys exploring all genres of music from popular to ancient, and recently released her debut album “Songs of Dominick Argento” with collaborator, Peter Walsh. A native of Portland, Maine, Ms. Levis holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, the University of Houston, and Bard College. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband - celebrated author David Treuer. She is a stepmom to three children, is obsessed with her pets, and is a musical leader at a local church. Her hobbies include arguing, beer tasting, wandering aimlessly through foreign cities, all things food, knitting/crocheting/hoarding yarn, and True Crime. She is an obnoxious Boston Red Sox fan and proud of it. Follow her on Instagram @tessitourist and TikTok @abilevis!
Abigail Williams: Mia Love* is a master’s student of Performance and Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine Osher School of Music where she studied Music Education. In April of 2021, she performed in her first fully staged opera as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. In 2021 and 2022, Mia joined in Opera Maine’s performances of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and Wagner’s Der Fliegende Höllander as a chorus member and was an Education Outreach Studio Artist with the company for the 2022-2023 season. In selected scenes Mia has performed as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Marie in La fille du Régiment, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, La Fée in Cendrillon, and Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw. In 2024, Mia looks forward to her role as Diva in the University of Illinois Lyric Theater production of Black Square, and of course, this special homecoming production of The Crucible with Opera in the Pines.
Mary Warren: Kate Fogg* is a writer and soprano from Dedham, Maine. Kate is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Voice and Opera at McGill University where she is a student of Tracy Smith Bessette. Recent performances with Opera McGill include various roles in Sondheim at Segal and La Fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon. In June, she will cover the role of the Governess in Turn of The Screw with Opera5 in Toronto. Kate completed a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at The University of Maine where she studied with Isaac Bray. UMaine Opera Workshop credits include Madame Herz in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor. NATS Maine Chapter Ellen Chickering Award recipient 2021, 2023. Penobscot Theatre Company regional credits; Mamma Mia, 9 to 5: The Musical, and Matilda: The Musical. Kate is a Resident Teaching Artist at Burns Music Studio. She currently lives in Montréal with her street kitty, Auggie.
Ann Putnam: A transplant to Maine, Anna Hawkes* holds a Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University and a Master of Music from the University of Utah. During her years of study, Anna enjoyed performing such roles as Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), Musetta (La Bohème) and Hanna (The Merry Widow). Recent local performances include Susy (Wait Until Dark), Isabel (Scrooge), and her company debut in Broadway at Good Theater: Twin Piano Edition. Many thanks and all the love to Ian, Theodore, Esther and little Linus.
Susanna Walcott: Lauded for her ability to “exquisitely set the scene”, Chilean-American mezzo- soprano Raphaella Medina continues to charm audiences with her “vibrant voice and ability to entrance”. In the 23/24 season, Medina made her Winter Opera St. Louis debut as Zerlina (Don Giovanni), covered the role of the Collector (Song of the Nightingale) with On Site Opera, and reprised her role as Diana (Cruzar la Cara de la Luna) with Opera Santa Barbara and Danza Folklórica Quetzalcóatl. This season, Medina also appeared as a guest soloist with the Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, and was named the Phyllis Linke-Lamb Memorial Award Winner at Shreveport Opera's Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition. Previous seasons include role and house debuts with Opera Orlando, Opera Saratoga, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, as well as concert and recital appearances with Orlando Ballet, The Villages Philharmonic, Florentine Opera, and the Leipzig Hochschule für Musik und Theater.
The Silenced Women: Grace Koury* joined Portland Ballet during the 2019/2020 season. Since joining the company, she has had the pleasure of dancing the title roles in both Giselle and Nell Shipman’s Sylvia, Persephone in Shipman’s Persephone & Hades, Dew Drop and Arabian in A Victorian Nutcracker, and The Woman in Jen Jones’ Surprised by Joy. Grace is also a faculty member of the Portland School of Ballet’s Young Dancer Program and Senior Division. Previously, she danced professionally in Georgia and New York. Before starting her professional career, she attended Indiana University Jacobs School of Music on The Dean’s Scholarship. There she had the pleasure of performing many works by renowned choreographers ranging from Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Paul Taylor’s Musical Offering, George Balanchine’s Rubies, Emeralds, Western Symphony, Four Temperaments and Divertimento No. 15. As a part of Jacobs School of Music, Grace also had the opportunity to perform as a featured dancer in the operas La Traviata and The Last Savage. In May of 2016, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance and an Outside Field in Arts Management. In addition to Indiana University Ballet Theater, Grace has received dance training from Walnut Hill School for the Arts ’12. This is Grace’s first production with Opera in the Pines and she is so excited to be involved both as dancer and choreographer.
Piano: Kellie Moody* is a Maine native and resident of Standish. She is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music, studying piano with Laura Kargul and voice with Judith James. She also studied with Ed Reichert, learning to music direct and conduct pit orchestras from the keyboard. She has since worked closely with USM, accompanying auditions, degree recitals, ensembles, juries, and music directing for the Musical Theatre program. She has played countless college, high school, and community shows and played in the pit at Maine State Music Theater. She is an active musician throughout the state, collaborating with vocalists and instrumentalists from beginner to professional. She works with numerous high school ensembles, district and state festivals, competitions, and summer camps. She has had the joy of performing a variety of concerts and serenades with Opera Maine. Currently, she serves as pianist/praise team vocalist at Mountainside Community Church in Falmouth. She accompanies ChoralArt, Greater Freeport Community Chorus, Southern Maine Junior Music Academy, Southern Maine Music Academy, Una Voce Chamber Choir, and White Mountain Musical Arts. When she’s not playing piano, she’s usually hanging out with her beloved dog, Winston.
John Proctor: Isaac Bray* has performed numerous opera roles and other solo engagements with musical organizations around the United States including Florida Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera San Antonio, Central City Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Blue Hill Bach, and the Bar Harbor Music Festival. Bray has been a member of the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Studio, the Bonfils-Stanton Apprentice Program with Central City Opera, and the apprentice artist program with the Natchez Festival of Music. He is a graduate of the Boston University Opera Institute, The Boston Conservatory, and Abilene Christian University. Mr. Bray teaches on the voice faculty at the University of Maine and also serves on the board of the Maine chapter of NATS.
Reverend John Hale: Bass-baritone John David Adams* is a versatile and accomplished artist, with a career spanning concert, opera, recital, and award-winning vocal ensembles. His opera and musical stage credits include Lucrezia Borgia (Opera Boston), Tosca (San Francisco Lyric Opera), Carmen (Granite State Opera), Romeo et Juliette (PORTopera), Cosi fan tutte (Apollo Opera), Trouble in Tahiti (Goat Hall Opera), The Medium and The Telephone (SOLO Opera), Die Fledermaus and The New Moon (New England Light Opera), The Desert Song (Maine State Music Theater), and Susannah, Sweeney Todd, and A Little Night Music (Heartwood Regional Theater Company). He sang the U.S. premier of Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s Simplicius Simplicissimus in San Francisco, and created the role of Marino in Daughter of the Cabinet, Berkeley Opera’s timely political adaptation of LeCoq’s La Fille de Madame Angot. An acclaimed concert soloist in repertoire ranging from Baroque masterworks to world premieres, his engagements include the San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Portland Symphony, Bangor Symphony, Berkeley lyric Opera Orchestra, Redwood Symphony, Arlington Philharmonic, North Shore Philharmonic, Masterworks Chorale, Choral Arts Society, Oratorio Chorale, Longfellow Chorus, San Francisco Bach Choir, and the Blue Hill Bach, Portland Bach, White Mountain Bach, and Portland Early Music festivals. He studied voice and opera at the Hartt School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and with teachers Leopold Simoneau, William Metcalf, and Malcolm Smith. He currently serves on the faculty of Bay Chamber Music School in Rockport, Maine.
Judge Danforth: Described as a "powerfully voiced" tenor of "tonal richness", Robert Gerold* is once again delighted to perform with Opera in the Pines in their production of The Crucible this season! Last season, Robert joined Opera in the Pines in their production of Bar Crawl Bohéme portraying the role of Rodolfo. Robert has performed across the country with Des Moines Metro Opera, Sarasota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, among others, as well as internationally in Italy (Ischia, Arezzo, and across Tuscany). Robert has performed with the City Theater of Biddeford in their musical theatre productions of Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash. Outside of opera and musical theatre, Robert has performed in many concerts and recitals from the northeast to the Midwest. Robert is an alumnus of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
Thoma Putnam: Baritone Joshua Miller* is a Maine native hailing from Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Island. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine Osher School of Music, where he studied vocal performance with the late great Ellen Chickering. After graduation, Josh moved to New York City to participate in the many opportunities afforded to singers. Some of Joshua's favorite career performances include Harašta in Janáček's Prihody Lišky Bystroušky with Dell'arte Opera Ensemble, Pish-Tush in NYGASP's reimagined Gilbert and Sullivan classic The Mikado and Sam in Metro West Opera's staging of Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti. In recent years, Joshua has turned his attention to oratorio, performing as the baritone soloist in Mendelssohn's Elijah, Vaughan-Williams Five Mystical Songs, Handel's Messiah and Israel in Egypt. Along with his singing, Joshua is a keen outdoorsman, amateur naturalist and an ISA certified Arborist, all of which brought him back to Maine in early 2022 to live permanently.
Reverend Samuel Parris: Jonas Rimkunas* (Gorham, ME), tenor, is a second year student in the Maryland Opera Studio, and a graduate from The University of Southern Maine’s Osher School of Music. In his early 20s, Jonas was set to pursue a career in wooden boat building, but shifted course when singing with a barbershop quartet inspired him to seek a degree in music performance. Rimkunas’s love of opera was solidified when he performed the role of Tamino in USM's production of The Magic Flute. Jonas had the privilege of singing Rinuccio in the Miami Music Festivals production of Gianni Schicchi, as well as multiple roles in their production of L’enfant et les Sortilege. Jonas also performed in Opera Maine's L'elisir d'amore in 2021, and The Flying Dutchman in 2022 and has been named the 2022 Ellen Chickering Young Artist. Jonas was thrilled to perform the title role of Albert Herring in The University of Maryland Opera Studios fall production, as well as Arcadio in UMD’s 2024 spring production Florencia en el Amazonas.
Ezekiel Cheever: David Myers, Jr.*, tenor, performs throughout New England, receiving praise for his “beautifully polished tone” and “attractive tenor sound” by Portland Press Herald critic Allan Kozinn. He sings professionally with St. Mary Schola in Falmouth, and performs regularly as a soloist with choral groups including Down East Singers, Lincoln Festival Chorus, Sheepscot Valley Chorus, and St. Cecilia Chamber Choir. David appeared as "Slushie Guy" in the Osher School of Music at University of Southern Maine's world premiere of Girl In Six Beats, a chamber opera in one act commissioned by Opera Maine with music by Daniel Sonenberg, and as Fenton in USM's full staging of Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor. He was also cast in a production of The Legend of Jim Cullen at Heartwood Theater in Damariscotta, a fully-staged dramatic musical written by Heartwood’s artistic director Griff Braley with original Broadway-style music by Maine-based composer Aaron Robinson. David is frequently called upon as an adjudicator for various solo festivals and auditions in Maine, and he is employed as the choir director at North Yarmouth Congregational Church in North Yarmouth, where he also maintains a private voice studio. He is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) as well as an associate member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). David holds a Master’s Degree in vocal pedagogy from the School of Music at the University of Southern Maine where he studied with the late esteemed soprano Ellen Chickering.
Cover: “Powerful baritone” (Palm Beach Daily News) Jacob O’Shea is a captivating performer whose rich voice and impressive stage presence have garnered acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Described as "visually and vocally [commanding]" by the Boston Musical Intelligencer, O’Shea’s repertoire spans a diverse range of characters and styles, showcasing his versatility. Some highlights thus far include Dr Gibbs in Our Town, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and Colline in La bohème. He has also demonstrated his affinity for more contemporary works in such pieces as If I Were You and Proving Up. Most recently at Palm Beach Opera as an Apprentice Artist, O’Shea returns home to New England to make this company debut with Opera in the Pines.
Guest Speaker: Emerson "Tad" Baker* is a professor of History at Salem State University and has previously served as vice provost and dean of the graduate school. The York, Maine resident is the award-winning author or co-author of six books on the history and archaeology of early Maine and New England, including A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience, and The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England. He has a BA from Bates College, an MA from the University of Maine, and a PhD in History from William and Mary. A past chair of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and the Maine Humanities Council, Baker has served as an advisor and on-camera expert for numerous television shows, ranging from PBS-TV’s American Experience and Colonial House to TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are? and three episodes of Bill Green’s Maine.
Costume & Wig Design: Sarah Kennedy* is an independent director, screenwriter, actor, and costume designer in both Theater and Film. She got her start in Portland, Maine where she went to the University of Southern Maine majoring in Theater, and moved to NYC in 2017. She has recently returned to her home state this past summer, and can not wait to work with fellow Mainers on their creative projects. She has worked with Maine State Music Theater as a Wardrobe Crew member over the course of three years, and fell in love with costume construction. She recently constructed costumes for a local indie film “Blood, Sweat and Tears” dir by Hannah Shepherd Perry. Sarah believes in collaborative art that uses the voices of all involved to create a bigger picture. She constantly searches to blend her love of film and theater, looking to push the standards of what each medium is capable of to create something new and exciting.
Costume Design: A Maine native and fellow USM School of Music alum, Jericah Potvin* is ecstatic to be working with Opera in the Pines! Having designed for several short films and theater productions, this will be her first opera and first time working in this capacity alongside long time creative partner and friend Sarah Kennedy. After a five year stint working in NYC in the film industry (The Gilded Age, Salem’s Lot, New Amsterdam Season 4) and on Broadway (The Book of Mormon, Company) as a Covid Department Manager, Jericah is grateful to be back home and diving into a creative position working with a company that holds such wonderful values!
Venue Partner
The Old Red Church is a registered Historic Landmark located in Standish Village. Formerly First Parish Meeting House, the structure has been used as a meeting house, church, academy, as well as the first high school in Standish, since being granted to the proprietors of First Parish Meeting House in 1804. This site is frequented by paranormal hunters and recognized as one of the most haunted places in Maine. Visitors have reported hearing strange noises, whispered names, and seeing objects move. In 1976, the second floor opened to the public as a museum, operated by Standish Historical Society. The Old Red Church Museum is open May through October, Wednesdays 12-4 PM and Saturdays 10-4 PM.
Season Sponsors
The Onion Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 2014 by Fritz and Susan Onion. It was created with the mission of encouraging conservation and stewardship of the natural environment and promoting music and the arts in the state of Maine. Having grown up in Farmington, Fritz and Susan Onion both value living in a rural community with access to artistic experiences and the outdoors.
Founded in 1995, Portland Conservatory of Music has provided exemplary music education for students ages 1-90+ for over 23 years, leading the way for other music schools in the region and throughout the state of Maine. They believe that high quality music education should be available to everyone and strive to make that happen.
Starbird Piano Gallery is Maine’s largest piano gallery, a locally-owned business since 1951, and your go-to for absolutely everything piano-related! Starbird offers all kinds of pianos and portable keyboards available for sale, as well as a wide variety of reputable used pianos, and a small selection of piano-focused sheet music & accessories. Their additional services include piano storage, rental, tuning, repair, moving and disposal.
Doroga Media is a video production services company that provides high quality video and audio capture and editing for a broad range of clients. Led by two incredible women with a passion for visual stories, Doroga (də-RO-ga, дорога) is a Ukrainian and Russian word meaning road, path, journey.
Dirigo Talent is a full-service talent agency showcasing the depth and breadth of Maine-based talent on a local and national level. They believe that great work comes from great connections, and are committed to facilitating the kind of connections that provide media professionals with the very best teams, both in front of and behind the camera, leading to the very best work.
Production Direction & Design: Sable Strout*
Adaptation: Tina Davis*, Sable Strout*
Choreographer: Grace Koury*
Lighting Design: Aaren Rivard*
Lighting Partner: A/V Technik*
Costuming Partner: Portland Players*
Supertitles: Aaren Rivard*
Supertitles Operator: Soph Thompson*
Branding Design: Allie Norman of Girl That Designs*
Promotion, Marketing and Content Management: Lauren Yokabaskas*
Production Videographer: Doroga Media*
Production Photographer: Jordan Rowe Photography
*denotes Maine based or tied artist or organization
The Crucible is produced by permission of ECS Publishing Group, St. Louis, MO, Sole Agent for E. C. Schirmer Music Company, Publisher and Copyright Owner.
Thank you to Portland Conservatory of Music for use of their beautiful new space on Neal Street during our rehearsal period.
Thank you to Rob Caldwell and News Center Maine, Sean Murphy and Spectrum News Maine, Gillian Britt and Eat Drink Lucky, The Wall Street Journal, and Maine Public Radio.
A special thank you to Brandon Blindermann, Nancy Durgin, Ken Faulstich, Mike Foster, Molly Harmon, Dennis O’Brien, Wayne Jones, Jean Strazdes, Kerry Sullivan, Karen Swasey, Judy Weisman, and Claudia White.
This production is graciously funded in part by:
Jane A. Gross, James Huebener, Mary Mitchell Friedman, Timothy O’Neil - In memory of Cindy O’Neil
Steven Brinn, Michael Doyle, Winfield Field, Anna Lahti, Doug Pedersen
Virginia Albanese, Luba Blindermann, Ashley Emerson, Bob Morrison, Timothy Steele, Michelle Rawding
Marcia Brown, Molly Harmon, Matt LaBerge, Giselle Linn - In honor of Joel Linn (1952 - 2011), Elizabeth Nickerson, Susan Samberg, Camille Sherman
Anonymous
