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UCOpera presents Susannah by Carlisle Floyd

UCOpera presents Susannah by Carlisle Floyd

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: ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Symphony Chorus
Orchestra: ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Symphony Orchestra
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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

Age guidance 15+
Trigger warnings inc themes of sexual assault
Running time 90min + 20min interval

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For access seating, please calls usÌý020 3108 1000Ìýor e-mailÌýticketing@ucl.ac.uk
Accessing the Bloomsbury TheatreÌý