DIRECTOR'S NOTES

Welcome to Cold Sassy Tree, Georgia! The year is 1910 and the folks around these parts are tired of having such a “countrified” name. They are trying to change it to something more progressive. How about ‘Commerce’? This is the conflict our audiences will see when the curtain goes up. However, the stakes quickly change when Rucker Lattimore, the town’s most influential citizen decides and announces that he’s going to get married a week after his wife’s funeral, instead of honoring the standard year of mourning. Worse off, he’s going to marry his employee who is only half his age!? What will this small town think?

 

Cold Sassy Tree is based on the great Southern novel by Olive Ann Burns and the source for Carlisle Floyd’s penultimate opera, composed in 2000 and premiered in 2001 at Houston Grand, and several other co-producing companies. However, for the past 23 years, the opera has mostly remained on the shelf, waiting for a new production. My relationship with Carlisle Floyd and his family led me to make a commitment to them to bring his amazing works to new audiences for future generations to enjoy. While CST might be a “hard sell” for folks who don’t recognize the name, it’s an important milestone in the progress and development of Mission Opera, especially since part of our mission is to bring new and accessible American operas to our audiences. Not only is this new (written in the past 25 years), but it’s very accessible for those who might not be the biggest fans of opera. It’s lighthearted and funny at moments but can make you cry your eyes out in the next.

 

Thank you for being part of our family and supporting the arts by attending today’s performance. Without an audience, we’re simply stuck in another rehearsal. It’s the moment that we get to raise the curtain and tell the story that makes it most meaningful and helps this fine work live on. You are part of our history and we couldn’t exist without you. Enjoy the show and spread the good work about your opera company and the incredible work we’re doing in our little corner of the world.

 

Best wish,

Dr. Joshua Wentz

Artistic Director & Founder