Speakeysie News Service

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre join forces to bring audiences the East Coast premiere of The Shining, a chilling and acclaimed new opera based on Stephen King’s 1977 bestselling novel. Performed at the Alliance Theatre at The Woodruff Center, this co-presentation is the season opener for both companies.

The Shining, by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell, is about a family that falls under the evil influence of the sinister Overlook Hotel and its array of ghosts. Directed by Brian Staufenbiel, a specialist in multimedia, immersive and interdisciplinary productions, it been called “the scariest opera you may ever experience” (TwinCities.com). With 11 performances and a double cast in the main roles,

The Shining features Kelly Kaduce and Kearstin Piper Brown as Wendy Torrance, with Craig Irvin and Thomas Glass in the role of Jack Torrance. Kevin Deasand Aubrey Allicock will play Dick Hallorann.

The Atlanta Opera and Alliance Theatre present The Shining on September 15, 16, 17 (matinee), 20, 22, 23, 24 (matinee), 26, 28, 30 and October 1 (matinee) at the Alliance Theatre at The Woodruff Center. Ticket prices start at $25 and can be purchased online at AtlantaOpera.organd AllianceTheatre.org or by calling 404-881-8885. The opera will be performed in English with English supertitles.

Tickets for The Shining is also part of a “Thriller Three” series, with Shapiro’s Frankenstein and Verdi’s Rigoletto, all for an unforgettable trio of spine-chilling operatic masterpieces performed in the fall of 2023. Tickets are available at two price levels – $150 or $250 – and can be purchased online at AtlantaOpera.org/thriller-three or through the opera ticket office at 404-881-8885.

The Shining is not recommended for children under 12 years old.  Parental discretion is advised. 

The Shining will be presented under the baton of conductor Timothy Myers, who is internationally acclaimed for his eloquence, energy and command on the podium.  Recognized for his ability to engage audiences through his in-depth and versatile artistic planning, Myers keeps a busy schedule of operatic and concert performances around the world while also serving as principal conductor and artistic advisor to Austin Opera. 

Stage director Brian Staufenbiel is the creative director for Opera Parallèle where he has directed and spearheaded the conceptual designs of the company’s productions since it was founded in 2010. Specializing in multimedia, immersive, and interdisciplinary productions, he actively works across a wide range of artistic disciplines collaborating in film and with media designers, choreographers and dancers, circus and fabric artists, and designer fabricators. His progressive approach to stagecraft has garnered critical acclaim for many of the company’s productions, including Wozzeck, Orphée, Champion and Dead Man Walking.

Atlanta audiences will recognize Craig Irvin’s “rich, resonant baritone” (Opera News) in the role of Jack Torrance (Sept. 15, 17, 22, 24, 26 and 30only). Irvin is equally at home in dramatic and comic roles, showing both sides in Atlanta, as Lt. Horstmayer in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, a role that he has sung across the country, and more recently as the Pirate King in 2022’s production of The Pirates of Penzance.  He regularly performs with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Minnesota Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Sarasota Opera, Utah Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera.

Sharing the role of Jack Torrance, baritone Thomas Glass reprises the role he first sang in the Minnesota Opera’s 2021 remounting of The Shining(Sept. 16, 20, 23, 28 and Oct. 1 only). The Grand Prize winner of the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Glass is an alum of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. Highlights of recent seasons include house and role debuts at The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Berkshire Opera Festival, Atlanta Opera and Arizona Opera. 

Kearstin Piper Brown will make her The Atlanta Opera debut in the role of Wendy Torrance, a role she recently performed to rave reviews at San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle (Sept. 15, 17, 22, 24, 26 and 30 only). Her upcoming season features a number of highlights, including her PBS Great Performances debut in Nottage’s Intimate Apparel opera at the Lincoln Center Theater, a debut with Santa Fe Opera in the world premiere of This Little Light of Mine and a debut at Carnegie Hall singing the music of J.S. Bach and Margaret Bonds with the Cecilia Chorus of New York.  

Kelly Kaduce will share the role of Wendy Torrance, a role she created for the 2016 world premiere at Minnesota Opera (Sept. 16, 20, 23, 28 and Oct. 1 only). Known for her portrayal of Puccini heroines, Kaduce stunned Atlanta audiences with her performance of Liù in 2017’s Turandot. She returned in 2021 to show off her comedic chops, delivering a lively performance as Polly in Threepenny Opera. 

Sharing the role of Dick Hallorann, the telepathic head chef at the Overlook Hotel, are Kevin Deas and Aubrey Allicock. Deas, making his Atlanta Opera debut, is best known for his signature portrayal of the title role in Porgy & Bess, having performed it across the nation. Other recent highlights include performances of Mozart’s Requiem with the Florida Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the National Cathedral, Boston Baroque, and the New York Philharmonic. He has previously performed Dick Hallorann with Opera Colorado. 

Hailed by The New York Times for his “sturdy”, “dynamic”, and “excellent” bass-baritone, Allicock makes his Atlanta Opera debut reprising the role of Dick Hallorann, a role he first performed with Lyric Opera of Kansas City.  A Grammy nominee for his participation in John Adams’s Doctor Atomic as General Groves, recent performances include Bernstein Songfest in Carnegie Hall conducted by Marin Alsop; a debut with Opéra de Montréal in Champion; and, a reprise in the title role of Le nozzze di Figaro with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

About The Atlanta Opera

The Atlanta Opera’s mission is to be the major international opera company that Atlanta deserves, while reimagining what opera can be. Founded in 1979, the company works with world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers who seek to enhance the art form. Under the leadership of internationally recognized stage director and Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun, The Atlanta Opera expanded from three to four mainstage productions at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and launched the acclaimed “Discoveries” event series and the innovative 96-Hour Opera Project. In recent years, the company has been named among the “Best of 2015” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has been nominated for a 2016 International Opera Award, and won ArtsATL’s 2019 Luminary Award for Community Engagement in recognition of its successful Veterans Program in partnership with the Home Depot Foundation. In addition, The Atlanta Opera was featured in a 2018 Harvard Business School case study about successful organizational growth, and Zvulun presented a TEDx Talk at Emory University titled “The Ambidextrous Opera Company, or Opera in the Age of iPhones.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Atlanta Opera was one of the only companies in the world to create a full, alternative season, consisting of no less than 40 live performances in two different outdoor venues, including a revolutionary custom-designed circus tent. The fundraising goal was tripled, and four new productions were created, each of which employed 150 cast and crew members and staff. The critically acclaimed productions and concerts were streamed in HD in the newly created streaming platform “Atlanta Opera Film Studio,” allowing The Atlanta Opera to reach a global audience. National media coverage of the “pandemic season” included features in the Wall Street Journal and PBS NewsHour. 

For more information, visit atlantaopera.org.