Interview: Artistic Director Jenna Tamisiea Elser Opens Up About Glow Lyric Theatre's 2022 SUMMER FESTIVAL SEASON
A bold new opera and a Broadway favorite highlight this years Festival Season, running July 15-31 at the Kroc Center
By: Neil Shurley Jul. 11, 2022
Dynamic. Passionate. Timeless.
Powerful. Moving. Provocative.
Charming. Elegant. Poignant.
The three shows in Glow Lyric Theatre's 2022 Summer Festival cover a full range of emotions.
Known for their innovative and socially conscious season pairings, Glow has this year chosen three bold, relevant and provocative productions: a Tony Award winning rock musical by the incomparable Elton John, the southern premiere of a brand new opera confronting South Carolina's history of racial injustice, and an uplifting and thoughtful musical revue from Broadway's Golden Age. This season will return to full capacity attendance with live indoor performances at the Fred Collins Performing Arts Theatre in Greenville's Kroc Center.
BWW asked Glow Artistic Director Jenna Tamisiea Elser - and a couple of the shows' directors - to tell us more.
How did you choose this season's overall focus? And how do these shows fit that theme?
This season's focus was very much dictated by the opera, STINNEY: AN AMERICAN EXECUTION. We have been planning to produce it since 2018. The opera focuses on restorative truth telling and confronting South Carolina's history of racial injustice. We knew that the themes in AIDA could expand that globally, as it is a historical legend that focuses on warring nations. CLASSIC BROADWAY was also a response to STINNEY, in that we are examining the ways in which we can reclaim and reimagine the historical songs from the Golden Age of musical theatre to reflect our world today. So in essence, this season is really focusing on acknowledging history and learning from it so that we can heal and create positive change in our present world.
Tell us a little about each show.
The first production of the Summer Festival Season to open is Elton John and Tim Rice's five time Tony award winning Rock Musical, AIDA on July 15. An allegory for modern race relations, the production follows Aida, an enslaved Nubian princess, who finds her heart entangled with Radames, an Egyptian soldier. It stars local legends DeAna Earl, Javy Pagan, and Jonathan Kilpatrick, along with L'Oréal Roaché in the title role, and Jason Rodriguez as Radames.
Opening July 22 is the southern premiere of the new opera STINNEY: AN AMERICAN EXECUTION. The opera, composed by Furman University alum Frances Pollock, is based on the life of the 14-year-old African-American boy, George Stinney Jr, who was wrongly convicted and executed in 1944 for the rape and murder of two white girls in Alcolu, South Carolina. It stars local youth actor Gavin Rector as George Stinney Jr, and Shanelle Woods and Khary Wilson as Alma Stinney and George Stinney Sr.
Finally, we are serving up a musical revue with a poignant twist - CLASSIC BROADWAY: SONGS FROM MUSICAL THEATRE'S GOLDEN AGE, opening on July 27. Not only does this performance feature timeless songs that have shaped all of our lives, but it also explores the significant themes of social justice present in productions of the time. It contains an ensemble of 14 singers, dazzling costumes and tap dancing!
Despite having a solid Broadway run and national tour in the early 2000's, I don't know that AIDA has really entered the broad cultural consciousness. What are folks missing by not knowing this show?
Justin Hall, Director of AIDA: They are missing a story that is timeless-one that is just as strong today as it was when Verdi wrote the opera upon which it is based. Politics, war, and the strength of forbidden love conquering all is a story that transcends. When you add the heart, the pageantry of the costumes and the sweeping score that Elton John has written, one that spans so many types of genres, it is a recipe for a good evening of theatre that leaves you thinking and inspired, and believing in the strength of love.
Jenna: When we choose to produce AIDA, we didn't know that Ukraine would be in war with Russia. They are neighboring countries just like Egypt and Nubia, so this story hits in a more relevant way today.
What are the challenges of staging a new opera like STINNEY? What would you compare it to - musically and dramatically?
Jenise Cook, Co-Director of STINNEY: For me, the biggest challenge is that there is no reference from productions before. We are making choices as we go-trying to have reverence for the historical facts of the story while incorporating creativity, including a lot of movement/choreography, which typically operas don't have.
Jenna: I feel a great sense of responsibility and pressure in doing justice to this story. This opera is Glow's mission brought to life - our mission of responding to the social and political climate of South Carolina. This is a true story that happened here, where we live. It often gets buried in our state history, but it's vital that we learn from what happened to Stinney and his family, his community. I'm not sure this opera could be compared to anything - it is so unique, not only in its score, which features electronic music techniques, gospel and spoken dialogue, but also in the storytelling. It focuses on the children affected by this tragedy - the two girls who were murdered, and George Stinney Jr, who was executed. The girls come back as ghosts, and some of the opera is surrealist - asking the audience to see the world through the eyes of the children.
I feel like CLASSIC BROADWAY falls under the category of Glow shows that are truly shaped in rehearsal, almost created in partnership with the performers. What can you tell us about that process?
The process for CLASSIC BROADWAY has definitely felt like a devised project. We've had lots of discussion with the actors about what they want to say with the show, and this has led to some imaginative visions of what these famous, beloved songs can mean to a contemporary audience. There is a medley that uses golden age torch songs to explore womanhood in America, and another grouping of songs touching on the racial stereotypes inherent in some of the productions of the time. Most of the actors chose the songs they are singing themselves, they are creating dance numbers themselves, suggesting the props and costume pieces they want, and I am simply there to guide. It's going to turn out to be a nice mix of songs that people love, sung from the unique perspectives of our diverse cast.
Tell us a little about the space, and what folks can expect from seeing a show there.
The Kroc Center is a hidden gem in Greenville, truly! Many don't know that this recreational facility houses the Fred Collins Performing Arts Stage, a beautiful state of the art performance facility in the heart of Downtown Greenville. Also, it has FREE PARKING!
How does it feel to be once again putting together a full festival season?
It's exhilarating. It's been emotional. We weren't sure if we would be able to do a season of this breadth again after Covid hit, so each day is one I cherish. This is one of the most incredible groups of artists we have assembled, and probably one of the most important seasons we've produced in Glow's history. A lot of the success of Glow in the future depends on this season. We are counting on our supporters and audience members to attend this summer!
What else would you like to share about the season?
Every summer, we seek ways to ask our audiences to go beyond a great night at the theatre and think about how they can effect positive change in their community after they see productions that inspire them. A portion of the box office proceeds of STINNEY will be donated to the living relatives of George Stinney, Jr. We also want to mention our partners, Community Remembrance Project of Greenville County, and the important work they do to memorialize victims of racial violence and tell the truth about our state's history of racial injustice. A free community panel talk back will take place at 11am on July 30th featuring the composer Frances Pollack, representatives from the Community Remembrance Project and South Carolina for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Mr. George Frierson, who led the 2014 effort with the surviving members of George Stinney's family to have him posthumously exonerated, and Southern American Studies scholar (and former Vice-Mayor of Charlottesville, VA), Dr. Kendra Hamilton. This panel is supported with a grant from South Carolina Humanities.
AIDA
Dynamic. Passionate. Timeless.
July 15, 16, 23, 29 & 30 at 7:00pm • July 17 & 23 at 2:00pm
Stinney: An American Execution
Powerful. Moving. Provocative.
July 22 & 27 at 7:00pm • July 24 & 31 at 2:00pm
Classic Broadway: Songs from Musical Theatre's Golden Age
Charming. Elegant. Poignant.
July 28 & 31 at 7:00pm • July 30 at 2:00pm
All performances take place at the Kroc Center, Fred Collins Performing Arts Theater.
424 Westfield St, Greenville, SC 29601.
Parking is free!
Prices: $38-$48
Purchase tickets by phone: 864-558-4569 or online at https://glowlyric.com/summer-festival-season/
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