Chicago–Third Eye Theatre Ensemble celebrates their fifth season with Paula M. Kimper’s Patience & Sarah: A Pioneering Love Story at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, October 5th-October 21st. Set in Connecticut in the winter of 1816, the opera tells the powerful story of two young women who meet, fall in love, and resolve to devote their lives to each other.
Patience White—an artist, and Sarah Dowling—a farmer’s daughter, share a mutual dream of leaving behind their repressive lives to go pioneering together, defying their families’ attempts to prevent it. The libretto by Wende Persons is based on the 1969 novel by Isabel Miller, which was inspired by the true story of two 19th-century women, the painter Mary Ann Willson and her companion Florence Brundage. The opera is celebrating its 20 year anniversary and its creators believe it is the first opera to portray an openly romantic relationship between two self-affirming women.
Music direction is by Jason Carlson and staging direction is by Jennifer Cox. Design staff includes Jimmy Jagos (set), Sarah Collonge (lighting), Jeff Award Winner Beth Laske-Miller (costumes), and Shelby Krarup (stage management). The opera will be performed with a 7-piece chamber ensemble, conducted by Alex Enyart.
The cast includes Rena Ahmed* (Martha), Angela Born* (Patience), Tracey Furling (Rachel), Noah Gartner* (Parson Peel), Liana Gineitis (Sarah), Stephen Hobe (Parson Peel), Dennis Kalup (Edward), Jenna Schroer (Sarah), Diana Stoic (Patience), Kota Terrace (Pa Dowling), and Evita Trembley (Ma Dowling).
As part of Third Eye’s mission to advocate for human rights and social justice, Third Eye is partnering with the Chicago Women’s Health Center. CHWC’s mission is to facilitate the empowerment of women and trans people by providing access to health care and health education in a respectful environment where people pay what they can afford. For every ticket purchased, Third Eye will donate $1 to this organization.
Tickets can be purchased at www.thirdeyete.com. General admission tickets are $30 and student tickets are $20 with a student id. For press inquiries or reservations, email Rena Ahmed at [email protected].
*indicates ensemble member
About Third Eye Theatre Ensemble: Third Eye Theatre Ensemble presents quality productions of new or seldom performed operatic works that inspire conversation while advocating for human rights and social justice.
Third Eye strives to captivate audiences through intimate, black box interpretations that spur the imagination and create conversations that last long after the performance. They firmly believe in their tag line: See. Imagine. Converse.
Third Eye was deemed the debut company of 2014 by Chicago Classical Review, and made Newcity’s list of Top 5 operas for 2014, 2015, and 2016. Third Eye was recently nominated for the inaugural ALTA (The Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists) awards in the “Outstanding Production – Musical” category for their 2017 production of With Blood, With Ink.
Third Eye’s fifth season is supported in part by the MacArthur/Driehaus Foundations, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
For more information visit www.thirdeyete.com.
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