ORDER IN THE COURT! FWOPERA’S 2014 FRONTIERS SHOWCASE WINNER BRINGS DRAMATIC, FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF LOVE, DEATH AND JUSTICE TO THE STAGE.

MATTHEW PETERSON Composer

JASON ZENCKA Librettist

The operatic action continues across the street from Bass Hall at McDavid Studio, with the 2017 Opera Unbound production of Voir Dire. Written by composer Matthew Peterson and librettist Jason Zencka, this explosive opera was selected as a winner of the 2014 FWOpera Frontiers showcase, and returns to the Festival stage this season for its world premiere. Adapted from various court cases witnessed by the librettist during his time as a crime reporter, the opera takes place in a courtroom and plays out in a series of colorful vignettes that give audiences an insider’s look into the fascinating, hilarious and often insanely bizarre world of legal drama.

The small ensemble cast features Nate Mattingly (Hamlet, Frontiers) and the Hattie Mae Lesley Apprentice Artists, Anna Laurenzo (Buried Alive | Embedded, Frontiers), Trevor Martin (The Barber of Seville, Frontiers), Christina Pecce, and Andrew Surrena. Co-produced with Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee, Voir Dire will be directed by FWOpera favorite David Gately (La Traviata, The Barber of Seville) and conducted by Viswa Subbaraman in his FWOpera debut.