Production Promises Celebration of Sisterhood, Family and Homecoming for Audiences, Company and Cast
(Fort Worth, Texas) – This month, Fort Worth Opera welcomes audiences to a heartwarming season-opening production: Mark Adamo’s operatic adaptation of beloved literary classic, Little Women. Performances will be held on November 22 and 24 — less than a week before Thanksgiving — at the W. E. Scott Theatre in the Fort Worth Cultural District.
“Louisa May Alcott’s timeless story of the March sisters has been a fixture in American literature for over 150 years,” said Fort Worth Opera General & Artistic Director Angela Turner Wilson. “Mark Adamo’s exquisite contemporary opera adaptation provides a rich new version of that story, breathing exciting life into the resonant themes of family, sisterhood, growing up, and coming home.”
Last performed by Fort Worth Opera in 2005, Little Women makes its 2024 Fort Worth homecoming as a fully staged mainstage production, with direction by Claire Choquette and chamber orchestra accompaniment by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Tyson Deaton. Mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra — who arrives in Fort Worth fresh from her Metropolitan Opera debut in Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang’s Ainadamar — leads the talented young cast in the role of Jo March. Her portrayal of Jo is complemented by Bridget Cappel (mezzo-soprano) as Meg, Mary Feminear (soprano) as Beth, and Megan Koch (lyric coloratura soprano) as Amy.
Several members of the cast mark homecomings of their own with this production as they previously performed as Fort Worth Opera Resident Artists (RAs) and Studio Artists. Two are also celebrating a love story: Cappel and baritone Erik Earl Larson met, fell in love, and married as Fort Worth Opera RAs. They will be falling in love and getting married all over again onstage as the opera’s Meg March and John Brooke.
This production also represents a homecoming for star-on-the-rise stage director Claire Choquette, who was born in New Orleans, grew up in Oklahoma City and now lives in Dallas.
“I know that I am fortunate to travel for work, see fabulous cities and meet wonderful people,” said Choquette. “But I am so thrilled to have this chance to work at home. It’s such a joy to do what I love, where I love, with the people I love — and especially, for the people I love.”
Choquette, winner of the Opera America Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize in 2022, explained her fascination with Little Women, and how the production will align with her dedication to crafting opera performances that are accessible and intriguing to a wide variety of modern audiences.
“When people think of Little Women, it feels very nostalgic,” Choquette explained. “It's a book that many of us read when we were younger and just starting to dive into the classics. But it's also an important piece of literature with a relatable story about the value of family connections and growing up together. In modern American society, individuality is often more heavily valued than family ties. We're encouraged to leave our family homes and pursue our dreams alone, while rarely being reminded that it's okay to prioritize family, whether chosen or biological, and keep them close to your heart.”
To suggest those varieties of families onstage, Choquette has made the unique decision to change an offstage chorus of voices from previous productions into a fully staged chorus of modern young women: four undergraduate performers from Texas Christian University’s Opera Studio program. The parallel presence of these modern girls as chosen family will underscore the relevance of the opera’s themes of sisterhood, family, and emerging maturity.
The W. E. Scott Theatre itself provides one final, bittersweet element to the production’s theme of homecoming. Fort Worth Opera has a long history of performing American works at the Scott, as well as supporting the development of new opera talent on its stage, through the McCammon Competition (coming back to Fort Worth in 2025!) As the arts complex is slated for imminent closure and potential redevelopment, Little Women may be the last production to occupy the Scott Theatre in its current state.
“We’re honored to be the ones saying goodbye to this wonderful space,” said Turner Wilson. “Little Women will be a fitting tribute to the theater, one that celebrates our history while looking forward to our future.”
For audience members who love opera, and their family members who love Little Women, this production offers the perfect opportunity to experience a classic in a uniquely modern format.
“Mark Adamo’s score is operatic, and also daringly contemporary,” Turner Wilson explained. “But it’s still Little Women. You know the characters and you know that it’s going to be a joy to spend time with them. With this modern American opera version, you and your family will get to experience the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in a unique and sophisticated way. We hope that you’ll join us!”
To learn more about Little Women or to browse and purchase single tickets or season ticket packages for the 2024-25 season — which includes The Elixir of Love with the Hattie Mae Leslie Resident Artists in January 2025, the biennial McCammon Voice Competition in March 2025, and the dazzling mainstage production of La Cenerentola (Cinderella) at Bass Hall in April, 2025 — please visit the Fort Worth Opera website at fwopera.org.
The Fort Worth Opera production of Little Women takes the stage on Friday, November 22 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 24 at 2:00 pm at the W. E. Scott Theatre, 1300 Gendy Street, Fort Worth. The production is in English with English supertitles. The performance will run for two hours, with one 20-minute intermission.
Claire Choquette directs with Tyson Deaton conducting members of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. The vocal cast includes Kelly Guerra (mezzo-soprano) as Jo March; Bridget Cappel (mezzo-soprano) as Meg March; Mary Feminear (soprano) as Beth March; Megan Koch (lyric coloratura soprano) as Amy March; Charles Calotta (tenor) as Laurie; Erik Earl Larson (baritone) as John Brooke; Christopher Curcuruto (bass-baritone) as Friedrich Bhaer; Seth-Emmanuel Clarke (bass-baritone) as Gideon March; Kaswanna Kanyinda (mezzo-soprano) as Cecilia March; and Twyla Robinson (mezzo-soprano) as Alma March.
ABOUT FORT WORTH OPERA
Founded in 1946 by three visionary women — Eloise MacDonald Snyder, Betty Berry Spain, and Jeanne Axtell Walker — Fort Worth Opera is the oldest opera company in Texas, and one of the oldest opera companies in the United States. The organization has received local and national attention from critics and audiences alike for its artistic excellence, pioneering spirit, and long history of community-based cultural engagement. In addition to producing traditional repertoire with rising stars and inspirational young talents, the company is known throughout the operatic world as a champion of new American works.
With a dedication to the community both on and beyond the operatic stage, Fort Worth Opera boasts a highly successful opera education program, consisting of the Hattie Mae Lesley Resident Artist program and the Children’s Opera Theatre, which brings opera to nearly 40,000 school children each year across the state of Texas.
Fort Worth Opera is committed to producing opera of the highest possible artistic quality and integrity; to identifying and training talented young singers; to serving as a crucible for creating new American operas; to joining forces with other arts organizations in significant collaborations; and to enriching the community by stimulating cultural curiosity and creativity in people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
Visit fwopera.org for more information.
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