In 2015, she founded Shakespeare Opera Theatre to combine her dual passions of opera and Shakespeare, but no one initially understood her vision. In the first year, some of her Shakespearean actors quit because they didn’t want to sing opera, while some of her opera singers quit because they didn’t want to act Shakespeare.
Nearly a decade later, her double dream has become a thriving reality at churches in Northern Virginia.
“I had been traveling the world singing opera, mostly the works of Verdi, but my original love was Shakespearean acting,” Managing Director Dr. Lori Lind told WTOP. “I realized that some of the great Shakespearean works had been set by opera composers and that just heightened the drama even more. … I settled down in this area and said, ‘Why not bring my loves together, love of Shakespearean, love of opera, into this culmination?'”
You can watch the company perform “Much Ado About Nothing” at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia from July 14-16, followed by Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, Virginia on July 22-23.
“We always want to make it accessible and enjoyable,” Lind said. “We’re very audience oriented. … When you talk about classical theater and classical music together, it really doesn’t sound like a good time to a lot of people, but we want to make it a good time! … It’s in the parish hall and we set it up like a cabaret, so you can sit at a table with your friends or by yourself, cruise-ship seating, then we have wonderful food from Baguette Republic [in Sterling].”
Several of the company’s past performers have gone on to great success elsewhere, most notably Clark Furlong, who currently appears in HBO’s “Euphoria,” ABC’s “The Rookie” and The CW’s “The Prodigal Son.”
“We call it The Dirty Dozen — we usually have 12 people,” Lind said. “They sometimes double up on roles, they all sing opera and they all act Shakespeare. They’re amazing performers from all over the U.S. and sometimes the world. Our Beatrice in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is originally from South Africa, we have several New York singers, there’s someone from Texas, there’s someone from the Midwest. It’s become really competitive.”
Published in 1623, Shakespeare’s play follows two romantic pairings in Messina, Italy. The first is Claudio and Hero, whose romance is ruined by salacious accusations of the villainous Don John. The second romance is between Claudio’s friend Benedick and Hero’s cousin Beatrice, who provide much of the play’s comic relief.
The operatic version, “Béatrice et Bénédict,” was written in 1862 by French composer Hector Berlioz, who “really nailed Shakespeare” and later wrote a symphony to “Romeo & Juliet” that is “considered a masterpiece.”
“Berlioz is one of the most revered French composers of all time,” Lind said. “He was restrained by the form of opéra comique at the time, which is sort of French operetta, so he had to leave out a lot of the dramatic elements, but the music is so gorgeous. … His harmonies are amazing. We have a trio with Ursula, Beatrice and Hero that is unbelievably phenomena, just one of the most beautiful pieces of music that you’ve ever heard in your life.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
