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The crime of the century. In song.

This fall, in a world premiere, Chicago Fringe Opera (CFO), in collaboration with /kor/ productions, presents “Hindsight”, an opera about the Leopold and Loeb murder that happened in Chicago. In the centennial year of the infamous “crime of the century”, this dark and terrifying work looks at what white supremacy, when unchecked, is capable of.

This riveting one-act work is by composer Felix Jarrar and librettist Bea Goodwin. (Goodwin’s “Fizz & Ginger” thrilled audiences at Chicago Fringe Opera last season.) A tenor and a baritone play Leopold and Loeb, along with an actor representing the boy murdered by the pair. A clarinetist and pianist deliver a score by Jarrar that is both expansive and descriptive.

Hindsight contains themes and depictions of simulated sexual content, violence towards a minor, sexual assault, white supremacy, and psychological manipulation.

View our digital program with this link.

 

Post-show conversations

Join the conversation on the following dates for a brief post-show discussion:

Saturday, November 2 – Author Erik Rebain of “The Leopold Project”

Friday, November 8 – “Hindsight” librettist Bea Goodwin

 

Chicago Dramatists

1105 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

(Enter on Aberdeen St)

This venue is fully ADA accessible.

 

Event Transportation

CTA El: Chicago Blue Line

CTA Bus: 66 Chicago Avenue bus

Divvy Bike

Limited metered street parking available on Ogden Avenue, just east of the venue

Cast

Leopold

Reuben L. Lillie

Reuben L. Lillie

Leopold

Known for his “virile sound” and “reliable technique” (Opera News), Reuben L. Lillie’s stage appearances include DuPage Opera Theatre’s The Merry Widow (Kromov), Chicago Summer Opera’s Le comte Ory (Raimbaud), Des Moines Metro Opera’s Galileo Galilei (Salviati), Vero Beach Opera’s Die Fledermaus (Frank), Sugar Creek Opera’s The Magic Flute (Papageno), and the Santa Fe Opera’s world premiere of Oscar (Jury Foreman).

In concert, Reuben has sung with various chamber music groups including Fourth Coast Ensemble, Gaudete Brass Quintet, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Reuben is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University (where he now serves as an adjunct professor), the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and McCormick Theological Seminary.

Reuben performed the Chicago premiere for the orchestrated version of Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel at Orchestra Hall, receiving subsequent broadcasts on WFMT. He has also been a Central Region Finalist to the Metropolitan Opera National Council.

Loeb

Lucas Bouk

Lucas Bouk

Loeb

Featured in the The New York Times, Classical Singer, and in the New Yorker’s talk of the town, American baritone Lucas Bouk is a renowned singer-actor. Whether taking the lead as Don Giovanni or bringing to life a supporting role, Bouk captivates audiences. “A performance to remember,” raved OperaWire.

Bouk begins 2023 singing his first title role as a baritone: Don Giovanni with Ouroboros Opera in March. He returns to Teatro Grattacielo & Camerata Bardi to reprise the role in June. In May he sings Baron in La Traviata with City Lyric Opera. Other engagements include Hannah-Younger in As One with Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera, a role he performed in 2022 with Opera Steamboat and Lyric Opera of the North. In August Lucas joins Opera Queens in Montreal for several cabaret-style performances celebrating queer artists as Marc-Antoine in Massenet’s Cleopatre.

Lucas decided to begin his physical and vocal transition with testosterone during the COVID pandemic. His voice changed in March 2021 and he has been retraining with teachers Katherine Ciesinski and Michael Chioldi. 

Lucas made his official baritone debut with On Site Opera in August 2021, when his new instrument was only 5 months old. During 2022 Lucas sang Masetto and Leporello in Don Giovanni, covered and performed in concerts at Carnegie Hall, created new roles with The American Opera Project / NYU Tisch Opera Lab, headlined with ChamberQUEER’s Pride Festival at National Sawdust and prepared roles from the traditional canon including Schaunard in La Boheme, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte.

Prior to 2020, Lucas performed as a mezzo-soprano. In the 2019 season he made his Lincoln Center debut with New York City Opera as Sarah in the World Premiere of Stonewall and performed Hannah-after in As One with Alamo City Opera and again at Alchemical Studios in NYC. He is the first artist to have sung both the mezzo and baritone roles in As One, a popular American chamber opera.

Lucas’ previous instrument was described as a “silky mezzo” (New York Times), a “shimmering alto” (Observer), and an “impressive firmly-grounded contralto” (Opera News) He has preformed with many companies including Syracuse Opera, New York City Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Pittsburgh Opera Theater, Anonymous Ensemble, The Curiosity Cabinet, The Center for Contemporary Opera, and The Society for New Music. Lucas holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and The University of Cincinnati, CCM in vocal performance.

Lucas is a proud transgender man and is incredibly happy to be singing again: with his new and authentic voice.

Bobby Franks

Austin Farms

Austin Farms

Bobby Franks

Austin is a multi-talented individual with experience in various music genres such as classical, musical theatre, gospel, and more. Austin is from Warner Robins, Georgia where his grandmother taught him how to sing and play the piano, which ignited his love for music at an early age. He further expanded his musical knowledge by learning to play the violin, upright bass, clarinet, and other instruments. Austin studied Music Education at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and later relocated to Chicago, IL. Some of his notable roles include Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine in Next to Normal, John Patton Jr. and more. In his free time, Austin enjoys cooking, crafting, and helping others. His favorite life advice is to “Be yourself because everyone else is taken.” Austin is thrilled to perform with the Chicago Fringe Opera.

Piano/Mr. Franks

Imogen Smith

Imogen Smith

Piano/Mr. Franks

Imogen Smith has worked professionally as an accompanist since 2012, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, on both piano and harpsichord. As a dance accompanist, they have worked with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Cornish Preparatory Dance, Joffrey Academy of Dance, Ruth Page, and Tacoma City Ballet.

Outside of dance, Imogen has worked extensively as an accompanist for Opera and Musical Theatre. From 2013-2018 they worked with Seattle Opera, playing for various community performances and touring productions of “Our Earth”, “Cinderella en España”, and “The Three Feathers”; and was the classical voice department accompanist/coach at Cornish College of the Arts for six years before moving to Chicago. They have also played for multiple theatre productions with Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, CAST Productions, and Village Theatre KIDStage.

Making use of their training in improvisation beyond ballet, Imogene studied harpsichord with Byron Schenkmann in Seattle. As a harpsichordist, they have played continuo for numerous chamber music performances, workshops, and vocal performances, and helped premier new works for historical instruments by Seattle-based composers with Ensemble Audax.

Clarinet/Paperboy

Theresa Lams

Theresa Lams

Clarinet/Paperboy

Theresa is an active performer and educator in the Chicago area. She plays woodwinds and sings with various jazz, classical and rock groups, and performs extensively in musical theater pit orchestras. A state certified music teacher, she’s taught a wide array of musical subjects, pre-K through community college. She currently teaches privately through District 214, Music Source and independent students, as well as presenting area master classes, guiding sectionals, and judging IMEA and other music festivals. Honors include National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teachers and Who’s Who Among American Teachers and Educators. Her bachelor’s degree was from Western Michigan University in both music performance and education and her master’s degree was from Indiana University, Bloomington, in music performance, jazz cognate. Recent albums: Badass Gumbo’s Wages of Sin, and Elizabeth Rudolph’s Reflected Reverberations.

Covers

Leopold
Brian Pember

Brian Pember

Leopold

Brian Pember is an alumnus of Westminster Choir College (‘17) where they studied with Charles Walker. They most recently appeared onstage with Thompson Street Opera Company in their production of Forever (Wristband). Other recent credits include 4Chairs Theatre’s Sondheim Tribute Revue, Bellissima Opera’s Outside the Ring (Goebbels), NEIU’s Duchess of Gerolstein (Fritz), Evanston Chamber Opera’s The Chalet (Daniel), Chicago Opera Theater’s The Nose (1st Dandy) and The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (Cryptanalyst), and TSOC’s We’ve Got Our Eye on You (Greek Chorus), Michigan Trees (Mother of Trees), and The Boy Who Wanted to be a Robot (Cleano). Look out for Brian next spring in Remedios Varios with Chicago Opera Theater.

Loeb
Vincent Dore

Vincent Dore

Loeb

Vincent Dore is a well-established musician, performer, and educator within the Chicagoland performing arts community. Known for his versatility and diligence, Mr. Dore has served the North-Western Indiana area in a variety of positions for nearly a decade. In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indiana Congress of Parents and Teachers, in recognition of his years of distinguished service in education. In addition to his work as a music educator and vocal coach, Mr. Dore has an extensive performing career as an operatic lyric baritone. He has professionally toured across Europe since 2012, performing in England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Italy, and many major cities across the US. He has performed as a guest soloist with a variety of Chicago choirs and has been a featured soloist with The Chicago Theater and The Rosemont Arena. Mr. Dore has dedicated much of his career to working with high-school-aged vocalists, helping them prepare for college auditions, amateur and professional roles, voice contests, and scholarship opportunities.

Artistic Team

Composer
Felix Jarrar

Felix Jarrar

Composer

Felix Jarrar is an innovative multidisciplinary conductor, composer, coach, and pianist, acclaimed for his “dreamlike” (Boston Globe) and “delightfully
cruel” (Operawire) music. With “(strong) dramatic instincts” (Lewis Spratlan,
2000 Pulitzer Prizewinner in Music), Jarrar’s compositions “flow from him in
the most natural and lively way” (Tom Cipullo). His impressive catalog
includes 275 works, featuring 235 art songs, 13 operas, 2 string quartets, and a
symphony.

His list of accomplishments includes performances at Symphony Space, (le)
poisson rouge, Feinstein’s/54 below, BAM! Fisher Hillman Studio, Roulette
Intermedium, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Notable commissions
have come from and been underwritten by the New England Repertory
Orchestra, University of Missouri Kansas City, Prismatic Arts Ensemble, Off the
Chamber, Spark Duo, Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the National
Endowment for the Arts.

Jarrar often writes his own texts and collaborates with stage director/librettist
Bea Goodwin. His song “Sun of the Sleepless” was featured on the 2024
GRAMMY-nominated album 40@40 by Laura Strickling and Daniel
Schlosberg. This season, his 6th opera Hindsight with a libretto by Bea
Goodwin has its premiere in Chicago in a co-production between Chicago
Fringe Opera and /kor/ productions, and his 8th opera The Oval Portrait
receives its Pacific Northwest premiere with New Wave Opera.

As an in-demand conductor, vocal collaborative pianist, répétiteur, and coach,
Jarrar has worked with numerous renowned organizations, including The
New School, Opera Naples, Opera North, University of Memphis, Opera Ithaca,
Penn Square Opera, Hogfish, OPERA San Antonio, Opera North, Santa Fe
Opera, and the Apollo Theater. His expertise spans Baroque and continuo to
contemporary operatic works and musical theater. In 2022, Jarrar debuted
The Jarrar and Brea Duo with acclaimed Venezuelan soprano Maria Brea. For
the 2024/2025 season, he serves as Assistant Conductor with Florida Grand
Opera for productions of Die Zauberflöte, L’elisir d’amore, and Carmen.
Jarrar holds a Bachelor of Arts from Marlboro College, where he graduated
with Highest Honors in Music Composition and Piano Performance. He
earned his Master of Music degree from Brooklyn College, receiving the
Graduate Dean’s Award in Music Composition. His teachers include Jason Eckardt, Stanley Charkey, Tania León, and Robert Merfeld. He was mentored by piano pedagogue Burton Hatheway.

Librettist
Bea Goodwin

Bea Goodwin

Librettist

Librettist / Stage Director Bea Goodwin fashions feminist adaptations, ghost stories and historical fictions for a new era of opera. Her work has been hailed as “relentlessly clever” and “masterfully spellbinding,” with premieres in traditional theatrical spaces such as BAM, La Mama Experimental Theatre, National Sawdust, as well as site specific immersive experiences at the International Museum of Surgical Science, the Mark Hotel penthouse suite and the historic Montauk Club. Goodwin sits as Director of Development of The Curiosity Cabinet, an interdisciplinary ensemble from Brooklyn.

Goodwin has written seven operas and numerous art songs. Fizz & Ginger (composer Whitney George), a commission from Fresh Squeezed Opera, had its premier in the speakeasy cellar of the New York Comedy Club, the former site of the Palm Casino in the 1920s. Princess Maleine (composer Whitney George), a commission from dell’Arte Opera Ensemble had its premier at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre in 2019. Tabula Rasa (composer Felix Jarrar), a commission from the Cantanti Project, premiered at The Blue Building in 2018. A Christmas Carol (composer Felix Jarrar), was commissioned by Gramercy Opera in 2017 and held at the historic Montauk Club, a building in Park Slope that was built during Dickens’ lifetime. Fairy Queen (collaboration with Maestro David Stech) was commissioned by Gramercy Opera, written for the gardens of the Mount Vernon museum in 2017. Goodwin’s first song cycle, Songs of the Soul Beams (composer Felix Jarrar), premiered at BAM Fisher in 2017 and then had a performance one year later at (le) Poisson Rouge.

She and composer Whitney George have written and produced three radio dramas, IN THE THROES OF DEATH which received the New Music USA Grant for future presentation. George created an ensemble of three masked players and one unmasked woodwind. These are available online on George’s Soundcloud.

Goodwin stages works from the canon as well. Her production of Salieri’s La Cifra with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in 2018 was the North American premier of the work and has the lone recording in existence. Along with Director of Artistic Sign Language Alexandria Wailes, they created a translation of Britten’s Rape of Lucretia that was premiered with New Camerata Opera in 2019 starring Broadway’s beloved deaf actress Amelia Hensley.

For more on this artist| beagoodwin.com , @asongfrombea . Represented by Spotlight Artists Management

Music Director
Catherine O'Shaughnessy

Catherine O'Shaughnessy

Music Director

Catherine O’Shaughnessy is a rising orchestral and opera conductor in the United States and abroad. Avidly committed to Chicago’s dynamic musical scene, she is currently the music director of Chicago Fringe Opera, the assistant conductor of Opera Festival of Chicago, and has appeared conducting productions at Chicago Opera Theater and DePaul University. In 2020, she helped produce Fringe’s contribution to the Decameron Opera Coalition’s Tales From a Safe Distance—winner of the “Best Collaboration” award from 360° of Opera. A semi-finalist in the 2016 Spazio Musica International Conducting Competition, Catherine made her New York debut conducting Antonio Salieri’s La Cifra with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble. She has also music directed Pyramus and Thisbe in Freiberg (Mittelsächsisches Theater) and conducted Don Giovanni and La Traviata in Orvieto (Teatro Mancinelli). In 2013 she conducted the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra at a sold-out performance in Tchaikovsky Hall.

Stage Director
Johanna Moffitt

Johanna Moffitt

Stage Director

American soprano, Johanna Moffitt, relocated from Western New York to Chicago where they have since been making a splash across the Chicago arts scene. They have performed all over the Windy City, making a name for themselves particularly in the repertoire of Puccini and Mozart where their “brilliant and silvery” voice especially shines.

As a producer, they have sought to bring accessible performances to non-traditional venues with 501(c)3 company /kor/ productions. They are proud to be part of the female run team at /kor/ productions to help bring innovative experiences to new audiences unlike anything they participated in before. As a stage director, Johanna has led and co-led several projects. Among their favorites are BOHEME 2.0, an innovative take on the Puccini classic in which the entire cast was spread across the continental United States. They worked hard to help the cast find ways to connect with the audience and each other across the world wide web, and were successful doing so, reaching over 3,000 audience members worldwide. As a Music Director, they’ve worked in several Chicago community projects. Among their favorites are leading the choir at the Vi at the Glen retirement community where the choir has performed to great success, studio nights at the Newport Theatre, and several one-woman shows Swipe Left and their own project, One-Woman SCHICCHI.

In their spare time, Johanna very much enjoys teaching in their private voice studio, performing as a storyteller, and hanging out with their adorable pups, George and Charlie.

Vocal Coach and Pianist
Imogen Smith

Imogen Smith

Vocal Coach and Pianist

Imogen Smith has worked professionally as an accompanist since 2012, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, on both piano and harpsichord. As a dance accompanist, they have worked with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Cornish Preparatory Dance, Joffrey Academy of Dance, Ruth Page, and Tacoma City Ballet.

Outside of dance, Imogen has worked extensively as an accompanist for Opera and Musical Theatre. From 2013-2018 they worked with Seattle Opera, playing for various community performances and touring productions of “Our Earth”, “Cinderella en España”, and “The Three Feathers”; and was the classical voice department accompanist/coach at Cornish College of the Arts for six years before moving to Chicago. They have also played for multiple theatre productions with Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, CAST Productions, and Village Theatre KIDStage.

Making use of their training in improvisation beyond ballet, Imogene studied harpsichord with Byron Schenkmann in Seattle. As a harpsichordist, they have played continuo for numerous chamber music performances, workshops, and vocal performances, and helped premier new works for historical instruments by Seattle-based composers with Ensemble Audax.

Costume Designer
Lia Wallfish

Lia Wallfish

Costume Designer

Lia Wallfish (She/Her/Hers) is a Chicago-based costume designer and visual artist. She was born in Israel and moved to the United States in 2015 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Theater at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Lia has worked professionally in costume design and costume departments in various fields, including theater, opera, dance, television, and film. Some of the notable productions she has worked on include La Traviata at The Metropolitan Opera, American Horror Story, and Macbeth at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She holds an MFA in Stage Design from Northwestern University. In her art, she challenges the conventions she experienced growing up in Israel and is dedicated to telling stories that inspire inclusion and healing.

Lighting Designer
Ellie Fey

Ellie Fey

Lighting Designer

Ellie (she/her) is a 23 year old Chicago based lighting designer and electrician. She graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University in 2023 with a BFA in lighting design. Ellie’s design credits include By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (The Artistic Home) The Cottage (Citadel Theatre), Fizz and Ginger (Chicago Fringe Opera), Prelude to a Kiss (Theater Above the Law), Sentinels (CPA Theatricals), and Witch (The Artistic Home), for which she received a Non-Equity Jeff Award nomination. In the coming months, she will be designing Lobby Hero at Shattered Globe Theater, and Tell Me on a Sunday at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater.

Executive Producer
Emily Cox

Emily Cox

Executive Producer

Emily Cox is a dynamic singer who has performed internationally in opera, orchestral works, cabaret and musical theater. Described as a ‘gifted singer with an endearing voice and deep connections with audiences’, her numerous roles include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, and Cinderella in Into the Woods. Other credits include Third Eye Ensemble, Chicago Summer Opera, the “”D:Activate”” concert series with DCASE, Chicago Folks Operetta, and Classical Revolution. This past February, Emily made her international soloist debut with Fourth Presbyterian’s Touring Choir, enchanting audiences across seven cities in India.  

An advocate for new music, Emily has been instrumental in premiering groundbreaking works nationwide. In 2019, Emily performed two roles in the world-premiere of Imogen, a new nonbinary opera by Elizabeth Rudolph. She then helped develop Curious Theatre Branch’s electronic opera, Open Wide, presented by DCASE and the Electro-Acoustic Theatre Symposium Festival. Since 2020, Emily has created six full-length albums of contemporary compositions under her production company, Cox Productions. Their newest album features the compositions of seven Midwestern composers and is slated for release this Spring 2024. Her next project, Written On the Table Where You Starved Me, received a 2023 Creators Grant from the Musicians Club of Women and will premiere this April with New Music Chicago.  

Known for her ‘not-to-be-missed comedic timing’, Emily’s cabaret, ‘Swipe Left’, was a part of the 2020 Chicago Cabaret Festival. Her newest show, “I Do, I Did, I’m DONE!’, was a Featured Performance of the 2023 Chicago Cabaret Week, hosted by DCASE, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Chicago Cabaret Professionals. This past November, Emily delighted audiences in New York City with a co-production of her work with Frigid Theatre and Theatre Workshop of New York. She closed a double-bill co-production of her works last month with Petite Productions.

Emily currently writes, performs and produces new works with her company, Cox Productions. She has served as Managing Director to /kor/ productions in Chicago since 2020, and looks forward to helping breathe life into new works for years to come.

Associate Producer
George Cederquist

George Cederquist

Associate Producer

George is the Producing Artistic Director of Chicago Fringe Opera, called “the city’s alt-opera company” by the Chicago Tribune. Recent directing credits for the company include LA JETEÉ and CORSAIR, as well as the company’s long-running hit show THE ROSINA PROJECT, a Hip-Hop adaptation of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE.
In addition, George has directed new productions and workshops of operas, musicals, and plays with Opera Festival of Chicago, Chicago Dramatists, the Chicago Sinfonietta, Pittsburgh Opera, the Bay View Music Festival and Chicago Folks Operetta.
An inspiring mentor, George is the Producing Artistic Director of Opera and Theatre at North Park University.

Now in its ninth season, George hosts OPERA BOX SCORE [America’s Talk Radio Show About Opera] on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago.

To learn more about George, visit gjcederquist.com. He proudly uses zero social media platforms.

Stage Manager
Jo Chalhoub

Jo Chalhoub

Stage Manager

Jo Chalhoub (They/Them) is a proud Lebanese-American, Queer, Milwaukee native that has lived and worked in the Chicago area since 2022. They hold a minor in Theatre Arts from UW-Milwaukee and have worked on- and off-stage on over 70 productions in Wisconsin and Chicago. Favorite stage management credits include Assassins (Four Seasons Theatre), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Music Theatre of Madison), and serving as the stage manager for The Shedd Aquarium. Jo also has significant arts administration experience, serving as co-deputy of Forward Theater’s Advisory Company and as the former Company Manager of Steppenwolf. Jo has considerable experience in fight/intimacy direction as well and is grateful to join CFO for the first time!

Supported by The CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture, the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Chicago Fringe Opera is an Opera America Partner.

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