Chicago Opera Theater proudly presents the world premiere of She Who Dared by acclaimed composer/librettist duo Jasmine Arielle Barnes and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. Featuring an all-Black female cast, the compelling, richly melodic, new opera shines a spotlight on the women who challenged segregation before and alongside Rosa Parks. COT will collaborate with the popular Chicago-based Black chamber music collective D-Composed, which will serve as the orchestra for the production.
Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, but she wasn’t the first to refuse to move. She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the brave women who helped dismantle bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, leading to the landmark court case Browder v. Gayle. On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to relinquish her seat to a white passenger. In the months that followed, four other women—AureliaBrowder, Susie McDonald,
Mary Louise Smith, and Jeanetta Reese—were also arrested under similar circumstances.
Colvin, Browder, McDonald, and Smith ultimately became plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, the federal case that challenged the constitutionality of segregated public transportation and led to a Supreme Court ruling that declared it unlawful. In She Who Dared, these trailblazing women step into the spotlight alongside other pivotal figures in the movement, including Rosa Parks and JoAnn Robinson — each playing a crucial role in the fight for justice.
Barnes’ work has been described as “the best possible blend of Billie Holiday and Claude Debussy” by the Boston Globe. The highly melodic score for She Who Dared liberally references musical idioms of the time, including soul, gospel, and protest music. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, She Who Dared demonstrates how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare.
She Who Dared will feature COT debuts from sopranos Jasmine Habershamas Claudette Colvin, Jacqueline Echols as Rosa Parks/Ms. Nesbit/Prosecution Attorney, recent Ryan Opera Center graduate Lindsey Reynolds as Mary Louise Smith/Classmate, mezzo sopranos Chrystal E. Willams as Aurelia Browder, Deborah Nansteel as Jo Ann Robinson/Fred Gray, and Cierra Byrdas Jeanetta Reese/Classmate/Officer/Judge, alongside COT favorite, Chicago-based mezzo soprano Leah Dexter as Susie “Mama Sue” McDonald.
Conductor Michael Ellis Ingram and director Timothy Douglas make their COT debuts at the helm of the world premiere production.
She Who Dared runs from June 3 through June 8.
Take a look at the trailer: https://youtu.be/83ukjwMMp8g?si=YgcXOcQPEYR_j5yU.
Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Ave.
For ticket information, visit https://www.chicagooperatheater.org.
Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., is the Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Crusader. She is a National Newspaper Publishers Association Entertainment Writing’ award winner, contributor to “Rust Belt Chicago” and the author of “Old School Adventures from Englewood: South Side of Chicago.” For info, Old School Adventures from Englewood-South Side of Chicago (lulu.com)