All-Female Team Leads Lyric Theatre’s Production Of ‘Lucretia’
The Lyric Theatre at Illinois production of "The Rape of Lucretia" opens Thursday evening at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. Darrell Hoemann/Lyric Theatre at Illinois
Lyric Theatre at Illinois’ production of the Benjamin Britten opera “The Rape of Lucretia” opens Thursday at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana.
It tells the story of a woman who becomes a pawn in a power struggle between men in ancient Rome and pays the ultimate price.
Illinois Public Media’s Brian Moline spoke with two members of the all-female production team, conductor Julie Gunn and director Kirsten Pullen about this beautiful and heartbreaking opera. Pullen said it’s the first time she’s ever directed an opera.
"This is my first opera, and I did not imagine doing it," Pullen said. "Julie (Gunn) asked me, and I was actually gobsmacked. We were having a whole conversation about wanting to have an all-woman team, and wanting to do this in a particular way, and then she said, 'you know, somebody like you.'"
Pullen is the department head for Illinois Theatre, and Gunn is the co-director of the Lyric Theatre program.
"The Rape of Lucretia" opens tonight in the Tryon Festival Theater at Krannert Center. Details on tickets and showtimes are available at the Krannert Center website.
Links
- Lyric Theatre Performing ‘La Boheme’ At Krannert Center
- Lyric Theatre To Perform ‘Putnam County’ At Allerton Music Barn Festival
- Nathan Gunn Directs, Sings Lyric Theatre’s ‘Don Giovanni’
- Lyric Theatre Presents ‘Hansel and Gretel’ At Krannert Center
- Lyric Theatre Previews ‘The Light In The Piazza’
- Lyric Theatre’s ‘Viva Verdi’ Opens Thursday At Krannert Center