Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha:
a musical reimagining


Presented by Luminato and Volcano Theatre
Composer and libretto: Scott Joplin
Libretto adaptation: Leah-Simone Bowen
Co-Arranger/Orchestrator Jessie Montgomery
Co-Arranger/Orchestrator Jannina Norpoth
Stage Director Weyni Mengesha
Conductor Kalena Bovell

  • Neema Bickersteth, Andrea Baker, Kristin Renee Young, Nicholas Davis, Ashley Faatoalia, Cedric Berry, SATE, Marvin Lowe, JazFairyJ, Queen Hezumuryango, Jim Williams, Robert Ball, Ineza Mugisha, Tafari Anthony, Pulga Muchochoma, Khay, Charlotte Siegel

  • Composer Scott Joplin
    Story and Libretto Leah-Simone Bowen
    Co-Librettist Cheryl L. Davis
    Co-Arranger/Orchestrator Jessie Montgomery
    Co-Arranger/Orchestrator Jannina Norpoth
    Stage Director Weyni Mengesha
    Conductor Kalena Bovell
    Associate Conductor Rich Coburn
    Choreographer Esie Mensah
    Co-Designer and Original Set Concept Camellia Koo
    Set Co-Designer Rachel Forbes
    Co-Designer and Original Costume Concept Marci Rodgers
    Lighting Designer Kimberly Purtell
    Assistant Stage Director Michael Mohammed
    Choreographic Consultant Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
    Choreography Rehearsal Director Rose-Mary Harbans
    Dramaturge Deanna Downe

LUMINATO AND T.O. LIVE PRESENTED THE WORLD PREMIERE OF VOLCANO’S PRODUCTION OF SCOTT JOPLIN’S TREEMONISHA, A MUSICAL REIMAGINING

Produced in association with the Canadian Opera Company, Soulpepper & Moveable Beast.

 
 
 

treemonisha named one of the top ten pieces of classical work in the NY times 

READ HERE

“This work is about the things we were told separated us and how we internalized this separation. It is about the remnants of memory and trauma, love and joy, but most of all it is about Black women and their extraordinary ability to survive. It is a love letter to all of the people who came before, and to Joplin himself.””

- Playwright and Broadcaster, Leah-Simone Bowen

 

this production MARKED several historic milestones:

1) The first all-Black orchestra in Canadian opera history.*

2) One of the first all-Black orchestras in Canadian classical music history.*

3) The first Black woman conductor in Canadian opera history: globally acclaimed Panamanian-American Kalena Bovell.*

4) Award-winning, internationally acclaimed Canadian stage director Weyni Mengesha’s first opera.

5) The first fully-staged professional production of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha in Canadian history.*

6) The first time some of Canada’s most esteemed arts organizations – Luminato, TO Live, Canadian Opera Company, Soulpepper and Volcano – have worked together on a single project.

7) The first use in the GTA of a large-scale inclusive ticketing strategy, to ensure access and inclusion across many communities.

THE REVIEWS

 

“…director Weyni Mengesha’s landmark production proves the opera belongs among the seminal works of the modern era.”

Toronto Star

 

“Bowen, Norpoth and Montgomery, aided by stage director Weyni Mengesha, have set about inventing a story with a stronger spine to support the music, while retaining Joplin’s vision”

Washington Post

 

“Ravishingly reborn, Scott Joplin’s ‘Treemonisha’ triumphs at the Luminato Festival. Featuring a new libretto and a winning cast, this extraordinary production makes the case for the King of Ragtime’s long-forgotten opera”

Niagara Falls Review

“Treemonisha achieves sonic unity by bridging the old and the new”

“Director Weyni Mengesha treats the romance between Treemonisha and Zodzerick with care, with their physical placement”

The Globe and Mail

 

“The whole endeavor is brought together by director Weyni Mengesha. She has a vivid sense of image, picture and the world of the opera.”

Lynn, Slotkin Letter

 

“This re-imagining of this classic can be seen in the new arrangement and orchestration reflecting the duality of split identities: African and American. This dichotomy encourages audiences to reflect on the role and influence ancestors play in accepting the reality of living on new unfamiliar land.

This revolutionary retelling also sees a breadth of new scores adding to Joplin’s trailblazing and iconic stance which places a female leader at the helm of this American opera.”

Toronto Guardian

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