M’dea Undone

In front of a backdrop of metal scaffolding, a woman lies stiffly on the ground, her white dress covered in blood. A man in a grey suit kneels beside her, screaming in distress, while another man in a dark suit looks on from behind.

CAST: Peter Barrett, James McLean, Jacqueline Woodley | PHOTO CREDIT: Dahlia Katz

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OVERVIEW

Title: M’dea Undone
Composer: John Harris
Librettist: Marjorie Chan
Commissioned By:

Tapestry Opera

Language: English
Producer:

Tapestry Opera

Run Time:

Roles:

Role	Voice Type	Range ?	Character Description
M'dea	middle-high	C4-F#5	A woman from a land far away
Jason	middle-low	D3-F#4	M'dea's husband, holds the rank of Captain
President	middle-low	D3-Bb4	The President
Dahlia	high	B3-C6	The President's daughter
Chase	silent-spoken		M'dea and Jason's son
Citizen Chorus	high	SAATB	Citizens

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Orchestration: Tape, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

Scene Excerpt

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SYNOPSIS

Content warning: death, murder, suicide, xenophobia

Jason, an army captain and now war-hero, is returning home after years of war and an uncertain future. His interpreter and lover M’dea and their son Chase accompany him to a new life in the West. Jason begins a political career, working alongside the President and Dahlia, the President’s beautiful young daughter. Having betrayed her village to help him, M’dea rages as Jason distances his family from his new political life, taking Dahlia as his wife. When Dahlia is murdered in cold blood on the precipice of victory, M’dea’s struggle for survival and revenge begins a rapid spiral towards the opera’s searing, tragic finale. M’dea Undone is a passionate and daring interrogation of power, influence, and identity in the twenty-first century.

MUSIC DESCRIPTION

A contemporary take on Euripides' Medea that places the ancient Greek tragedy in a contemporary American setting. Throughout, the lead roles of M'dea and her husband Jason range in vocal quality from proud and patriotic, to passionate, to feeble and desperate. Underneath, a seven-part string ensemble supplies the accompaniment, alternating between constantly-sliding harmonies that provide an eerie, unsettled background texture, and moments of brief, sharply-articulated gestures that interject between vocal lines for dramatic effect.

SCORES FOR PURCHASE

Libretto:

M’dea Undone – Libretto

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Arias & Excerpts:

M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 10 (duet)

Dahlia's father encourages her to seduce Jason, and promises her she can have anything she wants.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
President	middle-low	D3-Eb4
Dahlia	high	C4-F5

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 6 (duet)

On the eve of their departure, M'dea and Chase play a gruesome game imagining ways to kill Dahlia the demoness.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Dahlia	high	B3-A5
M'dea	middle-high	Bb3-F#5

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M'dea Undone - Prologue

Character	Voice Type	Range ?

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 1

Jason, M'dea, and the soldiers return from war to a celebratory crowd. Some do not trust the new foreigner, M'dea.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
President	middle-low	A2-E4
Dahlia	high	Silent
M'dea	middle-high	F4-G5
Jason	middle-low	E3-A4
Soldiers	high	SATB
Citizens	high	SATB

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 2

At a party, the Corporal mocks Jason for needing M'dea to help him win and for bringing her home.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Jason	middle-low	D3-E4
M'dea	middle-high
Private	middle
Corporal	middle-low
Female Soldier	high
Girl Solider	high
Soldiers	high	SATB

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 3

M'dea and Jason commit to loving each other and helping each other recover from the war and memories that haunt them.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Jason	middle-low
M'dea	middle-high

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 4

Jason and M'dea are expecting a baby. Citizens gossip about the couple.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high
Jason	middle-low
Citizens	high	Chorus

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 5: President Calling

At the President's office, Jason and the President discuss family, how to be a good father, and a possible future for Jason in politics.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
President	middle-low
Jason	middle-low

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 6: The Beach

A family outing to the beach turns into a photo op for the paparazzi.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Jason	middle-low
M'dea	middle-high
Chase	high
Paparazzi	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 7: Revealed (aria)

In a dream state, M'dea recalls all she has done to survive.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 8 - A Dinner Party

The President invites Jason to be his running mate, and begins to remake him. This process sidelines M'dea and Chase. Dahlia and Jason are attracted to one other.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
President	middle-high
Dahlia	high
Jason	middle-low
M'dea	middle-high
Chase	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 10: Dahlia's Bedroom (duet)

Dahlia's father encourages her to seduce Jason, and promises her she can have anything she wants.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Dahlia	high	C4-F5
President	middle-low	D3-Eb4

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M'dea Undone - Act 1, Scene 11: The Ballroom

The party is about to announce Jason's candidacy. Jason and Dahlia dance together, oblivious to all the others. Enraged, M'dea smashes a glass wall, showering fragments over the party guests.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
President	middle-low
Jason	middle-low
M'dea	middle-high
Dahlia	high
Society Ladies & other important & famous people	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 1

Jason and Dahlia are getting married. The citizens gossip.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Jason	middle-low
Dahlia	high
Citizens	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 2: The President's Office

The President threatens M'dea with prison or the loss of her son if she doesn't do as he wants. He warns her not to cause trouble for Jason.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high
Corporal	middle-low
President	middle-low
Dahlia	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 3: Fountain

M'dea has a breakdown and brings Chase to the fountain at Jason and Dahlia's, where she sees the ghost of her mother. She is discovered by Jason and Dahlia, and a fight ensues.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high
M'dea's Mother	high
Chase	high
Jason	middle-low
Dahlia	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 4: Dahlia's Bedroom

Dahlia convinces Jason to send M'dea away.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Dahlia	high
Jason	middle-low

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 5

M'dea tries once more to get Jason to stay with her, but he believes he will never forget his war crimes if she is in his life. M'dea eventually agrees to go back to her country.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high
Jason	middle-low

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 6: The Game (duet)

On the eve of their departure, M'dea and Chase play a gruesome game imagining ways to kill Dahlia the demoness.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'Dea	middle-high	Bb3-F#5
Chase	high
Dahlia	high	B3-A5

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 7

The President gives an election victory speech.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
President	middle-high
Jason	middle-low
Dahlia	high
Citizens	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 8: Killing (aria)

Just before the wedding, Jason discovers Dahlia and the President murdered.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Jason	middle-low

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 9

The citizens gossip about the murder.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Citizens	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 10: Aftermath

After the murders, M'dea almost kills herself but is interrupted by Chase. They escape to the beach.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high
Chase	high

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M'dea Undone - Act 2, Scene 11: The Beach

Pursued by Jason and the guards, M'dea and Chase climb a cliff by the ocean. When they reach the top, they play a version of their make-believe game, and jump off.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
M'dea	middle-high
Chase	high
Jason	middle-low
Guards	high

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PREMIERE PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Premiere Production:

May 26-29, 2015 at Evergreen Brickworks Holcim Gallery, Toronto ON

Producers:

Tapestry Opera

Cast:

Role	Name
M'dea	Lauren Segal
Jason	Peter Barrett
Dahlia	Jacqueline Woodley
President	James McLean
Chase	Roux Elishka
Secret Service Agent 1	Chris Harvey
Secret Service Agent 2	Simon Mizera

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Premiere Production Team:

Role	Name
Director	Tim Albery
Music Director	Jordan de Souza
Set/Costume Design	Michelle Tracey
Lighting Designer	Jason Hand
Production Manager	Peter Eaton
Technical Director	Jordan Routcliff
Stage Manager	Isolde Pleasants-Faulkner
Assistant Stage Manager	Emilie Aubin
Assistant Conductor	Anastasia Tchernikova
Rehearsal Pianist	Timothy Cheung
Rehearsal Pianist	Gregory Millar

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CREATION

AWARDS

Nominated for Best New Musical/Opera (Marjorie Chan, John Harris) at the 2016 Dora Mavor Moore Awards

MEDIA

PRODUCTION PHOTOS

VIDEOS

Scene Excerpt

Scene 4 Excerpt

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