Press Release: Dallas Opera Presents FLIGHT

Dallas – (2/XXX/2022) The Dallas Opera has secured the cabin and announced takeoff for Flight, the opera based on the real-life story that also inspired Steven Spielberg's The Terminal. The Dallas premiere of Jonathan Dove and April De Angelis' contemporary masterpiece opens at the Winspear Opera House on Friday, March 4, 2022, at 7:30pm, with subsequent performances on Sunday, March 6 (2pm), Wednesday, March 9 (7:30pm), and Saturday, March 12 (7:30pm).

"We are excited to present Flight to Dallas audiences for the first time," said Ian Derrer, TDO's Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO. "This production of Jonathan Dove's new classic is a charming snapshot of airport terminal life with its vivid characters, unusual predicaments, and surprising humanity."

Flight's world-renowned cast arrives at The Dallas Opera as local favorites and first-time visitors including John Holiday (Refugee, TDO debut), Abigail Rethwisch (Controller), Deanne Meek (Older Woman, TDO debut), Elena Villalón (Tina, TDO debut), Andrew Stenson (Bill), Will Liverman (Steward), Kristen Choi (Stewardess, TDO debut), Seth Carico (Minskman, TDO debut), Catherine Martin (Minskwoman, TDO debut), and Zachary James (Immigration Officer, TDO debut).

Music Director Emmanuel Villaume leads The Dallas Opera Orchestra in the score composed by Jonathan Dove, with libretto by April De Angelis. Kristine McIntyre returns to the production as director, R. Keith Brumley is set designer, Jonathan Knipscher is costume designer, Barry Steele is lighting and projection designer, and David Zimmerman is wig and makeup designer.

Synopsis

(Morning) The Controller watches the skies high above the terminal, while the Refugee watches and admires her from below. Travelers begin to arrive: a married couple, Bill and Tina, and an older Woman. The Steward and Stewardess steal moments away to continue their affair and the anxious and heavily pregnant wife of a diplomat recently assigned to Minsk refuses to board the plane with her husband. As the Immigration Officer makes his rounds, the Refugee asks the passengers for assistance, but they all ignore his cries. An electrical storm envelops the terminal, grounding all flights.

(That Night) While the storm continues to rage, the stranded passengers are at the mercy of their emotions. The Refugee tries to befriend each woman by giving them a “magic stone” that he claims will solve all their problems. Eventually everyone settles in to sleep. Sensing his opportunity to break out of his routine, Bill attempts an illicit affair with the Stewardess. Meanwhile, all the women realize that the Refugee has given them each a “magic stone.” Enraged, they attack him and when he falls to the floor unconscious, they hide his body in a trunk.

(Dawn) The storm has cleared, but the women are still reeling from the events of the previous night. Bill’s nocturnal adventures come to light and Tina knocks him unconscious. The Minskman returns for his wife just as she gives birth to their child. The Refugee awakens in the trunk. Bill awakens as an amnesiac and Tina finds a way for them to start over. The Immigration Officer arrives, and all of the travelers are moved to help the Refugee, but there is little they can do. The Refugee finally tells his tale, and the Immigration Officer decides to turn a blind eye and allow him to remain in the terminal. The travelers continue on their journeys.

Flight

Program book available here
Four performances: March 4 (7:30pm), 6 (2pm), 9 (7:30pm), 12 (7:30pm)
2 hours and 35 minutes, including two intermissions
Sung in English with English Supertitles
Location: Winspear Opera House (2403 Flora St., Dallas, TX)
Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online at dallasopera.org or by calling 214.443.1000 (Monday – Friday from 10am – 5pm)
$15 advance student tickets are available for the March 4, 6, 9, & 12 performances of Flight.
$15 student rush tickets are available at the Winspear Opera House 90 minutes prior to any Dallas Opera performance and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
We require one valid Student ID for every two tickets purchased.

TDO offers engaging and informative pre- and post-opera discussions:

Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talks are interactive 30-minute lectures one hour before the start of each opera held in Margaret McDermott Performance Hall. Admission is free with your ticket to a Dallas Opera performance. Hosted by Emmanuel Villaume, Music Director of The Dallas Opera
New! Post-Opera Talkbacks will immediately follow the Sunday matinee performances from the stage. These brief and casual Q&A sessions with members of the cast give audiences an opportunity to ask questions about the performance. Hosted by Emmanuel Villaume, Music Director of The Dallas Opera

Masks are required in the lobby and performance hall for all in-person performances presented by The Dallas Opera. As a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, The Dallas Opera adheres to the health and safety protocols and policies in our home venue, the Winspear Opera House. Your ticket purchase acknowledges consent to these policies.

Please review the latest public health and safety measures for Spring 2022 events here.

Visit the AT&T Performing Art Center’s website for more information about health and safety protocols and policies, including detailed information about ventilation and sanitization procedures.

Season Sponsor: Mary Anne Cree, in memory of Rosine Smith Sammons

The Betty and Steve Suellentrop Mainstage Production
Elena Villalon is the Charron and Peter Denker Rising Star
Kristine McIntyre is the Ann Stuart Stage Director

The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from:
the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture; the Texas Commission on the Arts;
and the National Endowment for the Arts.

American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.
Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera.
Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Opera is a proud member of OPERA America.

Photo: Duane Tinkey/Des Moine Metro Opera

About The Dallas Opera

One of the leading opera companies in the country, The Dallas Opera has an extraordinary legacy of world-class productions and thrilling premieres featuring the greatest operatic artists of our time. Inaugurated in 1957 with a concert featuring the incomparable Maria Callas, TDO is known for the notable U.S. debuts of a host of legendary artists including Plácido Domingo, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, Franco Zeffirelli, and Sir David McVicar. The company has long been an industry leader and innovator through groundbreaking initiatives including the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, TDO Network, free public simulcasts, acclaimed art song recitals, the national vocal competition, special concerts, and outstanding family and award-winning education programs. TDO’s home is the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, a jewel in the Dallas Arts District. As one of the largest performing arts employers in North Texas, TDO is proudly committed to diversity, both onstage and off, and is a major contributor to the economic vitality and international cultural reputation of this region.

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