Press Room
High Praise for Beowulf in 2022
Third Eye's modern militarized 'Beowulf' swims with the monsters within us
Reviewed by Cori Lang with Chicagoland Musical Theatre, September 6, 2022
"Third Eye’s ambitious production commits to transcending the fiction, drawing parallels from the age-old myth to society’s contemporary heroes: teachers, military service members, healthcare providers, mothers."
Read the full review
Third Eye Theatre delivers a powerful modern retooling of Beowulf
Reviewed by Katherine Buzard with Chicago Classical Review, September 10, 2022
"Beowulf is a powerful piece of theater thoughtfully brought to life by the Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. You may want to bring a pack of tissues for this emotionally arresting work."
Read the full review
Third Eye Theatre delivers a powerful modern retooling of Beowulf
Reviewed by Jonathan Pitts with Chicago Stage and Screen, September 14, 2022
"It’s so heartening to see as the world is rebuilding following the global pandemic, all these people, all these artists, banding together and committing their artistic work for a storefront audience to see and experience this intense and remarkable adaptation of Beowulf, focusing on everyday love, loss, and heroism"
Read the full review
Third Eye's modern militarized 'Beowulf' swims with the monsters within us
Reviewed by Cori Lang with Chicagoland Musical Theatre, September 6, 2022
"Third Eye’s ambitious production commits to transcending the fiction, drawing parallels from the age-old myth to society’s contemporary heroes: teachers, military service members, healthcare providers, mothers."
Read the full review
Third Eye Theatre delivers a powerful modern retooling of Beowulf
Reviewed by Katherine Buzard with Chicago Classical Review, September 10, 2022
"Beowulf is a powerful piece of theater thoughtfully brought to life by the Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. You may want to bring a pack of tissues for this emotionally arresting work."
Read the full review
Third Eye Theatre delivers a powerful modern retooling of Beowulf
Reviewed by Jonathan Pitts with Chicago Stage and Screen, September 14, 2022
"It’s so heartening to see as the world is rebuilding following the global pandemic, all these people, all these artists, banding together and committing their artistic work for a storefront audience to see and experience this intense and remarkable adaptation of Beowulf, focusing on everyday love, loss, and heroism"
Read the full review
Third Eye gets back into the theatre in 2021
Telling Women's tales
Reviewed by Aaron Hunt, Chicago Theatre Review, September 23, 2021
"Third Eye Ensemble comes back to the live stage with two fresh tales of women who, thankfully, refused many of the societal strictures of their times to further both science and humanity."
"One of the advantages gifted an ensemble company is that many of the players have worked with each other multiple times and have a shorthand with each other that is terribly useful when putting together the pieces of a production... It is the heart-glue shared by the core of artists that have created this ensemble that is on display in this storytelling. You can see it and hear it. Is has a heartbeat all its own."
Read the full review
A whirlwind weekend of opera...
Reviewed by Patrick O'Brien, Chicagoland Musical Theatre, September 20, 2021
"...tapping into both the mind and the heart, it was as fine a capper as any to a weekend of (re-)connection to live opera.."
Read the full review
Telling Women's tales
Reviewed by Aaron Hunt, Chicago Theatre Review, September 23, 2021
"Third Eye Ensemble comes back to the live stage with two fresh tales of women who, thankfully, refused many of the societal strictures of their times to further both science and humanity."
"One of the advantages gifted an ensemble company is that many of the players have worked with each other multiple times and have a shorthand with each other that is terribly useful when putting together the pieces of a production... It is the heart-glue shared by the core of artists that have created this ensemble that is on display in this storytelling. You can see it and hear it. Is has a heartbeat all its own."
Read the full review
A whirlwind weekend of opera...
Reviewed by Patrick O'Brien, Chicagoland Musical Theatre, September 20, 2021
"...tapping into both the mind and the heart, it was as fine a capper as any to a weekend of (re-)connection to live opera.."
Read the full review
Third Eye goes virtual in 2020
Two operas of anger, yearning, and survival
Reviewed by M.J. Rantala, Hyde Park Herald, October 22, 2020
It’s not news that small businesses are struggling in the time of COVID-19. Sadly, this applies to small arts groups as well. Yet Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a very small and rather young Chicago opera company, has persevered, and this weekend offered a low-budget, high-impact streaming event featuring two fascinating one-act operas.
...Angela Born, Mary Lutz Govertsen, and Rena Ahmed were the three workers, differentiated in the score only by number. Their parts, entirely pre-recorded, were sung with great conviction and skill.
...Solo singer with banjo is hardly the first thing your mind conjures up when thinking of opera, yet this was a fascinating story told with unstinting honesty.... [Enyart] has created something unique and moving, which opened my eyes and made me think.
Read the full review
Two operas of anger, yearning, and survival
Reviewed by M.J. Rantala, Hyde Park Herald, October 22, 2020
It’s not news that small businesses are struggling in the time of COVID-19. Sadly, this applies to small arts groups as well. Yet Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a very small and rather young Chicago opera company, has persevered, and this weekend offered a low-budget, high-impact streaming event featuring two fascinating one-act operas.
...Angela Born, Mary Lutz Govertsen, and Rena Ahmed were the three workers, differentiated in the score only by number. Their parts, entirely pre-recorded, were sung with great conviction and skill.
...Solo singer with banjo is hardly the first thing your mind conjures up when thinking of opera, yet this was a fascinating story told with unstinting honesty.... [Enyart] has created something unique and moving, which opened my eyes and made me think.
Read the full review
A strong 2019 season
Third Eye voted best storefront opera company by Newcity
Third Eye nominated for best opera company by Chicago Reader
Stitch nominated for best new local opera production by Chicago Reader
In a tour de force, an a cappella trio of women capture the drudgery of factory sewing.
Reviewed by Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader, June 15, 2019
The piece [Stitch], directed by Rose Freeman and conducted by Alexandra Enyart, is a dancing, acting, singing tour de force for the cast of two sopranos and a mezzo. Kudos to Angela Born, Mary Lutz Govertsen, and Rena Ahmed for pulling off the high-wire act of sustained, metaphorically naked (i.e., without instrumental accompaniment) vocal performance.
Read the full review
Aesthetically rich, Third Eye Theatre Ensemble seeks catharsis in chaos in Weisman and Rabinowitz's 'Darkling'
Reviewed by Quinn Rigg, Chicagoland Musical Theatre, October 20, 2019
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble approaches Darkling with ambition and hunger. This ambition is evident from the first glimpse of Mariah Pendleton’s foreboding set and from the last pensive look at Benjamin L. White’s tactful lighting design. The rich aesthetic life of this production translates the yearning of spoken words into tangible physical space.
Read the full review
Reviewed by Deanna Isaacs, Chicago Reader, June 15, 2019
The piece [Stitch], directed by Rose Freeman and conducted by Alexandra Enyart, is a dancing, acting, singing tour de force for the cast of two sopranos and a mezzo. Kudos to Angela Born, Mary Lutz Govertsen, and Rena Ahmed for pulling off the high-wire act of sustained, metaphorically naked (i.e., without instrumental accompaniment) vocal performance.
Read the full review
Aesthetically rich, Third Eye Theatre Ensemble seeks catharsis in chaos in Weisman and Rabinowitz's 'Darkling'
Reviewed by Quinn Rigg, Chicagoland Musical Theatre, October 20, 2019
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble approaches Darkling with ambition and hunger. This ambition is evident from the first glimpse of Mariah Pendleton’s foreboding set and from the last pensive look at Benjamin L. White’s tactful lighting design. The rich aesthetic life of this production translates the yearning of spoken words into tangible physical space.
Read the full review
Accolades for 2018 season
The Passion is in the music in Patience and Sarah
Reviewed by Albert Williams, Chicago Reader, October 11, 2018
The soaring, silvery sopranos and sweetly shy smiles of Diana Stoic as Patience and Liana Gineitis as Sarah highlight Third Eye Theatre Ensemble's intimate production, which features a fine chamber orchestra conducted by Alexandra Enyart.
Read the full review
Reviewed by Albert Williams, Chicago Reader, October 11, 2018
The soaring, silvery sopranos and sweetly shy smiles of Diana Stoic as Patience and Liana Gineitis as Sarah highlight Third Eye Theatre Ensemble's intimate production, which features a fine chamber orchestra conducted by Alexandra Enyart.
Read the full review
WFMT joins Third Eye Theatre Ensemble for Patience & Sarah and Talkback with Librettist Wendy Persons
“The Only Thing I Want To See in Opera is a Good Story” — Librettist Wende Persons on Patience & Sarah
by Candice Agree, WFMT October 14, 2018
Librettist Wendy Persons joined Third Eye Theatre Ensemble for a performance of Patience and Sarah and participated in a talk back session. Candice Agree captured the talkback for WFMT.
Read the full story
“The Only Thing I Want To See in Opera is a Good Story” — Librettist Wende Persons on Patience & Sarah
by Candice Agree, WFMT October 14, 2018
Librettist Wendy Persons joined Third Eye Theatre Ensemble for a performance of Patience and Sarah and participated in a talk back session. Candice Agree captured the talkback for WFMT.
Read the full story
Third Eye Ensemble's 'Patience & Sarah' proves a timely and worthy story to be told
Reviewed by Sheri Flanders and Josh Flanders, Chicagoland Musical Theatre October 12, 2018
It is rare to see a piece of art that is, as the program book states, “an opera with two female leads, composed by a woman, the libretto written by a woman, based on a book by a woman, inspired by the lives of two real women from the early 1800.”Patience & Sarah, composed by Paula Kimper 20 years ago (her first opera) with libretto by Wende Persons, based on the historical fiction novel by Alma Routsong, (written under the pen name Isabel Miller), is an ambitious project and a worthy and necessary story to be told. That’s fully in line with Third Eye Theatre Ensemble’s mission to present “quality productions of new or seldom performed operatic works that inspire conversation while advocating for human rights and social justice.”
Read the full review
Reviewed by Sheri Flanders and Josh Flanders, Chicagoland Musical Theatre October 12, 2018
It is rare to see a piece of art that is, as the program book states, “an opera with two female leads, composed by a woman, the libretto written by a woman, based on a book by a woman, inspired by the lives of two real women from the early 1800.”Patience & Sarah, composed by Paula Kimper 20 years ago (her first opera) with libretto by Wende Persons, based on the historical fiction novel by Alma Routsong, (written under the pen name Isabel Miller), is an ambitious project and a worthy and necessary story to be told. That’s fully in line with Third Eye Theatre Ensemble’s mission to present “quality productions of new or seldom performed operatic works that inspire conversation while advocating for human rights and social justice.”
Read the full review
Third Eye dazzles and challenges reviewers in 2017
Third Eye’s beautiful feminist opera about 17th century nun still rings relevant today
Reviewed by Sheri Flanders and Josh Flanders, Chicagoland Musical Theatre, October 25, 2017
Padre Antonio is wonderfully awful as the patriarchal buzzkill. Sometimes in plays with strong feminist themes, male characters are flattened to one-dimensional monstrous stereotypes. Thanks to the historical scaffolding and the talents of the writer, director and actors, the Padre’s motivations are layered; wanting to control Juana for God, for pride, for ambition and envy. I also appreciate that the female characters are the focus and that there is a positive and nurturing relationship depicted between Sor Juana and her Patroness Maria Luisa (beautifully sung and performed by Angela Born). The entire cast works well together to bring this refreshingly unique story to life with their exceptionally beautiful voices, buoyed by a thoughtful and complex score.
Read the full review
Reviewed by Sheri Flanders and Josh Flanders, Chicagoland Musical Theatre, October 25, 2017
Padre Antonio is wonderfully awful as the patriarchal buzzkill. Sometimes in plays with strong feminist themes, male characters are flattened to one-dimensional monstrous stereotypes. Thanks to the historical scaffolding and the talents of the writer, director and actors, the Padre’s motivations are layered; wanting to control Juana for God, for pride, for ambition and envy. I also appreciate that the female characters are the focus and that there is a positive and nurturing relationship depicted between Sor Juana and her Patroness Maria Luisa (beautifully sung and performed by Angela Born). The entire cast works well together to bring this refreshingly unique story to life with their exceptionally beautiful voices, buoyed by a thoughtful and complex score.
Read the full review
As History Repeats, We Still Stumble
Reviewed by Aaron Hunt, Chicago Theatre Review, November 7th, 2017
Beginning with The Medium, and continuing with such repertoire as Sumeida’s Song, and Dark Sisters, Third Eye remains an important force in Chicago’s storefront opera scene, not merely for its championing of contemporary opera, but also for the sense of collaborative authenticity of its onstage, stylistic deportment, for surely only a true acting ensemble can assure the audience that their characters live in the same play, at the same time, and at the same place.
An open-hearted, intensive rehearsal process brings about this sort of natural, organic acting and staging, and the proprietor of this magic is director Rose Freeman, who has helmed all three of the operas that have propelled Third Eye on their dramatic trajectory into Chicago’s artistic life. Musical director Jason Carlson has added greatly to Third Eye’s success, helping to prepare and elucidate very difficult, unknown scores for his performers, and therefore to our city’s opera- and theatre-hungry crowd. Not enough can be said about the work presented by these two artists, and of the energy that Third Eye brings to its mission statement, to,” …inspire conversation while advocating for human rights and social justice.”
Read the full Review
Reviewed by Aaron Hunt, Chicago Theatre Review, November 7th, 2017
Beginning with The Medium, and continuing with such repertoire as Sumeida’s Song, and Dark Sisters, Third Eye remains an important force in Chicago’s storefront opera scene, not merely for its championing of contemporary opera, but also for the sense of collaborative authenticity of its onstage, stylistic deportment, for surely only a true acting ensemble can assure the audience that their characters live in the same play, at the same time, and at the same place.
An open-hearted, intensive rehearsal process brings about this sort of natural, organic acting and staging, and the proprietor of this magic is director Rose Freeman, who has helmed all three of the operas that have propelled Third Eye on their dramatic trajectory into Chicago’s artistic life. Musical director Jason Carlson has added greatly to Third Eye’s success, helping to prepare and elucidate very difficult, unknown scores for his performers, and therefore to our city’s opera- and theatre-hungry crowd. Not enough can be said about the work presented by these two artists, and of the energy that Third Eye brings to its mission statement, to,” …inspire conversation while advocating for human rights and social justice.”
Read the full Review
More praise for Third Eye in 2016!
Dark Sisters made Newcity's list of top 5 operas in 2016
Melissa Arning's performance in Dark Sisters listed as 2016 Best of Opera in Chicago by Vocal Arts Chicago
Dark Sisters made Newcity's list of top 5 operas in 2016
Melissa Arning's performance in Dark Sisters listed as 2016 Best of Opera in Chicago by Vocal Arts Chicago
Muhly's "Dark Sisters" receives powerful Chicago premiere from Third Eye Theatre Ensemble
Reviewed by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, October 22, 2016
You really have to give it to Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. What other local company presents contemporary operas by important composers on a shoestring in excellent, up close-and-personal stagings? And provides free Halloween candy on the way out?
Goodies apart, the storefront company is clearly on a roll in its third season, following its riveting debut production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, and Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song last year.
For this fall’s show, the upstart troupe continued its theme of spirituality gone awry by presenting the Midwest premiere of Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, which opened Friday night at the Prop Theatre on the Northwest side.
Read the full review
Reviewed by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, October 22, 2016
You really have to give it to Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. What other local company presents contemporary operas by important composers on a shoestring in excellent, up close-and-personal stagings? And provides free Halloween candy on the way out?
Goodies apart, the storefront company is clearly on a roll in its third season, following its riveting debut production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, and Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song last year.
For this fall’s show, the upstart troupe continued its theme of spirituality gone awry by presenting the Midwest premiere of Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, which opened Friday night at the Prop Theatre on the Northwest side.
Read the full review
Light the Way
Reviewed by Aaron Hunt, Newcity Stage, October 2016
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble continues an exploration of mothers in “operatic” situations and the ways in which their circumstances shape the lives of their children. With its production of composer Nico Muhly’s “Dark Sisters,” the company completes a trilogy begun with its inaugural 2014 production of “The Medium” followed by “Sumeida’s Song” in 2015. “Dark Sisters” tells a tale of emotional, spiritual and sexual disenfranchisement, drawing its audiences into the lives of the wives of a polygamist prophet-husband of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Within the fledgling community of storefront opera, where several companies also offer contemporary pieces staged in English, Third Eye continues to earn its highly prized niche as a “theater ensemble,” stacking up productions that thrive artistically at the highest level of stagecraft. It is no surprise that their three major productions have all been guided by the same director, Rose Freeman, and profited from the talents of many of the same singers/actors. The incomparable musical director Jason Carlson prepared all of these tricky scores with grace and assurance.
Freeman leads her cast up the rocky mountainside of injured love and they never looked back. While all the roles are double-essayed, the opening-night cast consisted of Kelley Hollis, Meghan Guse, Melissa Arning, Sarah Litchfield and Mary Lutz Govertsen as the five sister-wives. Each artist burned with an inner monologue that decried their proscribed sameness and sang with truth’s fire, to hypnotic effect. Hollis, as the wife who escapes yet cannot save her daughter (Angela Born in an aching performance of love and sacrifice), keeps the audience from utter despair as her soul’s wings strengthen.
Read the full review
Reviewed by Aaron Hunt, Newcity Stage, October 2016
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble continues an exploration of mothers in “operatic” situations and the ways in which their circumstances shape the lives of their children. With its production of composer Nico Muhly’s “Dark Sisters,” the company completes a trilogy begun with its inaugural 2014 production of “The Medium” followed by “Sumeida’s Song” in 2015. “Dark Sisters” tells a tale of emotional, spiritual and sexual disenfranchisement, drawing its audiences into the lives of the wives of a polygamist prophet-husband of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Within the fledgling community of storefront opera, where several companies also offer contemporary pieces staged in English, Third Eye continues to earn its highly prized niche as a “theater ensemble,” stacking up productions that thrive artistically at the highest level of stagecraft. It is no surprise that their three major productions have all been guided by the same director, Rose Freeman, and profited from the talents of many of the same singers/actors. The incomparable musical director Jason Carlson prepared all of these tricky scores with grace and assurance.
Freeman leads her cast up the rocky mountainside of injured love and they never looked back. While all the roles are double-essayed, the opening-night cast consisted of Kelley Hollis, Meghan Guse, Melissa Arning, Sarah Litchfield and Mary Lutz Govertsen as the five sister-wives. Each artist burned with an inner monologue that decried their proscribed sameness and sang with truth’s fire, to hypnotic effect. Hollis, as the wife who escapes yet cannot save her daughter (Angela Born in an aching performance of love and sacrifice), keeps the audience from utter despair as her soul’s wings strengthen.
Read the full review
Chicago Reader Review of "Dark Sisters"
Reviewed by Deanna Isaacs, October 2016
Composer Nico Muhly’s inspiration for this opera was a 2008 raid on a Texas compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, in which the government, concerned about early forced marriages and polygamy, removed the sect’s children. It’s powerful material, developed by librettist Stephen Karam into a feminist drama that focuses on the lives of five wives of a single husband/prophet. But it was written for seven voices (six of them female) and a 13-piece orchestra. In this production, by Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a rotating cast is accompanied only by music director Jason Carlson on keyboard. He does a valiant job, and on the night I saw it the show featured piercing dramatic performances, but we’re left wondering what the score should really sound like.
Link to the review
Reviewed by Deanna Isaacs, October 2016
Composer Nico Muhly’s inspiration for this opera was a 2008 raid on a Texas compound of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, in which the government, concerned about early forced marriages and polygamy, removed the sect’s children. It’s powerful material, developed by librettist Stephen Karam into a feminist drama that focuses on the lives of five wives of a single husband/prophet. But it was written for seven voices (six of them female) and a 13-piece orchestra. In this production, by Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a rotating cast is accompanied only by music director Jason Carlson on keyboard. He does a valiant job, and on the night I saw it the show featured piercing dramatic performances, but we’re left wondering what the score should really sound like.
Link to the review
OperaNow! Podcast
Oliver Camacho and Matthan Black discuss the performance of Dark Sisters in the OperaNow! podcast. They had high praise and said, "the performances were gut-wrenching." Start listening around 51:03.
Listen to the podcast
Oliver Camacho and Matthan Black discuss the performance of Dark Sisters in the OperaNow! podcast. They had high praise and said, "the performances were gut-wrenching." Start listening around 51:03.
Listen to the podcast
Third Eye recognized again in 2015!
Sumeida's Song made Newcity's list of top 5 operas in 2015
Third Eye cited as "a company to watch on the local scene" by Chicago Classical Review
Sumeida's Song made Newcity's list of top 5 operas in 2015
Third Eye cited as "a company to watch on the local scene" by Chicago Classical Review
Third Eye Theatre provides a strong local premiere for Fairouz opera
Reviewed by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, November 1, 2015
One year ago Third Eye Theatre Ensemble made its debut with a riveting production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium.
Chicago’s upstart storefront opera company is back with its sophomore effort, Sumeida’s Song by Mohammed Fairouz, presented in its Chicago premiere and currently running at the Prop Theater on the northwest side.
Sumeida’s Song is not exactly a light-hearted frolic and, as often with the Arab-American composer, the surface scenario seems to touch on broader issues of destructive religious hatred, revenge killing and murders of innocents, sadly familiar from contemporary headlines.
Fairouz’s one-act opera is an impressive achievement for a composer of college age. Fairouz’s style is a fluent, intriguing melding of varied aspects of the Western classical tradition with elements of Middle Eastern music. There are lyrical moments and microtonal astringency allied to multihued colors that suggest the middle Eastern bazaar and dance. Yet for all its variegated influences, the hour-long score flows naturally and compellingly. Even in the reduced instrumentation for piano and violin at these performances, Fairouz’s originality and distinctive voice comes through, a testament to the composer as much as the instrumental skill of pianist-conductor Jason Carlson.
Erin Moll brought fearless intensity to the bitter, unhinged Asakir, a kind of Mommy Dearest of the desert. The young mezzo-soprano threw herself into the demanding role singing with volatile commitment.
Noah Gartner displayed a warm baritone and calm presence as Alwan. Mary Lutz Govertsen was forceful as Asakir’s sister Mabrouka, with William Dwyer making belated impact as her weak son Sumeida.
Conducting from the piano with violinist Maya Shiraishi in support, Carlson directed a fluent, well-paced performance with polished and expressive playing that made one forget the slender forces.
Read the full review
Reviewed by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, November 1, 2015
One year ago Third Eye Theatre Ensemble made its debut with a riveting production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium.
Chicago’s upstart storefront opera company is back with its sophomore effort, Sumeida’s Song by Mohammed Fairouz, presented in its Chicago premiere and currently running at the Prop Theater on the northwest side.
Sumeida’s Song is not exactly a light-hearted frolic and, as often with the Arab-American composer, the surface scenario seems to touch on broader issues of destructive religious hatred, revenge killing and murders of innocents, sadly familiar from contemporary headlines.
Fairouz’s one-act opera is an impressive achievement for a composer of college age. Fairouz’s style is a fluent, intriguing melding of varied aspects of the Western classical tradition with elements of Middle Eastern music. There are lyrical moments and microtonal astringency allied to multihued colors that suggest the middle Eastern bazaar and dance. Yet for all its variegated influences, the hour-long score flows naturally and compellingly. Even in the reduced instrumentation for piano and violin at these performances, Fairouz’s originality and distinctive voice comes through, a testament to the composer as much as the instrumental skill of pianist-conductor Jason Carlson.
Erin Moll brought fearless intensity to the bitter, unhinged Asakir, a kind of Mommy Dearest of the desert. The young mezzo-soprano threw herself into the demanding role singing with volatile commitment.
Noah Gartner displayed a warm baritone and calm presence as Alwan. Mary Lutz Govertsen was forceful as Asakir’s sister Mabrouka, with William Dwyer making belated impact as her weak son Sumeida.
Conducting from the piano with violinist Maya Shiraishi in support, Carlson directed a fluent, well-paced performance with polished and expressive playing that made one forget the slender forces.
Read the full review
A clutch of little-known operas
Reviewed by M. L. Rantala, Classical Music Critic for Hyde Park Herald, October 28, 2015
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a company formed a year ago, is now presenting the Midwest and Chicago premiere of Mohammed Fairouz’s opera “Sumeida’s Song” at the Prop Thtr (3502 N. Elston Ave.). It is the haunting story of how a thirst for vengeance can corrupt and eventually destroy one of humanity’s most sacrosanct loves: that of a mother for her child.
Third Eye offers a powerful production of this disturbing story with committed performances by all four singers. Amanda Runge’s Asakir slowly draws out this woman’s obsession with revenge, reaching heights of mad passion. Anne Slovin’s Mabrouka is imbued with dignity and her support for her sister is demonstrated by singing with a loving touch. Jesus Alfredo Jimenez offers a Sumeida with just the right amount of masculine authority. Matthan Ring Black creates an Alwan who is believably shocked by what he finds in his village yet never pompous or unkind in his disagreement with his mother.
Costume designer Brian Stanziale clothes the women in simple and attractive flowing robes. There are touches of macramé, which powerfully reinforces the notion of how long-held traditions of vengeance and tight-knit family relationships over generations are intertwined.
Fairouz’s music is dramatic and evocative, at times searingly intense. The singers are supported by Jason Carlson on piano and Maya Shiraishi on violin, in a special arrangement created by Carlson which blends the piano version of the opera with some of the full orchestral score reduced into the violin. Both musicians are valuable collaborators, adding to the success of the production.
Read the full review
Reviewed by M. L. Rantala, Classical Music Critic for Hyde Park Herald, October 28, 2015
Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a company formed a year ago, is now presenting the Midwest and Chicago premiere of Mohammed Fairouz’s opera “Sumeida’s Song” at the Prop Thtr (3502 N. Elston Ave.). It is the haunting story of how a thirst for vengeance can corrupt and eventually destroy one of humanity’s most sacrosanct loves: that of a mother for her child.
Third Eye offers a powerful production of this disturbing story with committed performances by all four singers. Amanda Runge’s Asakir slowly draws out this woman’s obsession with revenge, reaching heights of mad passion. Anne Slovin’s Mabrouka is imbued with dignity and her support for her sister is demonstrated by singing with a loving touch. Jesus Alfredo Jimenez offers a Sumeida with just the right amount of masculine authority. Matthan Ring Black creates an Alwan who is believably shocked by what he finds in his village yet never pompous or unkind in his disagreement with his mother.
Costume designer Brian Stanziale clothes the women in simple and attractive flowing robes. There are touches of macramé, which powerfully reinforces the notion of how long-held traditions of vengeance and tight-knit family relationships over generations are intertwined.
Fairouz’s music is dramatic and evocative, at times searingly intense. The singers are supported by Jason Carlson on piano and Maya Shiraishi on violin, in a special arrangement created by Carlson which blends the piano version of the opera with some of the full orchestral score reduced into the violin. Both musicians are valuable collaborators, adding to the success of the production.
Read the full review
Chicago Reader Review of "Sumeida's Song"
Reviewed by Dan Jakes
Contemporary composer Mohammed Fairouz's debut opera retells Song of Death, a one-act tragedy by Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim. A young man is torn between the demands of his grieving mother and his own newfound pacifism when fate offers him the opportunity to avenge his father's murder. Musical director Jason Carlson strips down Fairouz's full original score (already cut to nine instruments in its 2013 inaugural New York staging) to just keyboard and violin; given the extraordinary absence of Arab-American influence on musical theater, such a diminished instrumental palette feels like a lost opportunity. Vocally, on the other hand, it's a stunning technical presentation by Third Eye Theatre Ensemble—and a call to action for chamber opera.
Link to review
Reviewed by Dan Jakes
Contemporary composer Mohammed Fairouz's debut opera retells Song of Death, a one-act tragedy by Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim. A young man is torn between the demands of his grieving mother and his own newfound pacifism when fate offers him the opportunity to avenge his father's murder. Musical director Jason Carlson strips down Fairouz's full original score (already cut to nine instruments in its 2013 inaugural New York staging) to just keyboard and violin; given the extraordinary absence of Arab-American influence on musical theater, such a diminished instrumental palette feels like a lost opportunity. Vocally, on the other hand, it's a stunning technical presentation by Third Eye Theatre Ensemble—and a call to action for chamber opera.
Link to review
OperaNow! Podcast
Oliver Camacho discusses the performance of Sumeida's Song in the OperaNow! podcast. Start listening around 8:03.
Listen to the podcast
Oliver Camacho discusses the performance of Sumeida's Song in the OperaNow! podcast. Start listening around 8:03.
Listen to the podcast
Park Ridge singer addresses social issues through opera
Written by Jennifer Johnson, Park Ridge Herald Advocate, October 6, 2015
Park Ridge resident Rena Ahmed's first forays into singing involved an audience of one.
"This is kind of embarrassing, but I would sit alone sometimes and have singing competitions with myself, pretending I was some pop star," Ahmed recalled with a laugh. "When I was younger, I thought more about pop singing."
Interest in popular music eventually evolved to musical theater when Ahmed entered Lake Park High School in Roselle, but it was her theater teacher's advice that she consider singing opera that ultimately changed Ahmed's life.
Today, Ahmed, a professional opera singer, is the co-founder and artistic director of Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a Chicago-based opera company. She is currently preparing for opening night of the company's second production, "Sumeida's Song," on Oct. 23 at Prop Theatre, 3502 N. Elston Ave. in Chicago.
Read the full article
Park Ridge resident Rena Ahmed's first forays into singing involved an audience of one.
"This is kind of embarrassing, but I would sit alone sometimes and have singing competitions with myself, pretending I was some pop star," Ahmed recalled with a laugh. "When I was younger, I thought more about pop singing."
Interest in popular music eventually evolved to musical theater when Ahmed entered Lake Park High School in Roselle, but it was her theater teacher's advice that she consider singing opera that ultimately changed Ahmed's life.
Today, Ahmed, a professional opera singer, is the co-founder and artistic director of Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, a Chicago-based opera company. She is currently preparing for opening night of the company's second production, "Sumeida's Song," on Oct. 23 at Prop Theatre, 3502 N. Elston Ave. in Chicago.
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Third Eye Theatre Ensemble makes a splash in 2014!
The Medium made Newcity's list of top 5 operas in 2014
Third Eye named debut company of the year by Chicago Classical Review
Third Eye named debut company of the year by Chicago Classical Review
Chicago Reader Review of "The Medium"
Reviewed by Albert Williams
The Third Eye Theatre Ensemble debuts with an intriguing, intimate production of this seldom seen one-act opera by composer-librettist Gian Carlo Menotti. It's a psychological thriller about a phony medium, Madam Flora, who tricks gullible, grief-stricken customers into believing she can help them commune with the spirits of their "dear departed"; but Flora's fakery starts to unravel when she believes she has actually been touched by a ghost during a seance. The cast have ripe operatic voices but also clear diction, so the beautiful singing enhances the drama under the guidance of director Rose Freeman and music director Jason Carlson (who also accompanies on piano). The work's best-known aria, "The Black Swan," is beautifully rendered by Caroline Wright as Flora's daughter. The visual design by Jimmy Jagos (set) and Julian Pike (lights) summons up an appropriately mysterious atmosphere, making this a fittingly spooky selection for the Halloween season.
Link to Review
Reviewed by Albert Williams
The Third Eye Theatre Ensemble debuts with an intriguing, intimate production of this seldom seen one-act opera by composer-librettist Gian Carlo Menotti. It's a psychological thriller about a phony medium, Madam Flora, who tricks gullible, grief-stricken customers into believing she can help them commune with the spirits of their "dear departed"; but Flora's fakery starts to unravel when she believes she has actually been touched by a ghost during a seance. The cast have ripe operatic voices but also clear diction, so the beautiful singing enhances the drama under the guidance of director Rose Freeman and music director Jason Carlson (who also accompanies on piano). The work's best-known aria, "The Black Swan," is beautifully rendered by Caroline Wright as Flora's daughter. The visual design by Jimmy Jagos (set) and Julian Pike (lights) summons up an appropriately mysterious atmosphere, making this a fittingly spooky selection for the Halloween season.
Link to Review
"The Medium" is the message
Reviewed by M.L. Rantala, Classical Music Critic, Hyde Park Herald, October 29, 2014
Just in time for Halloween, Third Eye Theatre Ensemble is now offering an engaging production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s short, two-act opera “The Medium.” This haunting work, running just over an hour, premiered in 1946, and has lost none of its power to disturb.
Menotti’s story (he was both composer and librettist) centers on a fake medium known as Madame Flora, whose life is dedicated to conning people into believing she connects them with their dead loved ones, and conning herself into believing that booze is the best source of nutrition.
Monica, her daughter, and Toby, a mute orphan who lives with them, assist with the fake séances. The night which changes Madame Flora’s life sees Mr. and Mrs. Gobineau come for their regular session to contact their son who died as a toddler, joined by newcomer Mrs. Nolen, who searches for a way to reach her dead teenaged daughter. After the razzle-dazzle which convinces the three clients they’ve had their moneys’ worth, Madame Flora experiences something which might have been caused by Monica or Toby or just might be contact from the beyond. It obsesses and possesses her, causing her to blame Toby as well as bring to the surface her own guilt as a scam artist, all leading to a tragic climax.
The Flat Iron Fine Arts Building housing the theater is a ramshackle affair sporting what must surely be one of the city’s oldest elevators as well as warren-like corridors which twist and turn and often change elevation without warning. When you walk into the performance room, your first thought is that it’s very much on the seedy side, with an exposed ceiling showing all the circulatory systems of the building and walls which have undoubtedly experienced much violence over the years.
What might have seemed a liability to others was turned into a tremendous asset by set designer Jimmy Jagos. He sets up Madame Flora’s home as a dumpy, cluttered eyesore entirely appropriate to the dumpy-looking and cluttered-minded Madame Flora. Rose Freeman does a fine job as director, keeping the clients in the parts of the home which are shabby yet tidy, and having the other characters move easily about the rest of the place, clearly resigned to the chaos and jumble they live in. It’s a generously sized space where the action shifts effortlessly from one part of the room to the next.
The audience is seated along three sides of the room in chairs only two rows deep. So every viewer is close to the proceedings, real flies-on-the-wall to every scene.
The singing is, without exception, committed and draws out the various layers of the characters. Mezzo-soprano Amanda Runge as Madame Flora creates a frightening portrait of an awful woman who cannot constructively confront her own guilt without benefit of the bottle.
Soprano Caroline Wright delivers Monica’s gorgeous arias with gleaming sound and the innocence of a child. She is convincing as the only person in the story who has come to terms with her life in any sensible manner.
Mary Lutz Govertsen (Mrs. Gobineau), Christopher Skyles (Mr. Gobineau) and Adrianne Blanks (Mrs. Nolan) each tenderly conveys the heartbreak which the death of a child visits upon a parent and they never turn these sympathetic characters into mere saps, even when rejecting Madame Flora’s admission that she has cheated them.
Will Green travels across the room with lithe, dance-like movement and without speaking a word earns affection from the audience for mute Toby.
For good stretches of this production you forget that the only instrument playing is a piano. Credit Jason Carlson, the musical director who is also a member of the music faculty at Northwestern. He gives a multi-faceted performance using the composer’s own piano reduction and is always attentive to the needs of the singers.
The lighting by Julian Pike is an essential part of the success of the production. Particularly impressive was his ability to help maintain the story’s spooky quality without constantly resorting to darkness. His use of color adds to the moodiness.
This is the inaugural production of Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. They spent months getting it right, and it shows, even down to the smallest detail. There were free mints to stifle coughs, no long waits at will-call, seats near the door reserved for latecomers and every program included the ensemble’s business card. Skyles, the co-founder along with Rena Ahmed, spoke briefly to the audience before the performance, reading from a prepared text on his smart phone and made the shutting off of his cell when he finished into a joking request for everyone else to do the same, putting the audience in a smiling mood even before the first note sounded.
The two largest, most demanding roles have been double cast. Half the performances will feature Rena Ahmed as Madame Flora and Angela Born as Monica.
I left not only looking forward to hearing more from this new opera troupe, but with respect for the crazy but loveable building they selected as their first venue, which I have since learned has been a haven for artists since 1898.
Link to review
Reviewed by M.L. Rantala, Classical Music Critic, Hyde Park Herald, October 29, 2014
Just in time for Halloween, Third Eye Theatre Ensemble is now offering an engaging production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s short, two-act opera “The Medium.” This haunting work, running just over an hour, premiered in 1946, and has lost none of its power to disturb.
Menotti’s story (he was both composer and librettist) centers on a fake medium known as Madame Flora, whose life is dedicated to conning people into believing she connects them with their dead loved ones, and conning herself into believing that booze is the best source of nutrition.
Monica, her daughter, and Toby, a mute orphan who lives with them, assist with the fake séances. The night which changes Madame Flora’s life sees Mr. and Mrs. Gobineau come for their regular session to contact their son who died as a toddler, joined by newcomer Mrs. Nolen, who searches for a way to reach her dead teenaged daughter. After the razzle-dazzle which convinces the three clients they’ve had their moneys’ worth, Madame Flora experiences something which might have been caused by Monica or Toby or just might be contact from the beyond. It obsesses and possesses her, causing her to blame Toby as well as bring to the surface her own guilt as a scam artist, all leading to a tragic climax.
The Flat Iron Fine Arts Building housing the theater is a ramshackle affair sporting what must surely be one of the city’s oldest elevators as well as warren-like corridors which twist and turn and often change elevation without warning. When you walk into the performance room, your first thought is that it’s very much on the seedy side, with an exposed ceiling showing all the circulatory systems of the building and walls which have undoubtedly experienced much violence over the years.
What might have seemed a liability to others was turned into a tremendous asset by set designer Jimmy Jagos. He sets up Madame Flora’s home as a dumpy, cluttered eyesore entirely appropriate to the dumpy-looking and cluttered-minded Madame Flora. Rose Freeman does a fine job as director, keeping the clients in the parts of the home which are shabby yet tidy, and having the other characters move easily about the rest of the place, clearly resigned to the chaos and jumble they live in. It’s a generously sized space where the action shifts effortlessly from one part of the room to the next.
The audience is seated along three sides of the room in chairs only two rows deep. So every viewer is close to the proceedings, real flies-on-the-wall to every scene.
The singing is, without exception, committed and draws out the various layers of the characters. Mezzo-soprano Amanda Runge as Madame Flora creates a frightening portrait of an awful woman who cannot constructively confront her own guilt without benefit of the bottle.
Soprano Caroline Wright delivers Monica’s gorgeous arias with gleaming sound and the innocence of a child. She is convincing as the only person in the story who has come to terms with her life in any sensible manner.
Mary Lutz Govertsen (Mrs. Gobineau), Christopher Skyles (Mr. Gobineau) and Adrianne Blanks (Mrs. Nolan) each tenderly conveys the heartbreak which the death of a child visits upon a parent and they never turn these sympathetic characters into mere saps, even when rejecting Madame Flora’s admission that she has cheated them.
Will Green travels across the room with lithe, dance-like movement and without speaking a word earns affection from the audience for mute Toby.
For good stretches of this production you forget that the only instrument playing is a piano. Credit Jason Carlson, the musical director who is also a member of the music faculty at Northwestern. He gives a multi-faceted performance using the composer’s own piano reduction and is always attentive to the needs of the singers.
The lighting by Julian Pike is an essential part of the success of the production. Particularly impressive was his ability to help maintain the story’s spooky quality without constantly resorting to darkness. His use of color adds to the moodiness.
This is the inaugural production of Third Eye Theatre Ensemble. They spent months getting it right, and it shows, even down to the smallest detail. There were free mints to stifle coughs, no long waits at will-call, seats near the door reserved for latecomers and every program included the ensemble’s business card. Skyles, the co-founder along with Rena Ahmed, spoke briefly to the audience before the performance, reading from a prepared text on his smart phone and made the shutting off of his cell when he finished into a joking request for everyone else to do the same, putting the audience in a smiling mood even before the first note sounded.
The two largest, most demanding roles have been double cast. Half the performances will feature Rena Ahmed as Madame Flora and Angela Born as Monica.
I left not only looking forward to hearing more from this new opera troupe, but with respect for the crazy but loveable building they selected as their first venue, which I have since learned has been a haven for artists since 1898.
Link to review
Third Eye Theatre makes outstanding debut with Menotti's "The Medium"
Reviewed by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, November 1, 2014
On a rainy, snowy, blustery Halloween night, it seemed entirely apt to catch a performance of The Medium. The fact that Gian Carlo Menotti’s supernatural 1946 opera was being presented by a new upstart theater troupe in a suitable intimate space rather than an opera company in a vast auditorium added to the appeal.
Menotti’s 2011 centennial year passed completely ignored by Chicago’s major musical institutions, and it’s been years since any of his operas have been heard on local stages. All credit then to Third Eye Theatre Ensemble for belatedly making up this neglect with a riveting performance of The Medium, seen Friday night in Wicker Park. In this, the company’s inaugural production, Third Eye Theatre knocked it out of the park.
Like many of his stage works, Menotti’s The Medium inhabits a space where theater and opera seamlessly commingle. Friday night’s performance at the Pentagon Theater in the Flatiron Arts Building got all the important things right and the intimate in-the-round space, with the cast inches from the front row, brought a searing immediacy to this strange and violent tale. There are two more performances this weekend and I urge all aficionados of operatic byways to try to catch this show.
The scenario concerns Madame Flora, the title medium who makes her living by presenting fraudulent seances in which grieving relatives are comforted by the sounds and apparitions of their departed children. She is aided in the deception by her daughter Monica and the gentle mute boy Toby, who is the object of Flora’s abuse. During one seance she feels a cold hand on her neck, which can’t be explained. The incident leads to the mental unraveling of the bitter, alcoholic Flora with tragic consequences.
Menotti’s hour-long opera is less of a ghost story than a tale about the inability to confront the stark reality of life. As the composer stated, The Medium “describes the tragedy of a woman caught between two worlds: a world of reality she cannot comprehend, and a supernatural world in which she cannot believe.”
Apart from some musical bleed-through from the club below and competing Flatiron events, the third-floor space proved ideal for this intimate musical drama. Jimmy Jagos’s set design for Flora’s musty parlor was spot-on, as were Stefanie Johnsen’s costumes, both enhanced by Julian Pike’s artful lighting. Rose Freeman’s fluent direction was virtually faultless, bringing the audience right into the action and allowing the music and drama to register with equal impact.
Menotti scored The Medium for a small chamber ensemble. Third Eye is employing a more cost-effective piano accompaniment, yet Jason Carlson’s dramatic and sensitive keyboard playing made the missing instruments seem irrelevant.
Third Eye is alternating actresses for the roles of Flora and Monica. At Friday night’s performance, Rena Ahmed was a fine, inspired Flora, displaying a strong, edgy mezzo, and painting an aptly discomfiting portrait of this bitter and unpleasant woman, conveying the existential dread and terror of Flora’s final monologue.
Angela Born proved a terrific Monica. The young singer has a bright and lovely soprano and Born made the most of her vocal moments with an especially graceful rendition of her Act 2 Waltz. Yet she also brought fire and conviction to the play’s dramatic moments.
In the wordless role of the ill-fated Toby, Will Green displayed a feline grace as the artistic mute boy fearful of Flora’s wrath. The roles of the gullible seance clients were well taken by Adrianne Banks and Christopher Skyles, with Mary Lutz Govertsen displaying an impressive operatic voice as Mrs. Gobineau.
Minor quibbles are that the climactic gunshots sounded fake and came from behind a wall several feet from the stage. Also the program was heavy with generous biographies of all the cast and crew without a word about Menotti or the opera.
Never mind. It’s not quite clear what Third Eye Theatre’s genre will be. The program states that the company’s mission is “[making] a difference in our community” and “presenting works which relate to today’s world”—admirable yet generic intentions that could apply to almost any artistic entity.
One hopes that Third Eye will continue to explore classical byways. An opera-mad city like Chicago can use another small company eager to explore neglected operatic repertory. And with this outstanding Medium, Third Eye Theatre is off to a flying start.
Link to review
Reviewed by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, November 1, 2014
On a rainy, snowy, blustery Halloween night, it seemed entirely apt to catch a performance of The Medium. The fact that Gian Carlo Menotti’s supernatural 1946 opera was being presented by a new upstart theater troupe in a suitable intimate space rather than an opera company in a vast auditorium added to the appeal.
Menotti’s 2011 centennial year passed completely ignored by Chicago’s major musical institutions, and it’s been years since any of his operas have been heard on local stages. All credit then to Third Eye Theatre Ensemble for belatedly making up this neglect with a riveting performance of The Medium, seen Friday night in Wicker Park. In this, the company’s inaugural production, Third Eye Theatre knocked it out of the park.
Like many of his stage works, Menotti’s The Medium inhabits a space where theater and opera seamlessly commingle. Friday night’s performance at the Pentagon Theater in the Flatiron Arts Building got all the important things right and the intimate in-the-round space, with the cast inches from the front row, brought a searing immediacy to this strange and violent tale. There are two more performances this weekend and I urge all aficionados of operatic byways to try to catch this show.
The scenario concerns Madame Flora, the title medium who makes her living by presenting fraudulent seances in which grieving relatives are comforted by the sounds and apparitions of their departed children. She is aided in the deception by her daughter Monica and the gentle mute boy Toby, who is the object of Flora’s abuse. During one seance she feels a cold hand on her neck, which can’t be explained. The incident leads to the mental unraveling of the bitter, alcoholic Flora with tragic consequences.
Menotti’s hour-long opera is less of a ghost story than a tale about the inability to confront the stark reality of life. As the composer stated, The Medium “describes the tragedy of a woman caught between two worlds: a world of reality she cannot comprehend, and a supernatural world in which she cannot believe.”
Apart from some musical bleed-through from the club below and competing Flatiron events, the third-floor space proved ideal for this intimate musical drama. Jimmy Jagos’s set design for Flora’s musty parlor was spot-on, as were Stefanie Johnsen’s costumes, both enhanced by Julian Pike’s artful lighting. Rose Freeman’s fluent direction was virtually faultless, bringing the audience right into the action and allowing the music and drama to register with equal impact.
Menotti scored The Medium for a small chamber ensemble. Third Eye is employing a more cost-effective piano accompaniment, yet Jason Carlson’s dramatic and sensitive keyboard playing made the missing instruments seem irrelevant.
Third Eye is alternating actresses for the roles of Flora and Monica. At Friday night’s performance, Rena Ahmed was a fine, inspired Flora, displaying a strong, edgy mezzo, and painting an aptly discomfiting portrait of this bitter and unpleasant woman, conveying the existential dread and terror of Flora’s final monologue.
Angela Born proved a terrific Monica. The young singer has a bright and lovely soprano and Born made the most of her vocal moments with an especially graceful rendition of her Act 2 Waltz. Yet she also brought fire and conviction to the play’s dramatic moments.
In the wordless role of the ill-fated Toby, Will Green displayed a feline grace as the artistic mute boy fearful of Flora’s wrath. The roles of the gullible seance clients were well taken by Adrianne Banks and Christopher Skyles, with Mary Lutz Govertsen displaying an impressive operatic voice as Mrs. Gobineau.
Minor quibbles are that the climactic gunshots sounded fake and came from behind a wall several feet from the stage. Also the program was heavy with generous biographies of all the cast and crew without a word about Menotti or the opera.
Never mind. It’s not quite clear what Third Eye Theatre’s genre will be. The program states that the company’s mission is “[making] a difference in our community” and “presenting works which relate to today’s world”—admirable yet generic intentions that could apply to almost any artistic entity.
One hopes that Third Eye will continue to explore classical byways. An opera-mad city like Chicago can use another small company eager to explore neglected operatic repertory. And with this outstanding Medium, Third Eye Theatre is off to a flying start.
Link to review