Fierce
WORLD PREMIERE!
JULY 6 & 10, 2022 | 7:30 P.M.
JULY 9, 2022 | 3:00 P.M.
SCPA’S CORBETT THEATER
Music by William Menefield
Libretto by Sheila Williams
Sung in English with projected lyrics
The Story
Four teenage girls meet in an essay-writing class at their high school. While Rumer, Morgan, Nyomi, and Vesta are strangers to each other, they are also strangers to themselves. Their teacher is supportive and somewhat clueless. But that doesn’t stop her from asking a provocative question: “Tell me who you are.” This question sends the girls on a journey of discovery. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of their experiences, personal lives, and inner fears, they are taunted by a ridiculous posse of trolls who represent threats, both real and imagined.
Rumer explores loss and love as she mourns the death of a special friend who took their own life. Morgan is caught between her dreams of becoming an artist and those of her parents who expect their brilliant daughter to be the first in the family to go to college. Nyomi is the “it” girl of her school but her vivacity is a mask for self-doubt and fear. And Vesta, the youngest and most vulnerable of the group, arms herself against the ugly instability of her troubled home life by disappearing into a fantasy world.
Together, Rumer, Morgan, Nyomi, and Vesta maneuver through the obstacle course of their lives with focus, determination, and tenacity. By supporting each other, they confront their fears, drown out the trolls, and illuminate a bold path for those who follow them.
In Performance
During a team meeting at the first workshop, I spontaneously described the music of Fierce as “genre salad.” A beautifully constructed salad has many elements, each of which is easy to identify. The greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions are artfully layered on the plate. You can eat them one at a time, or stack two, three, or four to create new flavors with each bite. The music of Fierce is the same. There are many styles represented in this opera: classical, jazz, R&B, Afro-Cuban, to name a few. At times, each genre will be readily identifiable. There are also moments when multiple styles are blended together to create new sounds. Toss in a few melodies for the audience to hum on their way home, and you have a genre salad that aims to please your musical taste buds.
—William Menefield
The performance will last approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
There will be no intermission.