The Breasts of Tirésias By Francis Poulenc
Synopsis
Act 1
In the fictional Mediterranean town of Zanzibar, Thérèse gets fed up with being a wife. She gets rid of her female attributes and grows a beard. She calls herself Tirésias now and wants to be a soldier or a senator or anything but what she was. Her Husband doesn't like this one bit, but there's nothing he can do about it. Elsewhere in town, two men named Presto and Lacouf argue about something nobody can remember and shoot each other dead in an absurd duel. The Husband, now alone and peculiar, decides he'll make babies himself if his wife won't. He produces 40,000 children in a single day through sheer stubbornness and French logic. Chaos ensues. That's Act One.
Act 2
In Act Two, the Husband is drowning in babies. They need food, clothes, education—all of it costs money. So the babies have to start making money themselves. Some write best-selling books. Others create monopolies for curdled milk and other enterprises. Business is booming. A reporter from Paris documents the success story. The Gendarme shows up to arrest the Husband for his baby factory. A fortune teller arrives (Thérèse in disguise) and predicts a shaky future. A kerfuffle ensues until Tirésias reveals herself as Thérèse and becomes Thérèse again. The couple reconciles. They'll make babies the old-fashioned way now. The whole town celebrates. Everyone dances. This absurdist story could only happen in opera. That's Act Two.
Performances
- Fri. Dec 5, & Sat. Dec 6 @ 7:30 PM
- Sat. Dec 6 & Sun. Dec 7 @ 2:30 PM
Greer Garson Theatre
Free Admission & Seating
Creative Team
Conductor & Stage Director
Andreas Mitisek
Lighting Designer
Breanna Neal
Assistant Conductor
David Womack
Pianists
Jason Smith
Andrew Gregg
MOT Manager
Kathryn Piña
Cast
- Fri. Dec 5 @ 7:30pm
- Sun. Dec 7 @ 2:30pm
Theatre Director
Addison Vinson
Therése
Jayda Ennis
Husband
J’Von Brown
Monsier Lacouf
Yina Qiao
Monsier Presto
David Walker
A Gendarme
Emma Less
A Newspaper Vendor
Chyna Dillard
A Reporter from Paris
Jennifer Williamson
The Son
Sophie Young
An Elegant Lady
Taarika Bhargava
A Woman
Kaylin Welch
A Bearded Gentleman
Brad Ritschel
Number Girl
Lexi Cook
Baby Solos
Diego Roberts Buceta, Ryan Flatt, Grace Monsanto
Assistants
Theo Howard, Jennifer Williamson
Ensemble
Evi Anderson, Leela Bharath, Taarika Bhargava, J’Von Brown, Lexi Cook, Chyna Dillard, Lwazi Dlamini, Andie Earl, Jayda Ennis, Ryan Flatt, Emily Hansen, JT Hauser, Taylor Hendricks, Theo Howard, Jungmin Lee, Emma Less, Josefina Maldonado, Jacob Mayo, Wayne Mkhize, Ava Moak, Grace Monsanto, Kathryn Piña, Yina Qiao, Brad Ritschel, Diego Roberts Buceta, Clarissa Rodriguez, Eliza Schumacher, David Walker, Kailyn Welch, Jennifer Williamson, Rey Winn, Sophie Young
- Sat. Dec 6 @ 2:30pm
- Sat. Dec 6 @ 7:30pm
Theatre Director
Rey Winn
Therése
Leela Bharath
Husband
Jacob Mayo
Monsier Lacouf
Yina Qiao
Monsier Presto
David Walker
A Gendarme
Eliza Schumacher
A Newspaper Vendor
Clarissa Rodriguez
A Reporter from Paris
Ava Moak
The Son
Sophie Young
An Elegant Lady
Taarika Bharga
A Woman
Kaylin Welch
A Bearded Gentleman
Brad Ritschel
Number Girl
Lexi Cook
Baby Solos
Diego Roberts Buceta, Ryan Flatt, Grace Monsanto
Assistants
Theo Howard, Jennifer Williamson
Ensemble
Evi Anderson, Leela Bharath, Taarika Bhargava, J’Von Brown, Lexi Cook, Chyna Dillard, Lwazi Dlamini, Andie Earl, Jayda Ennis, Ryan Flatt, Emily Hansen, JT Hauser, Taylor Hendricks, Theo Howard, Jungmin Lee, Emma Less, Josefina Maldonado, Jacob Mayo, Wayne Mkhize, Ava Moak, Grace Monsanto, Kathryn Piña, Yina Qiao, Brad Ritschel, Diego Roberts Buceta, Clarissa Rodriguez, Eliza Schumacher, David Walker, Kailyn Welch, Jennifer Williamson, Rey Winn, Sophie Young
Special Thanks
Teila Witham Vochatzer, Melissa Cox, Dawn Askew