The Light in the Piazza
A musical with a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
2/12 at 7 PM and 2/14 at 3 PM
2/12 at 7 PM and 2/14 at 3 PM
Margaret Johnson - Brittany Jeffery
Clara Johnson - Teaira Burge
Fabrizio Naccarelli - Mick Jutila
Signor Naccarelli - David Govertsen
Signora Naccarelli - Mary Govertsen
Franca Naccarelli - Katherine Petersen
Giuseppe Naccarelli - Jonathan Wilson
The Priest/Fabrizio Cover - Timothy McGowan
Roy Johnson - Wm Bullion
Clara Cover - Grace Reberg
Clara Johnson - Teaira Burge
Fabrizio Naccarelli - Mick Jutila
Signor Naccarelli - David Govertsen
Signora Naccarelli - Mary Govertsen
Franca Naccarelli - Katherine Petersen
Giuseppe Naccarelli - Jonathan Wilson
The Priest/Fabrizio Cover - Timothy McGowan
Roy Johnson - Wm Bullion
Clara Cover - Grace Reberg
Brittany Jeffery / MargaretRead Full bio
Mezzo Soprano, Brittany Jeffery, is a Chicago based performing artist. Directly after relocating to Chicago in 2017 Brittany made her debut as Dorabella in Transgressive Theatre-Opera’s Cosi Fan Tutte and has continued as a free-lance performer ever since. Brittany holds a Masters Degree in Opera Performance from Wichita State University (2016) and Bachelors Degrees in Music Education and Performance from Kansas Wesleyan University (2013). Brittany has studied with world-renowned bass-baritone Alan Held, routinely coached with operatic bass legend, Samuel Ramey, and currently studies with distinguished pedagogue and author, W. Stephen Smith. Among Brittany’s most impressive accomplishments is the raging coloratura role of Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina, which she first performed with Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium in 2019. Also in 2019, she performed a leading role in the premiere performance of The Harbingers; by American Prize winning composer, Rosśa Crean. Much of Brittany’s experience includes performances of 20 th and 21 st century works. Last March, Brittany was to make her debut with Thompson Street Opera Company with a leading role in Trifles by John Bilotta, but necessary precautions due to Covid19 led to cancellation just two weeks out from production. Some more of Brittany’s full and partial operatic roles include Octavian from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Romeo from Bellini’s Il Capuleti ei Montecchi, and several Mozart roles, including Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, both Sesto and Annio from La Clemenza di Tito, and Isolier from Le comte Ory− Many of which were on the Transgressive Theatre-Opera stage! Brittany feels equally at home with oratorio, concert works, and musical theatre, and she maintains a deep appreciation for the art song repertoire. Brittany’s first experience with the role of Margaret Johnson in Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza was during graduate school, under the direction of Music Theatre Wichita’s, Wayne Bryan. She is elated at the opportunity to revive this role virtually with Transgressive Theatre-Opera and this astounding cast and production team! Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera LLS/Le Nozze di Figaro Act II, Cherubino, 2019 The Consul, Secretary (Cover), 2019 Count Ory, Isolier, 2019 Cosi Fan Tutte, Dorabella, 2018 Masque At Kenilworth, Quartet Alto Soloist/The Lost Chord, 2018 Trial By Jury, Ensemble, 2018 |
Teaira Burge / ClaraRead Full bio
Teaira Burge is a Chicago based crossover performer who has developed a reputation as a versatile performing artist throughout opera, musical theater, and operetta productions. Since moving to Chicago in 2013, Teaira has had the pleasure of performing with several local companies, including Music Theater Works, New Moon Opera, The Floating Opera Company, Petite Opera Productions, The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company of Chicago, and Chicago Folks Operetta. Teaira obtained her Master of Music degree from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and is a student of Rebecca Schorsch. Teaira also works as a teaching artist at Bubbles Academy, where she teaches Preschool Preparation, Creative Movement, Bubble Ballet, and Art + Music to students ages 1-5 years old. When she is not singing, dancing, or playing the ukulele for toddlers, Teaira is most likely cheering with PomSquad Fitness, attending bluegrass concerts, saving pictures of poodles to her phone, or eating her weight in salted caramel ice cream. teairaburge.com Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera Beauty, Beauty's Truth, 2020 Count Ory, Jacqueline, 2019 Letters of Love and Subterfuge, Various, 2019 Cosi Fan Tutte, Despina, 2018 Masque At Kenilworth, Quartet/Jessica/Dancer, 2018 Trial By Jury, Ensemble, 2018 Cox and Box, Cox, 2017 The Best of the Worst, Various, 2017 |
Mick Jutila / FabrizioRead Full bio
Mick Jutila is excited to be making his Transgressive Theatre - Opera debut! Mick is currently studying to receive his MM in Vocal Performance in Music Theatre at New York University along with an advanced degree in Vocal Pedagogy and will graduate in the spring. Mick has performed for a variety of theatres and venues, some notable roles include Tommy in Brigadoon, Willis Parkham in An Embarrassing Position, Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, and ensemble roles in shows such as Wonderland, The Producers, and Les Misérables. Mick is also a professional musician, having played lead guitar for a production of Shakespeare in Love, and banjo for Cedar Point’s bluegrass band. While not performing, Mick likes to spend his time rock climbing, hiking, watching Netflix, or playing dungeons and dragons with his friends. |
David Govertsen / Signor NaccarelliRead Full bio
Chicago native David Govertsen has been active as a professional singer for nearly twenty years, portraying a wide variety of opera’s low-voiced heroes, villains, and buffoons. Mr. Govertsen has appeared as a soloist with numerous local and regional opera companies, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Tulsa Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Haymarket Opera Company. He is a member of the vocal chamber quartet Fourth Coast Ensemble, performing art song in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. As a concert soloist Mr. Govertsen has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Grant Park Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival among many others. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2011 as the Herald in Otello with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center and the Santa Fe Opera and Central City Opera apprentice programs and holds degrees from Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University and the College of DuPage. Mr. Govertsen is currently on faculty at North Park University, Valparaiso University, Lewis University and the College of DuPage. Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera Time in Beauty's Truth, 2020 A Few Words About Chekov, Anton Chekov, 2016 The Telephone, Ben, 2015 Hello Out There, A Young Man, 2015 |
Mary Lutz-Govertsen / SignoraRead Full bio
Mary is delighted to return to Transgressive Theater-Opera, having sung Fiordiligi/Così fan tutte, Olga Knipper/A Few Words About Chekov in TT-O's production of A Chekhov Trio, and Lucy/The Telephone and A Girl/Hello Out There during the company’s inaugural performances. As a young professional singer in Chicago, Mary has performed with Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, Windy City Opera, Chamber Opera Chicago, Verismo Opera, Main Street Opera, OperaModa, Opera for the Young, the DuPage Symphony and Chorale, the Music Institute of Chicago, Katydid Opera, and Chicago Symphony Chorus. She has been seen as Lucia/Lucia di Lammermoor; Donna Anna/Don Giovanni; Fiordiligi/Così fan tutte; Rosalinde/Die Fledermaus; Adele/Le Comte Ory; Heroines/Les Contes d’Hoffmann; First Lady/The Magic Flute; Mimi and Musetta/La boheme, Madame Lidoine/The Dialogues of the Carmelites; and Mlle. Silberklang/Der Schauspieldirektor, among others. She has been an apprentice at Opera New Jersey, where she covered the role of Clorinda/La Cenerentola and at Cedar Rapids Opera, as Fiordiligi/Cosi fan tutte. This season Mary performed Alice Ford/Falstaff with Main Street Opera, and Almera/Dark Sisters with Third Eye Theater Ensemble. She lives in Chicago with her husband, bass-baritone David Govertsen and their son, Ben. Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera Deceit in Beauty's Truth, 2020 Count Ory, Countess Adele, 2019 Letters of Love & Subterfuge/Le Nozze di Figaro Act II Consul, Anna Gomez, 2019 Cosi Fan Tutte, Fiordiligi, 2018 A Few Words About Chekov, Olga Knipper, 2016 The Telephone, Lucy, 2015 Hello Out There, A Girl (Emily), 2015 |
Katherine Petersen / FrancaRead Full bio
Katherine Petersen is an engaging soprano specializing in the performance of 21st Century repertoire for voice/saxophone and Russian Art Song. Her recent collaborations with Decho Saxophone Ensemble (https://www.dechoensemble.com/new-page) include performances at the International Saxophone Symposium (2020) and an ensemble residency at the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho (2020). Her doctoral dissertation “Russian Repertoire: Developmental Perspectives” investigates the paucity of Russian Song Repertoire in the American voice studio and recital hall. Based in Chicago, Katherine performs regularly with Folks Operetta, the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theater, and Transgressive Theatre-Opera. She makes frequent concert appearances with Folks Operetta in their recital series devoted to showcasing the music silenced by the Third Reich; concert titles include Kochen, Singen, und Essen; Operetta in Exile; Goodbye Berlin, Aloha Hawaii; Forbidden Opera. Her recent roles include Bessie Throckmorton in Merrie England, Brigitta in Iolanta, Contessa in Marriage of Figaro, Counsel to the Plaintiff/Trial by Jury, Lady of the Lake/Masque at Kenilworth, and Sylva Varescu in Csardas Princess. Previous regional performances include appearances with Opera Columbus, Bay View Music Festival, and the Russian Opera Workshop. Highlights of previous roles include Musetta in La bohème, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Francesca in Rachmaninoff’s Francesca di Rimini, and Micaëla in Carmen. Concert repertoire highlights include soprano soloist in Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer 1915, Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasileiras No.5, and Handel’s Messiah. Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera Masque At Kenilworth, Soprano Soloist Lady of the Lake, 2018 Trial By Jury, Counsel for The Plantiff, 2018 |
Jonathan Wilson / GiuseppeRead Full bio
Baritone Jonathan Wilson is delighted to be performing again with Transgressive Theatre-Opera after several appearances in previous seasons and most recently singing the role of Counsel in their charming production of Beauty's Truth earlier this year. Praised by the Chicago Classical Review as a "superb actor" with a "resounding and luxurious" voice, Jonathan is an enthusiast of contemporary opera with recent favorite roles including Robert Dziekański in I will fly like a bird (Plant, Wainwright), The Poet in When Adonis Calls (Borzoni, de los Santos, Dillard), and Hannah-Before in As One (Kaminsky, Campbell, Reed). With a reputation for sensitively straddling musical styles, Jonathan also recently performed as the titular character in Tom Waits' and Kathleen Brennan's adaptation of Woyzeck with Chicago Fringe Opera and has premiered many roles for new chamber operas and musical theater productions around the Chicago area. Jonathan is also a frequent singer with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, and Lyric Opera Chorus. Outside of performing, Jonathan is passionate about math and science and holds degrees from the University of Illinois and University of Michigan in physics, mathematics, and electromagnetics. He has worked in the cellular telecommunications industry as a radio frequency electrical engineer and in Chicago-area colleges as a lecturer of physics, astronomy, and Earth science. He greatly admires the creative overlap between the scientific and musical arts in their explorations of the intricacy, complexity, and beauty of the world. Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera Counsel, Beauty's Truth 2020 Masque At Kenilworth, Quartet Bass Soloist, 2018 Cosi Fan Tutte, Gugliemo, 2018 The Best of the Worst, Various, 2017 The Seduction of A Lady, Peter Semyonych, 2016 |
Timothy McGowan / Priest, Fabrizio coverRead Full bio
Timothy McGowan is excited to join Transgressive Theatre-Opera as both the Priest and Fabrizio cover in Adam Guettel's The Light in The Piazza. McGowan is a versatile performer who enjoys singing traditional opera, sacred music, contemporary works and American Musical Theatre. He has performed with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, the Ohio Light Opera, the Boston University Opera Institute, Odyssey Opera, The Palace Theatre (NH) and Seagle Music Colony among other companies. Enthusiastic about 21st century works, Timothy has been in several staged and concertized premieres including Joshua, an oratorio by Christopher LaRosa, Roscoe by Evan Mack and Rodman in North Korea by Sarah Hutchings. His favorite stage roles include the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring, and the Unnamed Tenor in Glass’s Hydrogen Jukebox. He was most recently seen as a soloist in selections from Messiah, tenor soloist in Montiverdi’s Vespers, Prince Karl in the North American Premiere of The Devil’s Rider by Emmerich Kalaman, William Fayre in Ivor Novello’s Perchance to Dream, and Peter in Babes in Arm by Rogers and Hart. An East Coast transplant, Timothy lives in Champaign with his fiance and their dog. |
Wm. Bullion / Roy JohnsonRead Full bio
Wm. Bullion has been on the Chicago storefront theater scene his entire adult life. Director, actor, writer, Ensemble Member of the Factory Theater and Artistic Director of The Conspirators, where he recently appeared as Mr. Potter in "Ayn Rand's 'It's a Wonderful Life' as Performed by The Conspirators Under the Direction of Debbie Wasserman Schultz" or "Rand/Schultz", which he also directed. If you love a little politics with your theater, Billy recommends learning more about The Conspirators at www.conspirewithus.org. Roles at Transgressive Theatre-Opera The Clinic, Officer JD Ellis, 2020 |
Grace Reberg / Clara coverRead Full bio
Grace Reberg is the Tour Guide and is covering Clara in this production. In May of this year, Grace Reberg, mezzo-soprano, earned a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Michigan State University under the tutelage of Jane Bunnell. Most recently she prepared the roles of Sesto in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito with MSU Opera Theatre, Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly! with Seagle Music Colony, and was scheduled to sing the Alto Solo in Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with the MSU Symphony Orchestra, before the COVID-19 pandemic. She can also be seen featured in the Janiec Opera Company’s production of ZOOM Speed Dating Tonight!. As a trained dancer with over 12 years of experience, Grace acted as Dance Captain in Romeo et Juliette with the Janiec Opera Company in 2019, in addition to covering the role of Stephano. She also served as Dance Captain in the 2019 production of Orpheus in the Underworld with the MSU Opera Theatre, in which she choreographed all dance sequences and sang the role of Venus. Other notable stage credits include La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi with the MSU Opera Theatre (2019), Prince Orlofsky (cvr) with the Janiec Opera Company (2019), and Cinderella in Cinderella with Opera in the Ozarks (2018). |