Engagement in the world of opera means encountering stories and productions that have problematic undertones. From Don Giovanni to Carmen, many have a common threat of gender-based and sexual violence. It’s a reality that San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program is determined to challenge.

Merola Opera Program’s 2023 Summer Festival will include a new production of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, directed by Jan Essinger and conducted by Judith Yan. The prestigious training platforms for emerging artists has an extensive alumni network including Ailyn Pérez, Nadine Sierra, and Joyce DiDonato. With the persistent reverberations of the #MeToo movement and continual concerns about the disproportionate violence enacted upon young women in the US, Merola’s choice to bill The Rape of Lucretia this summer was deliberate. 

The Rape of Lucretia is one of many operas that explore suicide, sexual assault, and misogyny. Acutely aware that these young artists will tell these difficult stories for years to come, the team at Merola want to give their artists the tools to do so effectively and safely.

 ‘We are a training organisation first and foremost,’ said Carrie-Ann Matheson, the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center. ‘A large part of our responsibility is to give our artists the opportunity to explore these really difficult topics with a safe and carefully chosen team.’ One of these team members is German director Jan Essinger. ‘He’s an educator, a brilliant director, and a very principled, kind human being. I knew he would handle the rehearsal room with the respect and kindness necessary for a subject like this,’ said Matheson. Canadian conductor Judith Yan was also handpicked by Matheson. ‘I felt it was also important to have a woman’s presence in the room. Judith brings not only deep musical knowledge but an unfailingly positive presence and a steady hand to the process.’  

‘We can’t hide underneath a blanket and pretend these things don’t exist. Art has always shone a light on both the beautiful sides and the ugly sides of humanity, and it’s our responsibility as artists to talk about both.’

Completing the core team of creatives for this production is intimacy director Maya Herbsman, who is especially attuned to the importance of communicating explicit consent and boundaries in the rehearsal room. ‘Every time we begin working together again, I’ll check in, asking questions like, “How has the scene been going? How have you been feeling? Any changes to your consent since we last saw one another?” I ask all these questions at these different junctures to offer as many opportunities as possible for performers to voice any issues that are arising and allow for their boundaries to change as they spend more time with the scene.’

Merola Opera Program is profoundly committed to the wellbeing of their artists, both inside and outside the rehearsal room. Their artists are provided free and confidential access to therapy during the twelve-week festival. ‘We want to make this a safe haven for these artists,’ said Jean Kellogg, the Executive Director of the Merola Opera Program. Kellogg also shared how enthusiastic the artists themselves are to perform this work: ‘They’re excited about singing these roles and portraying these characters. They’re thrilled about the opportunity to perform and create a new way of presenting this opera. It’s empowering for them.’

 Merola’s production will simultaneously explore the opera’s historical relevance and slightly twist the ending to be one that is more modern and empowering. ‘In the opera, Lucretia takes her own life. In our production, Lucretia experiences a resurrection as a modern, strong woman, not a character who has to be pitied or who doesn’t see a way out of her shame. There are ways out, and we’re going to show that,’ said Matheson.  


Carrie-Ann Matheson, the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center | Credit: Olivia Kahler

To further empower and educate their audience, a post-show talk will be given after their final show in collaboration with San Francisco Women Against Rape, a non-profit organisation that provides resources and support to survivors of sexual assault in San Francisco. Kellogg is especially hopeful that this talk will impact the young people in the audience. ‘We anticipate questions from younger audience members. The post show talk will focus on how relevant these issues are,’ she said. As one example, Kellogg brought up the connection between Lucretia’s tragic ending and the mental health of transgender youth in America. In 2022, one report revealed that over 50% of transgender youth considered suicide in the past year. ‘The suicide rate among transgender youth is shocking. This is why the story is still so relevant today.’

Also relevant to this production are the harrowing statistics on sexual assault in the US. According to the USA’s National Sexual Assault Resource Center, one in five women in the US have survived rape or attempted rape, and a third of these survivors were assaulted between the ages of 11 and 17. Matheson felt a responsibility to artistically convey the urgency of these issues. ‘We can’t hide underneath a blanket and pretend these things don’t exist. Art has always shone a light on both the beautiful sides and the ugly sides of humanity, and it’s our responsibility as artists to talk about both.’

Merola Opera Program is devoted to using opera as a vessel for change while remaining wholly faithful to the training, artistry, and safety of their singers. Their production of The Rape of Lucretia will exemplify the exceptional talent within their program while making a real community impact. According to Matheson, ‘It’s only in walking up to these topics and confronting them that we can be part of the change. It is our hope that these performances might have an impact, creating empathy, perhaps allowing someone to feel that their specific story is being seen and acknowledged. In a larger sense, if this gives a viewer the wherewithal to take a bigger stand against atrocity, that would be a very welcome outcome.’ 

The Rape of Lucretia is part of the Merola Opera Festival, Thursday, July 13, 7:30pm and Saturday, July 15, 2pm at the Herbst Theatre, San Francisco. merola.org/summer