Program Notes
“Susie, little Susie, say what is the news?”
So begins the greatest musical story ever written for children, Hänsel & Gretel, by
Engelbert Humperdinck. Like the ageless pop singer who uses the composer’s name,
Hänsel & Gretel is still going strong.
And little wonder. Drawn from the Grimms’ gritty fairy tale, its story has everything to
charm and interest both kids and adults: Children who overcome deprivation, poverty
and mortal danger, narrowly escape being eaten, and use their courage and wits to
defeat the evil Witch despite her supernatural powers. The terrors of the deep, dark,
night forest. Family dynamics, struggling adults, unruly kids and questionable parenting
decisions. Angels. Broomsticks. Delightful costumes and sets. A candy and
gingerbread house and a Witch-sized oven. Dancing. Plenty of action to keep a kid’s
attention.
For adults, it also offers food for thought: What sort of parents do these kids have,
anyway? Why is the Witch so evil? Why is the father drunk, and why doesn’t the mother
know the woods are dangerous? Or if she does, then what does that say about her?
And of course, there’s the music. Hänsel & Gretel ranges magically from authentic and
simple folk songs and devout hymns to lush harmonies and complex romantic textures
straight from Richard Wagner, that appeal to the most sophisticated tastes. It’s full and
rich, yet marvelously concise: our performance lasts barely an hour.
Hänsel & Gretel came about when Humperdinck’s sister, Adelheid Wette, an author,
composer and folklore collector in her own right, wrote plays and poems to be
performed by her children each year at Christmas. For their 1890 family Christmas,
Humperdinck set a few of her poems to music. Greatly encouraged, the Humperdinck
siblings expanded it to the opera we know today. It was an instant hit, with initial
productions conducted by none other than musical giants Richard Strauss and Gustav
Mahler. It has been translated into some 11 languages and heard all over the world.
Our production and venue lobby features art works created around the opera by kids at
the Olivets Boys and Girls Club this summer, gingerbread and other sweets to delight
the palate, as well as a chance to purchase the original artwork by Gretel, Maya Burdick, on the program cover.
Richard Raub, Conductor
Joel Gori, Director
Tamara Black, Artistic Director and Producer
Jessica Warchal-King, Choreography
Berks Opera thanks our 2024 partners:
Albright College | Arthur Judson Foundation | Berks Arts (PCA)
Berks Community Television (BCTV) | Compass Dental
Fall Festival of the Arts | Feeney Historic Mansion
JCWK Dance Lab | Genesius Theatre | Reading Musical Foundation
Sweet Street Desserts | United Way of Berks County
Cast
We are pleased to be working with students from Albright College from the Vocal Music Department! Please note that many roles are double-cast to allow for a larger number of talented students to participate.
Maya Burdick
Maya's recent theatrical roles include Louise in Gypsy, Hope in Urinetown, Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar, Wendla in Spring Awakening, and Constanze in Amadeus.
Beyond the stage, Maya has recently completed writing and illustrating two original children's books.
Myleigh Snyder
A junior at Albright College, Myleigh is pursuing majors in Vocal Performance and Theater. Her recent roles include Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Josephine Strong in Urinetown: The Musical, and Marie Antoinette in The Revolutionists
Suzannah Waddington
American-Canadian soprano Suzannah Waddington, praised for her “bright, penetrating soprano,” (Opera News) is a recent graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist program with Washington National Opera (2020-2022). In the 2021/22, season she was a featured soloist for the Come Home Concert, Frasquita in Carmen, as well as premiering the role of The Monument in a newly commissioned opera entitled Written in Stone: Rise by Kamala Sankaram and A.M. Holmes. She is a native of Philadelphia.
Luke Perkins
Luke is a senior transfer at Albright College and is so happy to be finishing out his college years in such a wonderful school. Some of Luke's recent theatrical roles include Quasimodo in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret, and Trunchbull in Matilda.
In his free time, Luke enjoys songwriting and is currently working on his first original musical, Heartache: A New Musical.
Jacob Bowers
Jacois a senior at Albright College, where he is studying theater and vocal performance. He is excited to return for his third collaboration with the Berks Opera Company in Humperdinck's Hänsel and Gretel. Jacob's previous roles with Berks Opera include King Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors and Don Giovanni in The Three Little Pigs.
Other theater credits at Albright College include Spring Awakening (Adult Man), As You Like It (Oliver), and Urinetown: The Musical (Caldwell B. Cladwell).
Taylor Meachum
Taylor, a sophomore at Albright College majoring in Vocal Performance and Communications, is thrilled to make her operatic debut as the "Sandman" in Humperdinck’s Hänsel & Gretel!
Her previous roles include Deloris in Sister Act and the Cleaning Woman in Working.
Taylor extends her gratitude to Berks Opera Company for this wonderful opportunity!
Andrew Schucker
Andrew is making his mark as a “pure and clear” male soprano voice. Andrew has enjoyed various vocal performance roles, such as a soloist and chorister with the Berks Youth Chorus in Reading, and recently as a member of the Bel Canto Youth Chorus, where he serves as the soprano section leader.
Past roles include The Youth in Mendelsohn's Elijah with the Reading Choral Society and Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors in collaboration with Albright College and Berks Opera.
Julia Poole
Julia Charette Poole is a current Junior at Albright College and has performed roles such as Little Becky Two-Shoes in Urinetown, Celia in As You Like It, and Thea in Spring Awakening.
She has production experience in Assistant Directing, Dramaturgy, Associate Choreography, Wardrobe Supervising, and wardrobe dresser work. She additionally serves as the Artistic Director of The Domino Players and is a member of the Albright Chorale and Chamber Choir.
Daniel Reyes
Daniel recently attended the Austrian American Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria, in which he played Bastien in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne and Monsieur Vogelsang/Dr. Engele in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor.
Other recent credits include King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Berks Opera Company and Bobby Strong in Urinetown: The Musical with the Domino Players. He is an Albright College senior expecting to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Theater and Vocal Performance.
Angel Alvarado
Angel is a sophomore psychology and vocal performance co-major at Albright College. He is very excited to make his operatic debut as “Witch” in Hänsel & Gretel!
Previous stage roles include Leaf Coneybear in Spelling Bee and King Charlemagne in Pippin. Angel is looking forward to continuing work with the Berks Opera Company and is very grateful for his family, friends, and professors who continuously support him through his journey.
Cady Monasmith
Cady feels that movement is a powerful way of speaking through our bodies; in addition to dancing with JCWK Dance Lab, Cady is a licensed therapist.
Arielle Ridley
Arielle is a performer, teacher, and choreographer working throughout the East Coast; currently she is dance faculty at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, performs with JCWK Dance Lab and Y.u.S Artistry, freelances, and teaches multiple styles at several different dance studios.
Jessica C. Warchal-King
Jessica described as a “post mod(ern) ballerina” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, is founder and director of JCWK Dance Lab, a Reading- based contemporary dance company; she has performed, taught, and presented nationally and internationally.
Megan Zalek
Megan is a veterinarian working in PA and a dance artist with JCWK Dance Lab.
Brooke Gibson
Elizabeth Katz
Daniel Levin