Meet the Cast of USC Thornton Opera’s “The English Cat”
By Evan Calbi
Beginning on Nov. 19, the USC Thornton’s Opera Program presents The English Cat, the 1983 opera written by famed 20th-century composer Hans Werner Henze featuring a libretto by controversial British playwright, Edward Bond.
In this video, meet the cast of the production, including USC Thornton students Savannah Greene, Emma Grimsley, Justin Su’esu’e, Alyssa Wills, and David Wilson.
Based on a short story from Scenes of the Public and Private Lives of Animals by Honoré de Balzac, The English Cat explores class division through the eyes of a group of bourgeois cats who form the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Rats. The production is a West Coast premiere.
“We have done quite a few premieres here,” said Ken Cazan, USC Thornton Opera resident stage director and Vocal Arts and Opera Chair. “Many years ago, I was called in at the very last minute to work as the assistant director for the premiere in Santa Fe, and I always thought it would be a great opera for students to do. It’s very important for them to do these kind of pieces here because our goal is to create the next generation of professional singing actors.”
The English Cat runs from November 19 through November 23. For more information, please visit the USC Thornton event calendar.
