OPERA / 2016-2017
Dead Man Walking
OPEN REHEARSAL
Washington National Opera
Music by Jake Heggie Lyrics by Terrence McNally Based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean
Opera | Noob Guide Opera | Nerd Guide
Please note: Dead Man Walking includes graphic scenes of violence, sexual assault, and execution by lethal injection. Explicit language is also used throughout.
“Are we a society of compassion or vengeance? Love or hate? Life or death?” – Sister Helen Prejean
So What’s Going On?
Louisiana: The 1980s.
Audience members witness a shocking and brutal crime as two brothers assault and kill an innocent young couple in cold blood.
The action then flashes forward and, some time later, music and laughter can be heard inside a residential project called “Hope House” as Sister Helen Prejean and her colleague, Sister Rose, teach a new song to some local children. Once the music class is dismissed, Sister Helen reveals she’s been in contact with a murderer on death row at Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary, and that the convict wants to meet her. She’s frightened, but she’s determined to drive to the prison and show the murderer some compassion in his final days.
On the long road to the prison, Sister Helen reflects on the choices that led her to join the church and to begin writing to a man who was found guilty of rape and murder. Once inside the prison, some inmates scream obscenities at Helen while others beg for her prayers. Soon she’s face to face with Joseph De Rocher, her unlikely pen pal and the man convicted of the atrocities shown in the opening scene. Though Joseph is aloof at first, he eventually asks her to stand by his side at his final appeal before the judicial pardon board and serve as his “spiritual advisor.”
At the appeal hearing, Joseph’s mother pleads with the board to spare her son from lethal injection. She claims too much blood has already been spilled and too many hearts have already been broken. This fails to satisfy the parents of the murdered teens, all four of whom confront Sister Helen and ask why she’s made such an effort to comfort the De Rochers but has made no attempt to reach out to the victims’ families. Helen apologizes just as the board reaches its decision: The appeal is denied.
With Joe’s execution looming, Sister Helen tries harder than ever to get him to own up to his crimes and seek forgiveness. When he refuses, she becomes overwhelmed with emotion and collapses in the death row waiting room.
Execution day draws nearer. Alone in his cell, Joe lashes out at Louisiana society for condemning him to death. Alone in her room, Helen has nightmares about Joe’s victims and is comforted by Sister Rose.
During Joe’s final hours, his family, Sister Helen, and the families of the victims gather at the prison. As time moves forward, Helen implores Joe to tell the truth about the horrible murders. Will he confess? Will Helen find the strength to forgive him despite everything he’s done?
The real-life Sister Helen Prejean PHOTO by Scott Langley
Who’s Who
Sister Helen Prejean, a Louisiana nun (mezzo-soprano—a middle-range female voice) Joseph De Rocher, a death row inmate (baritone—a middle-range male voice) Mrs. De Rocher, Joseph’s mother (mezzo-soprano) Sister Rose, Helen’s friend (soprano—the highest female voice) Owen Hart, father to a murdered girl (baritone) Kitty Hart, mother to a murdered girl (soprano) Howard Boucher, father to a murdered boy (tenor—the highest male voice) Jade Boucher, mother to a murdered boy (mezzo-soprano)
SPEAKING OF SINGING VOICES…
Composer Jake Heggie talks about the differences between musical theater and opera and the emotional effects of the human voice:
GOOD TO KNOW
Though Dead Man Walking is based on the book that chronicled the real-life experiences of Sister Helen Prejean, the plot of the opera features characters that are modeled after more than one person. The fictional figure of Joseph De Rocher, for example, shares certain traits with two separate men counseled by Sister Helen, both of whom protested their innocence. The opera also blends together certain events in order to build tension or intensify emotion.
Another thing to keep in mind: Justice and the law are not new themes for opera. Dead Man Walking may have first appeared on stage in 2000, but composers were tackling scenes of crime and punishment hundreds of years beforehand. This WNO season, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will personally examine some of opera’s most famous legal cases in an exclusive chat.
And finally: Since Dead Man Walking takes place in Louisiana, you may hear a lot of names and terms that have French or Creole origins. “Zydeco” (pronounced ZAHY-di-koh), for example, is a type of Creole dance music that uses the accordion.
Check This Out…
Composer Jake Heggie seems to associate certain instrument groups with certain characters. Can you distinguish which sounds are meant to symbolize which people? [Hint: Think wind instruments like flute and clarinet for Sister Helen.] Do you feel the composer’s choices are appropriate? Why?
Lyricist Terrence McNally has said he didn’t want the characters in Dead Man Walking to sound “poetic” or fussy. Do you think the conversations in the opera sound like normal, everyday American speech? If so, how?
How do the director and the lighting, set, and costume designers provide clues about each of the characters and their histories? Can you guess that Sister Helen is a nun before anyone says her name? Can you tell the difference between the De Rocher family and the Hart and Boucher families before the pardon board scene begins? If so, how?
The repetitive musical theme played in the opening prelude can be heard over and over again throughout the opera. Listen carefully and see if you can identify it at various times, even when it’s played by different instruments or at different speeds. What do you think this theme represents?
Since this opera takes place in late-20th-century Louisiana, it uses music that evokes modern day America. Listen for musical passages that don’t sound like opera at all, but instead feel more like blues or rock and roll.
Think About This...
Sister Helen sings the same hymn at the beginning and the end of the opera. Does the singer change the way she performs them at the opening versus at the closing? How?
Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally deliberately chose not to take sides in the death penalty debate when they created Dead Man Walking. Do you think they succeeded? Do you feel the opera asks you to sympathize with certain characters over others or do you think it’s unbiased?
Sister Rose and Sister Helen sing about how love and forgiveness are sometimes shown through deeds rather than through words. Do you think Sister Helen has forgiven Joe by the time the curtain falls? If so, how does she express her forgiveness? Does the music give you any hint about her true feelings?
Take Action: Journey to the Truth
In her aria “This Journey,” Sister Helen realizes that her life is a series of physical, spiritual, and emotional journeys, all of which help her better understand herself and her role in society. Try going on your own journey by doing something that will challenge you to think in a new light, take you out of your comfort zone, or help you discover new things about yourself. Your “travels” can be physical (you could try heading to a place you’ve never been to before on your next vacation), or they could be more personal (you could sign up for a new type of class, offer to volunteer at a local charity, or learn about another language or culture that interests you).
Record your feelings about these experiences in a journal and be sure to note if they’ve changed your point of view in any way. If you feel comfortable, transfer your journal entries into a blog and share it with your friends and family. If you’re using hashtags, try #journeytothetruth.
Explore More
Go even deeper with the Dead Man Walking Performance Extras.
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PHOTO (top) by Cade Martin
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Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO.
WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.
WNO's Presenting Sponsor
Support for Dead Man Walking is provided by The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Support for JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy is provided by Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Student attendance at this performance is made possible by the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.