Alice Ryley

Study Guide

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Let’s get familiar with Opera

An opera (the Italian for ‘work’) is a story told through words and music. The orchestra plays the

music always under the Conductor’s direction. On stage, singers bring the story to life through

acting and singing the words (known as the ‘libretto’) along to the music played by the orchestra

much in the same way as a musical. What makes an opera different to a musical is that the

singers are not amplified by microphones and the orchestra plays entirely live. This creates a

bigger, more dramatic sound and draws the audience into the story.

The main characters are sung by ‘principals’ who are often guest artists who work freelance and

perform with different opera companies. The main characters are surrounded by the

Comprimarios and Chorus who, depending on the opera, either comment on the main action or

on occasion take the story forward themselves. Opera is always better if experienced live as it

unites the audience, the music and the players in one creative and surrounding storytelling.

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Myths about opera that we are

pleased to clarify for you

1 – I won’t understand it – it’s in a foreign language.

Opera is all about telling stories through music, so it’s important to know what is going on.

Alice is in English but even with that and with foreign language Operas, the translations are projected above the stage

– called “supertitles”.

2 – You have to dress up

You certainly can dress up if you want but the most important is to dress comfortably: come in something appropriate

for an evening out.

3 - Opera is elitist

We are very passionate about Opera and we strive to make it possible for everyone to attend. We want to share the

power of opera with everyone. We are dedicated to ensuring that no one is excluded form enjoying opera.

4 – It’s too long

Alice Ryley lasts approximately one hour. Some movies last less than an hour, some last up to four hours. The same

applies to Opera, there are some very short operas but there are also a few longer ones too. Most operas last not much

longer than the typical Hollywood blockbuster and includes intervals.

5 - What’s opera got to do with my life?

Since it’s origin, Opera is all about people, about their stories. It’s relevant because everyone is able to relate with love,

loss or difficult choices in life – necessary ingredients to make a great Opera. One of the most amazing things about

attending an Opera is that you will experience this live storytelling performance in form of beautiful and moving

melodies that will be stuck in your head for days.

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The audience is an important part of all performances!

1. Make sure to arrive at the theatre well

before the performance begins, and use the

restroom, if needed, before you arrive. It

distracts the other audience members if you

enter after the show has begun, or to get up

during a performance because it draws

attention away from the stage.

2. There is no food or drink allowed in the

theater. Also make sure that all cell phones

are turned off. Cameras and video recorders

should also not be used during the

performance. Any piece of technology that can make noise or light can distract the performers

on stage and the audience members around you.

3. When the lights dim in the theater it is a signal that the performance is about to begin. The

conductor will enter the orchestra pit. It is tradition a to applaud at this point.

4. The audience’s reaction is an important part of live theater. If something funny happens, it’s

OK to laugh! The opposite holds for serious moments – if you are quiet and attentive, everyone

will be able to concentrate and enjoy the action on stage.

5. Feel free to applaud after an overture or aria in the middle of a performance. If you are not

sure when it is appropriate to applaud, follow the lead of the rest of the audience. Show

appreciation to the performers by shouting “Bravo!” for a male performer, “Brava!” for a female

performer, or “Bravi!” for an ensemble.

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Alice Ryley, A Savannah Ghost Story

(2015) Opera in One Act Music and text by Michael Ching Commissioned by Savannah Voice Festival and VOICExperience Maria Zouves and Sherrill Milnes, Directors Tour guide (speaking) Sherrill Milnes There are two characters who play Alice Ryley Jailed Alice, 17 dressed in rags, jailed for murder Mezzo Alice, the same, 16 an indentured servant, native of Ireland, recently arrived Soprano Mary, a midwife, a colonist entrusted with being Alice’s jailor Mezzo One Tenor can play all these characters at the producer’s option Sailor, on the Lucky Petrel Tenor Edward Canon, Alice’s first master, briefly. Actually named Richard Canon Tenor William Wise, running the colony cattle farm Tenor The Recorder, a sort of notary/lawyer in the colony (speaking) Tenor Notary plays a man of the cloth in the hanging scene, or can be done as the Recorder Baritone doubles two roles¨ one is non speaking/singing Richard White, a young man, another indentured servant Baritone Greaves, the executioner for the colony (doubles Richard White) mute Townsfolk, at the harbor and at the hanging of Alice Ryley optional ensemble Orchestration Flute/Tin Whistle, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Bass, Piano and percussion

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Brief Summary

Framed by tour guides visiting Wright Square in contemporary Savannah, ALICE RYLEY goes back to the founding of the city the 1730s and a ghost story that persists to this day. Alice, a newly arrived Irish indentured servant, survives a terrible Atlantic crossing only to be expelled from her first post for praying in Gaelic. Moved to the colony's cattle farm she meets and falls in love with a fellow Irish indenture, Richard White. They serve a cruel master and White murders him. They are caught and condemned to hang. Alice's jailor Mary is also a midwife and sees that Alice is pregnant. She is allowed to have her baby. Alice has a letter written to Governor James Oglethorpe for clemency but the letter is in vain. Later, she sings an Irish lullaby to her newborn and Mary offers to take care of him if Alice is put to death. Unfortunately there is no pardon and Alice is hanged. The guide looks up from his book of Savannah ghost stories and sees Alice looking for her baby.

FULL SYNOPSIS Michael Ching Story is loosely interpreted from the records of Savannah in the 1730s. The opera switches between two versions of the main character, Jailed Alice, and Alice. Eventually it is clear that Jailed Alice is telling the story to her jailer, Mary. In the prologue, a group of tour guides encourages tourists to board the orange trolley for a tour of the city. A tour guide gets off the trolley and tells us about Wright Square, site of the first hanging in the colony. Scene i A bedraggled young woman, Jailed Alice, recalls the terrible crossing from Ireland to America - deaths aboard ship, being becalmed for weeks, food running out. She has been signed to a contract of indenture. Aboard ship, Alice meets a fellow passenger, Richard White, who saves her from being taken in by a predatory sailor. Instead of arriving at Philadelphia, they arrive at Savannah, only to be held aboard ship for quarantine. Scene ii Governor Oglethorpe purchases the indenture contracts and Alice is sent to the home of Edward Canon. We see Alice saying the Lord’s Prayer as she was taught, in Gaelic. She is interrupted by her master, Canon, who is virulently anti-Irish and he throws her out of the house for speaking “Irish” in his house. Scene iii Alice is then assigned to the colony cattle farm on Hutchison’s Island. The first person she runs across is Richard White, also assigned to work there. White warns her about their new master, William Wise, who is a cruel man. Jailed Alice recalls that she loved Richard’s loquacity and his spark, so much unlike her own beaten-down father. Richard tells Alice about his big dreams - maybe he’ll head south and join the Spaniards, go north and join the pirates. He

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disdains indentured servitude and it becomes clear he hates their master who behaves like a king or emperor. His unchecked anger frightens Alice and he softens, bestowing a kiss on her. Jailed Alice recalls that she fell in love with Richard. Alice and Richard are together and although it is clear they love each other, Richard is more committed to himself than to her. They call each other “gramachree,” love of my heart in Gaelic. During their love scene, we notice their master, William Wise, spying on them. Scene iv Jailed Alice recalls their master, who had been in poor health, deteriorating. And one day, Richard snapped. Wise makes Richard White open and pour a bottle of Madeira for him, taunting White with a description of its tasty virtues. He mentions that he has spied on the lovers, much to their shock. He makes White comb his hair and says he is going to get White a new assignment with a much crueller master who would prefer to have slaves. As Wise taunts him - “I’m going to send you there” - White grabs his master and strangles him. Alice is there, but helpless to stop it. With no choice, Alice goes with Richard White in an attempt to escape to the woods. Scene v Jailed Alice recalls they were caught, jailed, tried, and convicted. Sick and alone, Alice interacts with her jailor, Mary, who notices that Jailed Alice is pregnant. She says the colony would not hang an innocent child and will go to the judge for a stay of Alice’s execution. Mary recalls having seen Alice as they were held on the dock for quarantine and it was clear to her that Alice was not meant for the rigors of Savannah. Jailer and jailed have become friendlier. In a duet, Alice and Jailed Alice lament the difficult hand they have been dealt. She resolves to try to save herself with a plea to Oglethorpe so that she can be there for her child, who she believes will be a boy. (Alice exits and the rest of the opera is played by Jailed Alice.) Scene vi Mary brings the town recorder, Miles, to the jail. Jailed Alice, now very visibly pregnant, dictates a letter to Governor Oglethorpe, begging for mercy so that she can be there for her child. During this dictation, it is clear Mary is beginning to wonder what will happen to the baby. After finishing the dictation, Alice adds a postscript - she will name the baby James in Oglethorpe’s honor. The recorder, who has already somewhat packed up, adds this, irritated. During a musical interlude, Alice ponders her future. In a pantomime, Mary asks for the letter. The recorder assures her he will take care of it. Mary pays him and exits. Alone, the Recorder takes his lantern and burns the letter in disgust. Scene vii Alice sings an Irish lullaby to her baby. Mary looks on. Alice is making a doll out of scraps of cloth and straw and gives it to him. Indirectly at first, Mary asks if she might raise James if Jailed Alice is sent to the gallows. Mary agrees and says that when she sings the lullaby to him, it will be like she has come back to see him. Scene viii Alice is roughly awoken by the hooded executioner. Her baby is handed off and she is paraded through a group of taunting townsfolk to the gallows in Wright Square. She frantically cries for her baby. She is hooded for execution and the light changes, as if from the point of view of inside the burlap hood. The recorder recites the 23rd Psalm. Mary runs up with the baby saying the request for clemency has failed. As a midwife, she had been busy birthing a baby, and has only just been able to come. Jailed Alice is hung and swings on the gallows. Epilogue The tour guide sums things up. He sits down on a bench and discovers the doll Jailed Alice made for her son. As he picks up the doll, the ghost of Jailed Alice comes onstage, briefly singing the lullaby to her baby.

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Notes from the Composer - Michael Ching Alice Ryley has been written for the Savannah Voice Festival, which provides educational and performance opportunities for young artists. In general, the vocal lines have been written with diatonic intervals with dissonances created between the accompaniment and the vocal lines. It is hoped that this will facilitate the learning of the music and allow the performers to be comfortable onstage, free to commit themselves to the drama. While this approach was started as a technical facilitation, in the end I am quite pleased by its artistic impact. I am grateful to Michael Harris and Linda Sickler for allowing me to quote their book, HISTORIC HAUNTS OF SAVANNAH and particularly to Michael for his advice and research on the early milieu of the colony; to Aine Ui Cheallaigh for advice on the “Ballyeamon Cradle Song” and the Gaelic pronunciation of the Ár nAthair/Our Father; to Maria and Sherrill for the advice, insight, and encouragement; and to the many other Savannah residents who have helped bring ALICE RYLEY back to life.

Contemporary Operas The standard repertoire in Opera includes works from Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and Wagner - amongst others - and every year you'll be able to find one of their masterpieces on each Opera House around the world regardless if they were written 200 or 100 years ago. This happens not only because of their inherent beauty but also because these works just keep relevant in our days due to their timeless stories. But because art is a dynamic and liquid process, audiences strive for new works - and in this particularly case - American composers have been increasingly important to bring the English language back to Opera again. New operas are composed every year in the United States, and one of the most successful composers is Carlisle Floyd.

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MORE FROM MICHAEL CHING: A CONVERSATION WITH OUR “ALICE” COMPOSER

CAN YOU IMAGINE A MODERN CONVERSATION WITH WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART ABOUT HIS OPERAS? Another great aspect of contemporary Operas is that we can actually talk to the composer and be more familiar with their ideas and goals. We also get to know a little

more about their own process. Talking about Alice Ryley --- SVF had a Q&A with Michael Ching. - What was the most important thing that you wanted this opera to tell to it's audience? "I don't have any fancy message to convey with Alice. I just want the audience to enjoy it. IF they enjoy it they might contemplate what is was like in the colony in the 1730s--how difficult it was, how brave and fearful the colonists were at the same time. If the audience enjoys, they might also be willing to try a new opera again the next time. I suppose I would also like America to remember that it is a country of immigrants and they will thrive if allowed to. But in the end, I'm a musical storyteller, not a philosopher, or politician!" - Were there any musical influences or ideas that you wanted to set into this opera? I'm a big believer that culture divides into good and bad, not high and low. Alice mixes classical and popular, folk and contemporary idioms. I've said this in other places, but you go down an American street and there is a fried chicken place, a Chinese place, a Mexican place, a Thai place. I see no reason that a single opera can't be a little like that. - In between the facts and stories that people have been saying about Alice, what were the moments that you had to create in order to mix all of them and create a solid drama to this Opera? It's documented that Alice was kicked out of her first position at Edward Canon's (his real name was Richard Canon but I didn't want the show to have too many characters named Richard). I went through the possibilities. The most obvious one was that maybe Canon propositioned her and she refused. That seemed too "damsel in distress" for me. I thought, well maybe she was praying in Gaelic and since the English suppressed Gaelic, maybe Canon would find it to be repellent and devilish. I'm pretty pleased at this made-up plot twist. Another thing I decided was that Alice would be less sympathetic if she participated in the murder of her second master, William Wise. (Some of the historical documents say she did.) In the opera, she's in the room, no question, but actually tries to get Richard to stop.

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If this were a piece about Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King, there would probably be less leeway in straying from some generally accepted truths, but with Alice, I think there's more latitude. This makes it more fun for the writer (me!). - Traditionally, composers used to work alongside with librettists to create an Opera - and sometimes that process was not a peaceful one. How is it to both and to write an opera nowadays? Can you tell us what you think it changed from Mozart or Puccini's time? I particularly love the letters that Verdi would write to his librettists. They are like lessons in the creative process. In my case, I have done several operas where I am the composer and librettist, and they are actually my most successful shows. One of my teachers, Carlisle Floyd, is a composer/librettist, and study with him helped give me some assurance that I might be able to do both words and music. I actually think that very little has changed in creating an opera that will last. It's got to have memorable music and a compelling story. And it has to be given a good first or second production. The tricky part is that composers are trained in music, but not trained storytellers. So most of the fumbles and errors are in the story part. - Also, how do you feel about premiering an opera written by you where you also play and conduct at the same time? LOL. I dislike doing both the composing and the playing/conducting. It's ok in this case because Alice has had three workshops and we already know it works at some level. We're not still fumbling around with it. Doing all these things feels like showboating or hot-dogging to me, but I suspect that is just due to part of the self-effacing Asian-American background that I have. Maria Zouves, Savannah Voice Festival's co-director, convinced me to do it and in the end, I'm happy that she did. We can't wait to see YOU at the OPERA! LEARN MORE: Here you can find more about Alice Ryley and her ghost story : http://savannahnow.com/accent/2014-10-30/murder-lies-ghost-savannahs-wright-square http://blueorbtours.com/alice-riley/ Suggested Listening: The famous aria from Carlisle Floyd’ Susannah - “Ain’t it a pretty night” sung by the amazing American Soprano, Renée Fleming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl_Hs4PNT-c Aria from Michael Ching’s Alice Ryley – “Our Father Ár nAthair” sung by Soprano, Ashley Dannewitz. https://soundcloud.com/michael-ching-3/our-father-ar-nathair