Cecelia Stearman:
Jade Boucher
“It’s just an opera,” I keep telling myself… “It’s not your real life…” But each day, each evening when I go home from rehearsals, I take it all with me-the pain, the contemplation, the love, the forgiveness, the “understanding of humanity…” It’s all there. This part of Jade Boucher has moved me more than I knew was possible. I have been stirred to the core. But for me, the greatest impact has come from the blatant Christian subject matter: fallen, sinful man and a loving, forgiving God, even to the very end; and how that reality affects all of us and how we relate to each other, if we respond in like fashion with love and forgiveness and if we are to get the most out of “this journey.”
My sweet mother, a minister’s wife, began a maximum security prison ministry to women in Mississippi, after her retirement. This Southern belle, seemingly naïve, seemingly underprepared, went 1-2 times a week to maximum security to meet with known killers and those who still declared they were innocent. She treated them with such love and compassion. I was always impressed by this, but couldn’t begin to understand her desire to do what she did, until I started working on this show. Dead Man Walking is an incredible love story between a nun and an accused killer. It began simply with a letter and turned into a til-death-do-us-part relationship. In the opera (differing from the actual accounts in the book), the accused is indeed the killer. And, by the time he finally confesses to it, it doesn’t matter: Sister Helen already loved “Joseph.” And she forgave him. She forgave him because she believed that was what “her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” wanted her to do. She forgave him, and in his death, it seems that he received new life.
This is the “salvation story,” as we call it in evangelical circles. And in most situations today, to keep from “offending anyone,” lines like, “I will be the face of Christ for you,” are rare, omitted. But that’s a direct quote from the book. That’s exactly what Sister Helen said to Patrick Sonnier (Joseph, in the opera) and it’s incredible that the writers of the opera were brave enough to put it in just like that. But if they hadn’t, this would not be the same story. It had to be in there, because it is Sister Helen’s story. This text cannot be improved upon! It is powerful and it is sweet. It is sad, but with love being the constant undercurrent, it is beautiful. It brings me joy, as I sing, even through my tears. You see, I am the mother of one of the murdered teens. I should hate Joseph with all that I am. But, in the end, I feel some pain for him, as he asks the parents’ forgiveness for what he has done. It is as if, in that very minute, years of hate are wiped away. In the end I find myself weeping, not so much for my child anymore… I weep that I am free to forgive.
One year my mom asked me to do give a “concert” for some of the prisoners. They had been given special permission to come to the chapel. Of course, I was worried how my voice would be received. I was expecting country-loving, Motown-loving types. But each song I sang seemed to touch them. By the middle of the concert, my heart was so full that I wept. I had done many concerts by then, but that is still one of my sweetest memories. I suppose that when one is that alone, that persecuted, that to have anyone care for you is so appreciated, so surprising… That’s another part of this relationship between Sister Helen and “Joseph” that is so sweet, so unforgettable, to me. He was so appreciative. He was so greatful to her for her friendship, and later, her love. He wasn’t a horrible, cold killer when she visited. He was “human.”
I want to personally thank Sister Helen Prejean for her commitent that started her on “this journey” and for the commitment to it that lead her to record it for us all.
My sweet mother, a minister’s wife, began a maximum security prison ministry to women in Mississippi, after her retirement. This Southern belle, seemingly naïve, seemingly underprepared, went 1-2 times a week to maximum security to meet with known killers and those who still declared they were innocent. She treated them with such love and compassion. I was always impressed by this, but couldn’t begin to understand her desire to do what she did, until I started working on this show. Dead Man Walking is an incredible love story between a nun and an accused killer. It began simply with a letter and turned into a til-death-do-us-part relationship. In the opera (differing from the actual accounts in the book), the accused is indeed the killer. And, by the time he finally confesses to it, it doesn’t matter: Sister Helen already loved “Joseph.” And she forgave him. She forgave him because she believed that was what “her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” wanted her to do. She forgave him, and in his death, it seems that he received new life.
This is the “salvation story,” as we call it in evangelical circles. And in most situations today, to keep from “offending anyone,” lines like, “I will be the face of Christ for you,” are rare, omitted. But that’s a direct quote from the book. That’s exactly what Sister Helen said to Patrick Sonnier (Joseph, in the opera) and it’s incredible that the writers of the opera were brave enough to put it in just like that. But if they hadn’t, this would not be the same story. It had to be in there, because it is Sister Helen’s story. This text cannot be improved upon! It is powerful and it is sweet. It is sad, but with love being the constant undercurrent, it is beautiful. It brings me joy, as I sing, even through my tears. You see, I am the mother of one of the murdered teens. I should hate Joseph with all that I am. But, in the end, I feel some pain for him, as he asks the parents’ forgiveness for what he has done. It is as if, in that very minute, years of hate are wiped away. In the end I find myself weeping, not so much for my child anymore… I weep that I am free to forgive.
One year my mom asked me to do give a “concert” for some of the prisoners. They had been given special permission to come to the chapel. Of course, I was worried how my voice would be received. I was expecting country-loving, Motown-loving types. But each song I sang seemed to touch them. By the middle of the concert, my heart was so full that I wept. I had done many concerts by then, but that is still one of my sweetest memories. I suppose that when one is that alone, that persecuted, that to have anyone care for you is so appreciated, so surprising… That’s another part of this relationship between Sister Helen and “Joseph” that is so sweet, so unforgettable, to me. He was so appreciative. He was so greatful to her for her friendship, and later, her love. He wasn’t a horrible, cold killer when she visited. He was “human.”
I want to personally thank Sister Helen Prejean for her commitent that started her on “this journey” and for the commitment to it that lead her to record it for us all.
Debra Hillabrand:
Mrs. Patrick De Rocher
I can't say how much I love performing modern works. The sky is the limit for the composer, and he/she is free to write so much drama and emotion into the vocal lines and the whole piece. Jake Heggie certainly uses this freedom effectively, and the collaboration with Terrence McNally provides a monumental work that I am honored to be singing. On a personal and artistic level, I am thrilled to be singing a role written for Frederica von Stade. She has been an idol and role model of mine for years, and I get chills when I think about it!
The role has been emotionally draining and, more importantly, extremely rewarding at the same time. I've never left rehearsals this exhausted, but with the feeling of pride of being involved in something so very special. I've been getting in touch with my maternal side and all the delights and pain that go along with it: the love, happiness, guilt, worry. I can’t imagine what it’ll really be like. The work as a whole has such a strong message of love for all human-kind in which I whole-heartedly believe—so on a personal level, I'm very proud to be a part of a group delivering this message.
Dead Man Walking opens Friday, August 19 and will run for three more performances on August 20, 26 & 27. All performances begin at 8pm and take place at Union Avenue Christian Church located at 733 N. Union Blvd in St. Louis. Sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets range $30-52. Student Rush Tickets are $15 with valid Student ID (cash only) for any remaining seats available 15 minutes before curtain. To purchase Tickets or find more information about Union Avenue Opera, please call 314.361.2881 or visit http://www.unionavenueopera.org/
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