The award-winning Meadows Lyric Theatre, under the direction of Hank Hammett, offers imaginative, diverse and cutting-edge productions of repertoire encompassing a wide range of opera, operetta, and musical theatre, providing extensive performance opportunities to vocal students at the undergraduate, graduate, performer diploma and artist diploma levels. A main focus of the multi-tiered program is intensive acting technique training, professional audition preparation, and its partnership with The Dallas Opera.
Meadows Lyric Theatre annually presents its popular Free For All monthly Brown Bag Series of scenes and one-act operas as well as innovative full productions throughout the year.
Main stage productions are accompanied by the brilliant Meadows Symphony Orchestra. Recent major stagings include Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Così fan tutte, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore, Händel’s Alcina, Rorem’s Our Town and Ward’s The Crucible. For more information, please contact Mr. Hammett at chammett@smu.edu.
2022-2023 Opera Season
The Rape of Lucretia
by Benjamin Britten
- Meadows Lyric Theatre & Meadows Symphony Orchestra
- Directed by Hank Hammett
- Conducted by Parisa Zaeri
- Meadows Lyric Theatre
- February 2, 3, 4 & 5, 2023
- Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 pm
- Sunday at 2:00 pm
- Bob Hope Theatre – Owen Arts Center
Set in Rome in 509 B.C. in a world of brutality and inequality, the story tells of the occupying Etruscan prince Tarquinius, a narcissistic and licentious tyrant, who is leading Rome in its war against the Greeks. Exasperated with hearing his general Collatinus, a Roman nobleman, boast of the strong bond and completely pure relationship he has with his beautiful, virtuous wife Lucretia, the jealous prince decides to put her to the ultimate test. Despite its savage subject, Benjamin Britten’s shattering chamber opera contains some of his most sheerly beautiful and passionate music as it explores some of the darkest cravings in the human psyche – and what happens when unbridled power and war give them free rein. Sung in English with English supertitles.
The True Story of Cinderella
by Warren Martin
- Meadows Lyric Theatre
- March 23, 2023
- 7:30 p.m.
- O’Donnell Hall - Owen Arts Center
- FREE
So, you think you know the story of Cinderella? Well, think again! This slightly fractured musical comedy fairy tale, written to be performed “oratorio style,” is full of whimsey, elegance, wit and more than a few unexpected twists that will surprise and delight you!
Bite-size Arias/Big-size Talents
- Free For All
- Meadows Lyric Theatre
- September 23, 2022
- 1 p.m.
- Taubman Atrium
- FREE
The Free For All series annual popular opener showcases every member of the Meadows Lyric Theatre Ensemble in 60-second arias and songs of their choice as they challenge themselves to make a strong, positive and lasting impression and declare, “This is who I am as a singing actor!” in only one minute! You’ll reconnect with some of your favorite singing actors and meet some exciting newcomers. Be the first to discover the stars of tomorrow!
The Ties That Bind
- Free For All
- Meadows Lyric Theatre
- November 4, 2022
- 1 p.m.
- Gene and Jerry Jones Grand Atrium – Owen Arts Center
- FREE
Although there are many definitions of what makes up a family, most family dynamics can lift you up or drag you down! These shared interpersonal relationships can be ones of great depth and intensity, sometimes comfortable, many times complex and almost always just this side of crazy! In celebration of our given and our chosen families, we present an eclectic assortment of scenes from opera and musical theatre, brought to life in the music of Donizetti, Blitzstein, Adamo, Verdi, Copland and others!
All-Time Favorites!
- Free For All
- Meadows Lyric Theatre
- April 28, 2023
- 1 p.m.
- Gene and Jerry Jones Grand Atrium – Owen Arts Center
- FREE
We celebrate the end of the season with a lineup of all-time favorite scenes from some of our most beloved and popular operas and works of musical theatre!