Brie Bevans will take to the Hancher stage as Morgan, one of the four principal characters (also referred to as “muses”) in Fierce. Her character takes her name from the Celtic goddess known for her ability to shape-shift―a powerful young woman who should not be trifled with.
Bevans is a fifth-year undergraduate in the UI School of Music studying vocal performance and music education. She has been involved in many shows including H.M.S. Pinafore (the UI’s spring opera production in 2022), Beauty and the Beast, and Freaky Friday. Brie also sings in the UI’s Black Pop Music Ensemble and performs lead vocals for her band, Joint Custody, which performs locally at venues in Iowa City.
Opera
Music
Fierce
Presented by
Hancher
,
Performing Arts Production Unit, and
UI School of Music
Tickets
Adults $20
Youth & Non-UI Students $10
UI Students $5
Friday, April 26, 2024, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 27, 2024, 7:30 pm
Co-produced by the University of Iowa School of Music, Performing Arts Production Unit, and Hancher Auditorium
Music by William Menefield
Libretto by Sheila Williams
Directed by William Menefield
Fierce marks a major moment in our Hancher season. This new opera—making its Iowa premiere—reflects the collaborative spirit of Performing Arts at Iowa and will be co-produced by the School of Music, the Performing Arts Production Unit, and Hancher Auditorium.
The Cincinnati Opera commissioned composer, musician, and UI assistant professor of Jazz Studies William Menefield to write the music for an opera in collaboration with librettist Sheila Williams. The resulting work, Fierce, debuted at the Cincinnati Opera in July 2022 to packed houses and enthusiastic audiences.
An opera for the 21st Century, Fierce follows four teenage girls finding identity and purpose in the world as they write their college essays in a high school writers’ workshop. The young women face striking internal challenges—the difficulties of high school popularity and social media, the weight of parental expectations, personal loss, and unstable lives at home—but come together to find community, self-empowerment, and the confidence to embrace new chapters.
In a production led by Professor Menefield, Fierce will feature an ensemble of University of Iowa singers, musicians, and dancers with production support from the Performing Arts Production Unit and Hancher Auditorium. The Fierce creative team will engage our campus and community with several outreach events in the lead-up to the Iowa debut of this timely, remarkable work.
There will be a post-show reception in the Stanley Café following the performance.
Preorder food from the Stanley Café!
Avoid the lines by making your food selections before you come to Hancher Auditorium. Cheese boards are only available through preorder and cannot be purchased on-site at the performance. Snacks and beverages will be available on-site.
Orders must be placed by noon the day before the performance.
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University of Iowa School of Music - Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The Daily Iowan - Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Nearly two years after debuting at the Cincinnati Opera, “Fierce” is coming to Iowa City’s Hancher Auditorium.
The 21st-century opera follows the trials and triumphs of four teenage girls as they discover their identities and purposes in the world. “Fierce” is running from April 26-27 at Hancher Auditorium.
Commissioned composer William Menefield and librettist Sheila Williams originated the opera at the Cincinnati Opera in 2022. The piece was created to mimic young women’s experiences coming of age in contemporary society.
University of Iowa Theatre Arts - Monday, April 22, 2024
If you’ve ever attended a theatre production, have you wondered who keeps track of the props or who communicates with the costume department? Who makes sure the performers are in the right place at the right time, and the technical aspects of the production are running smoothly? This is the job of a stage manager; they have the challenging job of keeping track of everything and everyone backstage.
University of Iowa Department of Dance - Monday, April 22, 2024
Cami Rezabek is a fourth-year BFA student in the Department of Dance with minors in English and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies, the undergrad research assistant for the UIDC, and the student-choreographer for Fierce, a new 21st-century opera that follows four teenage girls through a journey of discovery as they write their college admissions essays. Fierce makes its Iowa debut on the Hancher stage April 26-27, 2024.
Rezabek is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her mother, Carol, is a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, and an alum of the University of Iowa with BFA degrees in Dance and Theatre Arts—so naturally, Cami began dance lessons by the time she was 3 years old. And the UI was a natural fit, too, when it came time for college.
Vesta―named after the Roman goddess of the Earth―is one of the four principal characters in Fierce, a new opera that follows four young girls (also referred to as “muses”) as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives. The opera—making its Iowa premiere—reflects the collaborative spirit of Performing Arts At Iowa and will be co-produced by the School of Music, the Performing Arts Production Unit, and Hancher Auditorium. Vesta, played by Madeline Yankell, is the youngest of the muses. She is naive, bubbly, and sometimes she takes refuge from life in a fantasy world full of otters.
Yankell is a graduate student in music education who recently defended her MA thesis on movement and choral singing. She has previously performed in La Traviata and Dialogues des Carmelites.
Performing Arts at Iowa - Thursday, April 18, 2024
The Iowa premiere of Fierce marks a major moment in Hancher’s current season. Students from the School of Music, the Department of Dance and Department of Theatre Arts are coming together to produce this empowering new opera that celebrates young women.
Fierce is a 21st-century opera that follows four teenage girls—Vesta, Nyomi, Morgan, and Rumer—on their journey toward identity and purpose as they write their college essays in a high school writers’ workshop. The young women face an array of concerns including popularity, social media, parental expectations, self-determination, and personal loss. But these girls are fierce! They are determined, tenacious, and strong. Together they find community, self-empowerment, and the confidence to embrace the next chapter of their life.
“I love the story,” says Meenakshi Chinmai, a second-year Theatre Arts MFA candidate in stage management and international student from India who is the assistant stage manager for Fierce. “It’s great to work so closely with four young women who are close to my age, on a story that is so relatable and fun.”
University of Iowa - Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Growing up as a child of musicians, William Menefield was exposed to a wide range of music, from Beethoven and Mozart to John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stevie Wonder. He started formal music training at 5, wrote his first song at 8, became a professional jazz pianist at 12, and released his first album just after high school graduation.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Paris Young in advance at (319) 467-4849 or at paris-sissel@uiowa.edu.