Sweat, an a capella opera with music by Juliet Palmer and libretto by Anna Chatterton, is hard. I write those words without a hint of hyperbole, and it's true in every sense: it’s been hard to put together, and it’s hard to listen to and to watch. Its story is bleak, its characters often despairing, and its villains ugly and extreme — even “over the top.” So why do it? Why subject the singers and staff to the immense challenge of rehearsing and performing it, or you to its relentless discord and uncommonly raw and visceral storytelling?

The question itself contains the answer: because it’s hard. There's nothing like doing something hard — and the harder the better, in my book. There’s nothing more rewarding. And throughout the process of building this production, the lessons learned by the singers and staff of Sweat have been more than rewarding; they will likely last a lifeme. The ethical complexities examined in this story of women toiling in garment industry sweatshops demand our attention. The challenges of singing and staging the score have been, for many, unprecedented. And in the end, the issues the opera presents are certainly worth addressing, and the very real people the world over whom the characters represent are more than deserving of our recognition and care. (Better late than never.) I hope you’ll agree with me. 

Sweat is surely an unusual work. There are no “tunes,” no melodies to speak of, few stage directions, no orchestral accompaniment whatsoever, and little if any relief from the combined onslaught of music, character and conflict throughout its seventy-minute runtime. But if you buckle in and open your eyes, ears and mind to the work before you, if you stick with it despite your discomfort or distaste, you're likely to be stunned — by the music, by the words, by the story and by this extraordinary cast of young performers. (I first wrote "singers" there, but as you'll see they do much more than sing in Sweat!) And whether the story be pretty or ugly, whether the music is hummable or utterly perplexing, an experience like Sweat is always inspiring. It’s also important and, I think you’ll find, even entertaining. I’d willingly watch anyone do anything if it’s done expertly: flip burgers; lay concrete; conduct an orchestra; play a role on the stage. Expertise is endlessly inspiring and entertaining to me. And that’s Sweat in a nutshell: the expertly assembled product of a brave group of artists who have gathered to share with you what they do so very well. If nothing else, I trust you’ll enjoy that, as I have.

It has been an honor to helm this Opera Up Close production, and to work so closely with and learn so much from this amazing cast and this peerless team of music professionals. My thanks to them, and to the conservatory administration who entrusted this project to me. I hope you f ind their work inspiring, important, and yes, even entertaining. Because it is.

– Kit Wilder, director