WWU to Present 'The Ballad of Baby Doe' March 7-15

Contact: David Meyer, assistant professor of Music, (360) 650-3787; David.Meyer@wwu.edu or Laura Schonbrun, Theatre Arts publicist, (360) 650-3879, theatre.publicity@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM - The Departments of Music and Theatre Arts at Western Washington University will present "The Ballad of Baby Doe," an American opera by Douglas Moore, at 7:30 p.m., March 7-8 and March 13-15 and at 2 p.m., March 9 at Western's Performing Arts Center (PAC) Mainstage Theater.

"A mixture of romance and wild-West rowdiness, ‘The Ballad of Baby Doe' blurs the distinction between Broadway and the opera house," said David Meyer, assistant professor of music and director of WWU's Opera Studio.  "This show is one of the most beautiful and accessible of all American operas."

The story, based on historical figures, is a tale of passion, politics and betrayal set in a 19th century frontier mining town.  Elizabeth "Baby" Doe has a scandalous love affair with the silver mining tycoon Horace Tabor, who is regarded as the Donald Trump of his time.  Tabor eventually loses his vast fortune when the silver market collapses, and his political career is finished by his scandalous affair. The love that Tabor and Baby Doe share endures until the very end.

As a collaborative project, the opera includes the talents of students and faculty from WWU Music, Theater Arts and Dance, and is one of a very few stage productions to feature Western faculty singing alongside their students.

"The Ballad of Baby Doe" will be performed in English with Jay Rozendaal, of WWU's Music faculty, conducting the Western Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for students.  They are available at the Western's Box Office, open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and one hour prior to the performance.  For individual tickets or disability accommodations, contact the WWU Box Office, (360) 650-6146 or visit http://www.tickets.wwu.edu/.

In addition to the evening performances, "The Ballad of Baby Doe" will be featured as part of the College of Fine and Performing Arts Education Matinee Series.  The free matinee, which will highlight scenes from the opera, is at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 13.  The matinee, recommended for grades 5-12, is by reservation only.  To secure space for students, contact the PAC Series Manager, Courtney Hiatt, at (360) 650-2829 or Courtney.Hiatt@wwu.edu.