Turn of the Screw
Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Myfanwy Piper
2018
Seattle Opera
Creative Team:
Conductor: Constantin Trinks
Scenic Designer: Robert Dahlstrom
Costume Designer: Deborah Trout
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun
Projection Designer: Adam Larsen
Cast:
The Governess: Elizabeth Caballero
Peter Quint / The Prologue: Ben Bliss
Mrs. Grose: Maria Zifchak
Miss Jessel: Marcy Stonikas
Miles: Rafi Bellamy Plaice / Forrest Wu
Flora: Soraya Mafi
“For “Turn of the Screw” to work, the company has to create a real sense of creepiness as the governess is dragged into a nightmare where she can’t trust herself or anyone else. And Seattle Opera’s production, directed by Peter Kazaras, succeeds, steadily building tension and a sense of uncertainty.”
“Stage director Peter Kazaras has masterminded a brilliant conception and production. ”
“In act two, Peter Kazaras’s blocking allowed them to escape, make contact. For both them and the watcher it was like being allowed for the first time to breathe freely, to feel how Britten’s extraordinarily pictorial score shivers up from the pit, hot and cold, caressing and creepy at the same time.”
Photo Credit: Jacob Lucas
2006
Peter Kazaras approached The Turn of the Screw with a focus on psychological depth and dramatic precision, shaping the opera through controlled pacing and carefully defined relationships. His direction emphasized ambiguity and internal tension, allowing the characters to emerge with clarity and complexity. By grounding the production in detailed, actor-focused work, Kazaras created a concentrated and atmospheric interpretation that heightened the opera’s emotional impact.
Seattle Opera
Creative Team:
Conductor: Dean Williamson
Set Designer: Donald Eastman
Costume Designer: Cynthia Savage
Lighting Designer: Connie Yun
Hair & Makeup Designer: Danyale Cook
Cast:
Narrator / Peter Quint: Wesley Rogers / Ted Schmitz
The Governess: Robyn Driedger-Klassen / Alexis Martin
Mrs. Grose: Teresa S. Herold / Lucia Cervoni
Miles: David Korn
Flora: Maureen McKay / Anya Matanovic
Miss Jessel: Sarah Hefelz / Elizabeth Schultz
“Strong Young Artists in every role, and expert direction by YAP Artistic Director Peter Kazaras… made this production one of the program’s most memorable achievements.”
Photo Credit: Rozarii Lynch
