OPUS

by Michael Hollinger

Directed by Craig Joseph

January 24 – February 16, 2025

NEW Talk-Back Discussion with the Cast & Crew after the show on Saturday, January 25th

After firing one of their founding members due to his erratic behavior, a world-class string quartet takes a chance on a gifted but relatively inexperienced young woman. With only a few days to rehearse a grueling Beethoven masterpiece, the four struggle to prepare their highest-profile performance ever—a televised ceremony at the White House. Their rehearsal room becomes a pressure-cooker as passions rise, personalities clash, and the players are forced to confront the ephemeral nature of their life’s work.

Our Cast:

Recipient of the Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play, a Steinberg New Play Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association, and nominations for Lucille Lortel and John Gassner Awards for Best New Play.

“A taut, smart, thoroughly entertaining drama.” —Newsday (NY).

Chris D’Amico as Carl, Trey Gilpin as Dorian, Michael J. Montanus as Alan, and Doug Sutherland as Elliot

Michael J. Montanus as Alan and DeLee Cooper as Grace

Doug Sutherland as Elliot and Trey Gilpin as Dorian

Doug Sutherland as Elliot, Michael J. Montanus as Alan, DeLee Cooper as Grace, and Chris D’Amico as Carl

Michael J. Montanus as Alan and Chris D’Amico as Carl

Trey Gilpin as Dorian and DeLee Cooper as Grace

Doug Sutherland as Elliot, Trey Gilpin as Dorian, DeLee Cooper as Grace, Michael J. Montanus as Alan, and Chris D’Amico as Carl

Our cast of “OPUS”: Doug Sutherland as Elliot, Michael J. Montanus as Alan, DeLee Cooper as Grace, Chris D’Amico as Carl, and Trey Gilpin as Dorian

Ticket prices are $21 for adults, $20 for seniors (60+), and $13 for students (any age with a valid ID). Buy Tickets

Box Office hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1-6PM 440-331-0403.

OPUS is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

The Director’s Insight on OPUS

I first read Michael Hollinger’s OPUS three years ago and immediately fell in love with the play – its rhythm and pacing, the shifting alliances among its characters, the behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, and much more. I’d had my doubts that a play about a string quartet could be compelling and full of intrigue, but a single read convinced me that I was wrong. That being the case, I was very excited when Clague Playhouse invited me to direct it as part of this season. I can’t wait to see how the story of these five individuals – and their simultaneously inspiring and infuriating relationships – plays out in an intimate theatrical space.
If you haven’t yet read the synopsis, here’s what the show is ostensibly about: After firing one of their founding members due to his erratic behavior, a world-class string quartet takes a chance on a gifted but relatively inexperienced young woman. With only a few days to rehearse a grueling Beethoven masterpiece, the four struggle to prepare their highest-profile performance ever – a televised ceremony at the White House.
Their rehearsal room becomes a pressure-cooker as passions rise, personalities clash, and the players are forced to confront the ephemeral nature of their life’s work. And if you hadn’t guessed, the guy they fire doesn’t leave quietly. At all.
Looking a bit more deeply, I’m fascinated by several thematic frictions that exist within the play: tensions that arise between standing out as an individual and fitting in as part of a group, conflicts between personal rights and corporate responsibilities, the risks that arise when following genius and intuition versus the challenges that come with stability and routine. In many different ways, the play forces us to look at what it takes to make great music. By extension, though, Hollinger is also asking us to look at the joys, challenges, victories, and costs of tackling any major endeavor, any great work, any opus. Do the benefits outweigh the sacrifices? Are the moments of transcendence that we experience when we create something magnificent worth the striving, struggle, and pain to get there?
Without becoming overtly political or culturally critical, I’ll say that I think OPUS is a perfect parable for our times with myriad questions (and very few answers) about how we exist in the world today. What’s worth persevering in the way we live in communion with others and strive for a common good? When do we need to take a stand for our or others’ needs and desires – and when do those need to be sublimated, so that something greater can emerge? Are there times for a complete overhaul of the status quo – or will that lead to unfruitful chaos?
These are some of the queries our production will attempt to pose for our audiences. And if that’s not exactly what you’re about, rest assured you’ll still be seeing a stellar piece of theatre with dynamic performances and explosive energy. Can’t wait to see you at the theater! – – Craig Joseph/Director