Polymnia
world premiere

presented by the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture

Saturday, January 21, 2023
7:00 p.m.
UCLA Little Theater
Reception to follow

Sunday, January 22, 2023 (2^nd performance just added!)
2:00 p.m.
UCLA Little Theater

Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission

Click here to view the digital program.

Theodosia Roussos, composer/librettist
Michiel Delanghe, conductor
Diana Wyenn, director
Tanya Orellana, scenic designer
Pablo Santiago, lighting designer
Yee Eun Nam, video designer
Wendell C. Carmichael, costume designer
Peter Kazaras and Diana Wyenn, dramaturgy

Cast

Theodosia Roussos, Polymnia/Theodosia
Natalie Buickians, Paula
Michele Patzakis, Maria/Church Lady
Anthony Moreno, Nikolaos
Joanna Lynn-Jacobs, Anthie
Jon Lee Keenan, Costa/Tax Collector/Turkish Soldier

Polymnia, described by Opera News as “haunting and beautiful,” is a debut experimental chamber opera that tells the story of a woman who responds with resilience to war and trauma, and relates how her experience echoes across generations and communities. Drawing from fragments of Sappho’s poetry, Kassiane’s hymns, as well as four generations of private family writings and oral history, composer and performer Theodosia Roussos shares the story of her great-grandmother Polymnia Athanasiadis Pappas, a young woman whose family was expelled from its village by the Ottoman Turks during the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Roussos draws influence from her Greek Cypriot American background and weaves elements of Byzantine and Greek folk music into the score.

Presented in both Greek and English, Polymnia reveals the very personal and also political experience of diaspora—what is lost, what is retained, and what cannot be forgotten.

This event is being held under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles and is made possible thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Polymnia is produced by Plain Wood Productions.

For inquiries, please contact hellenic@humnet.ucla.edu.

Tickets

$35-$60

SOLD OUT

*If you have purchased a ticket and need accommodations (wheelchair, walker, etc.), please contact us at the email above.

Parking information

Parking information for ticketholders: The Little Theater is located in Macgowan Hall at UCLA. Please park in Parking Structure 3 North, which is near the northeast corner of the campus, close to Hilgard Ave and Sunset Blvd.

• To save time, you may purchase your parking permit for $15 in advance using Bruin ePermit: https://bruinepermit.t2hosted.com/pnw2/selectevent.aspx. Select “UCLA Campus Event,” then “Polymnia.” With the advanced parking permit, you can park anywhere in Parking Structure 3 EXCEPT in the Pay-by-Space section. For instructions on how to use this portal, please click here.
• To purchase a permit upon your arrival at Parking Structure 3, please park in the Pay-By-Space/Visitor Parking area in the North building, and proceed to the Self-Service Pay Station machine.
• No parking attendants will be on-site at the parking structure, so please allow extra time for parking and walking to the theater.
• Accessible parking: If you have special accessibility needs, you may park in the Pay-By-Space/Visitor Parking area of this structure, and proceed to the Self-Service Pay Station kiosk to pay by credit card.  Please visit our Campus Accessibility Map to view additional accessible parking areas on campus and related information. Guests can be dropped off in the Macgowan Turnaround, east of the theater/building (see above map).

COVID-19 Protocol

Current UCLA Covid protocols as of 1/18/23: We will NOT require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test for entry at the theater.  Wearing masks at this indoor event is OPTIONAL and encouraged.  Please check back for updates on protocols prior to the performance.