It started out as a curtain-raiser for WholeTone Opera's Revival of le Loup-Garou (the Werewolf) by Louise Bertin at the Rockwell Theater in Sommerville MA, but quickly transformed into a stand-alone show. Under the Banner of the Parlour Opera Players, The cast went on to perform everywhere from High Schools to Bars, even the Bushnell Center for the performing Arts. Simultaniously, it was chosen by the Austin Texas based company One Ounce Opera, to be featured on a program of new works titled, A Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera. With a Range of Sponsors including Constitution Records & Bezier Games, who gifted every audience member a copy of their game "Werewords" from 2017 on; Werewords being a newly released twist on the original version of Werewolf (the game, not the opera). 

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Our Audiences weren't always avid opera fans or classical music buffs. They were Board Gamers, Halloween revelers, and werewolf fans of the supernatural. One gentleman, upon arriving to a show, exclaimed, "I didn't know this was an opera--I just thought we were playing werewolf!" Naturally he proved to be  the most responsive to our musical antics, and even bought the CD! It became clear that the bulk of our audience was seeing an opera for the first time. Owning this angle, we met them where they were. This started with a Board Game Cafe in Brookline called Knight Moves, which we sold out far too quickly. Seeking a larger venue, we then took the show to Adventure Pub, a Board game focused restaurant in Arlington MA where the show was revived for two consecutive years, always on or near Halloween. every performance was followed by a massive game of werewolf involving the cast, crew, and audience.

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I'll admit that I sort of intended to challenge high brow opera culture when I wrote a game of Werewolf. My inspiration was a strange mix of Gilbert and Sullivan, Phantom of the Opera, and System of a Down--Still--I channeled way to much Verdi to warrant a full on cultural divorce. It was the partners we chose, the places we sang, and vibe we created  that ultimately helped us to shed the trappings of the opera world, and ditto for the business model. More than half of the cast did double duty either producing, lighting, or costuming. We cut costs any way we could, and split the profits evenly among us, no matter the part. Unlike most opera, we turned a small profit and did so without soliciting donations. We had a product to sell, and it was a rollicking good time for anyone who bought in. I have no current plans to revive the show, but there's no reason you can't! Enjoy the album we made, free of charge, and some wonderful art from the CD Booklet! 

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-Timothy Ayres-Kerr