Chicago Opera Theater

06/08/2025

A FEW TICKETS HAVE JUST BEEN MADE AVAILABLE! Our final performance of SHE WHO DARED this afternoon is almost completely sold out, but we've just released a few seats for the 3pm matinee today, Sunday June 8th. Don't miss your final chance to see this extraordinary new opera at COT! https://tickets.fineartsbuilding.com/fineartsbuilding/website/ChooseSeats.aspx?EventInstanceId=43201

06/08/2025

“The seven impeccably cast singers are strong, each fitting superbly into the ensemble and making the most of their solo moments.”

🎟️ Final performance TODAY at The Studebaker Theater
Secure your seat now → www.cot.org/she-who-dared

Read the Chicago Sun-Times review on ‘She Who Dared’ below:

The seven impeccably cast singers are strong, each fitting superbly into the ensemble and making the most of their solo moments.

06/08/2025

“The score, which includes an ode to the Fourteenth Amendment and a Broadway-ready rouser of an opening number, is a hearty stew with a base of traditional opera liberally seasoned with soul, gospel, midcentury pop influences, and more.”

🎟️ Final performance on June 8 at The Studebaker Theater
Secure your seat now → www.cot.org/she-who-dared

Read Chicago Reader’s review of ‘She Who Dared’ below:

She Who Dared centers the women behind the Montgomery bus boycott and the landmark case of Browder v. Gayle.

06/07/2025

Thank you Victor Blackwell and CNN for featuring SHE WHO DARED this morning on First of All with Victor Blackwell. If you missed the show, you can watch the video at this link - the feature begins at 33'56".
https://www.cnn.com/videos/title-2447119

06/06/2025

Don’t miss it! 🎥 Tomorrow morning, tune in to 'First of All with Victor Blackwell' on CNN for a special feature on 'She Who Dared'!

Composer Jasmine Arielle Barnes, librettist Deborah DEEP Mouton, and COT General Director Lawrence Edelson will join Victor to discuss the opera’s world premiere, the powerful true stories that inspired it — and how this historic production is amplifying Black voices at the intersection of news and the arts.

Tune in, share widely, and help shine a national spotlight on this incredible new production!

📺 She Who Dared will be featured on Saturday, June 7
on CNN's 'First of All with Victor Blackwell' at 7AM CT / 8AM ET

06/05/2025

“The music is a rousing blend of gospel and classical. The overture and opening number had that vast Americana feel. I could see Pearl Bailey or Ethel Waters suddenly appearing.”

“There are melodic arias with Habersham's soprano ascending and sustaining high notes that turn to a gentle whisper or a call to burn it all down.”

“D.E.E.P.'s libretto is politically on point, with the metaphor of quilting broken pieces of dissent.”

Read Third Coast Review’s full take on ‘She Who Dared’ now:
https://thirdcoastreview.com/stages/2025/06/05/stages-review-she-who-dared-chicago-opera-theater

🎟 Final performances: June 6 & 8 at The Studebaker Theater

Secure your seat now! https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/she-who-dared

I asked one of my Gen Z friends if they knew about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Their quizzical expression hit me like a lead weight. The history of the Civil […]

06/04/2025

"In a historic debut at the Studebaker Theater, “She Who Dared” tells a story of pivotal figures who fought segregation alongside Rosa Parks. Often overlooked, the history of dismantling archaic institutionally imposed race-based discrimination involved the work of many heroes who risked their livelihood, and here some of their legacies finally get a spotlight...."

In a historic debut at the Studebaker Theater, “She Who Dared” tells a story of pivotal figures who fought segregation alongside Rosa Parks.

05/30/2025

Do you have your tickets yet?!

The world premiere of ‘She Who Dared’ is happening June 3rd with performances on the 6th and 8th, as well.

Check out this snapshot from ‘I Care if You Listen’ and then reserve your seats, today!

“I think it’s really important to know that everyday people were working towards changing laws around them, and while they faced really immediate dangers, they came together as a community. That, to me, is just a really powerful message, and I think we capture that in this piece.”

I CARE IF YOU LISTEN contributor Dalanie Harris sits down with the composer and librettist of "She Who Dared," ahead of its world premiere, where it will make history as the first professionally produced opera in the U.S. written by two black women. Follow the link in our bio to read the full article!

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/05/in-she-who-dared-jasmine-barnes-and-deborah-d-e-e-p-mouton-center-the-overlooked-women-of-the-montgomery-bus-boycott/

05/27/2025

NEW from WBEZ : Go behind-the-scenes for a look at the upcoming world-premiere of 'She Who Dared' with Emmy-award winning composer, Jasmine Barnes and librettist, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton.

PS: Reserve tickets now as they are going quickly!
Tickets at: https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/she-who-dared

The Civil Rights-era ‘She Who Dared,’ likely the first professionally staged opera by Black women, premieres June 3 in Chicago.

05/15/2025

🎭 Hear librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton share what excites her most ahead of the She Who Dared world premiere — from working with composer Jasmine Arielle Barnes, to making space for the seven Black women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system.

See this moving history unfold June 3-8 at The Studebaker Theater.

Buy tickets here → https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/she-who-dared

05/13/2025

That’s a wrap on our free community concert, SOUNDS OF PROGRESS: OPERA AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT! 🎶✊🏾

Thank you to The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center for collaborating on such a timely illustration of untold history, moving music, and the voices that inspire us to change. And to the Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation Inc. — thank you for your generous and ongoing sponsorship!

But, the fun is not over yet! We still have limited tickets for the WORLD PREMIERE of She Who Dared by Jasmine Arielle Barnes and Deborah DEEP Mouton.

Buy tickets here → https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/she-who-dared

Photos by Michael Brosilow

05/09/2025

🎉 She Who Dared has landed at the Fine Arts Building!

Come visit our brand-new window display celebrating the world premiere of this riotous, and sometimes hilarious new opera, created by Jasmine Arielle Barnes and Deborah DEEP Mouton — posing the question: What would you do to stand up for your rights?

Don’t miss your chance to experience this groundbreaking work on June 3, 6, and 8 at the Studebaker Theater.

Buy tickets here → https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/she-who-dared