Opera explores the personal impact of ‘coming-out’

Media Information

• Release Date: November 5, 2026

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Stephen J. Lewis

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Nearly 30 years after the ABC sitcom "Ellen" made history with the first televised coming-out story, Northwestern University's Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music is revisiting that cultural moment through Matthew Recio's opera "The Puppy Episode."

Directed by Joachim Schamberger, Bienen School director of opera and artist-in-residence, the opera examines the role that TV and public life play in personal experiences. Set in the mid-1990s, "The Puppy Episode" follows three interconnected characters navigating their identities at a time when LGBTQ+ stories were rarely portrayed in mainstream media.

By examining coming out through the eyes of both those who reveal their identities and the loved ones who share in the experience, the opera explores the personal and cultural complexities of a defining moment in LGBTQ+ history.

"The Puppy Episode" premiered in 2021 as a workshop production by Chicago Opera Theater, followed by staged productions at the Oberlin Conservatory and Opera Columbus in 2022.

Tickets are available online, by phone at 847-467-4000 or by visiting the Bienen School Ticket Office at 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston.

Program details follow:

Matthew Recio's "The Puppy Episode"
Thursday - Saturday, Nov.19-21, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m.
Ryan Opera Theater, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston
Joachim Schamberger, director
Yelisey (Eli) Zelman, conductor
Members of the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra

When a popular series airs television's first coming-out story, three interconnected characters - high-schooler Gil, married woman Louise and widowed grandmother Phyllis - find themselves at a turning point. At the center of the story is a character known simply as "The Comedian," whose own circumstances connect the characters' journeys.

Following each performance, audience members are invited to stay for a post-show discussion with composer Matthew Recio, Joachim Schamberger and members of the cast.

On Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m., audiences can also attend pre-performance lectures and Q&As with director Joachim Schamberger and Northwestern scholars in the Jean Gimbel Lane Reception Room, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston.