Opera Montana Taps 2 Theater Professors to Bring Beloved Novella to Stage

Opera Montana Taps 2 Theater Professors to Bring Beloved Novella to Stage

Opera Montana is adapting a beloved Big Sky tale for the stage with the support of two professors in The University of Toledo's Department of Theatre and Film.

Dr. Matt Foss is the director and co-librettist and Stephen Sakowski is the lighting director for "A River Runs Through It," a new work commissioned by the opera company in honor of the 50th anniversary of the novella of the same name by Norman Maclean.

"A River Runs Through It" is a semi-autobiographical account of the author's upbringing in early 20th-century Montana. Its new opera adaptation is set for a world premiere in Bozeman, Montana, in September.

"As educators, it's important that we continue to practice our craft and model the same effort and artistic risk that we expect of our students," said Foss, who wrote the new opera's libretto with Kelley Rourke. "Stephen and I have a history of collaboration on campus and professional productions, and we're excited to play a role in telling this incredibly human story."

Foss is a playwright and screenwriter with numerous domestic and international credits, most recently including an independently produced comedy screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival in April.

Sakowski is an educator and lighting designer who has worked on stage, film and television. He also chairs the Department of Theatre and Film.

Foss and Sakowski have collaborated on numerous campus and professional productions including 2019's "All Quiet on the Western Front" and 2020's "20K Leagues Under the Sea." Both premiered as student productions at UToledo's Center for Performing Arts before receiving Joseph Jefferson Awards, recognizing excellence in Chicago-area theater, as well as accolades from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Opera Montana announced its production of "A River Runs Through It" in late January.

A special preview performance and workshop will take place in the National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York, in May.