PRESS

To schedule interviews with the principals or obtain more information, contact Sherry Boschert or call 415-681-7731.

About What They Seem
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Read the ARTICLE about Red in SFGate. It appeared as a cover story in the San Francisco Chronicle Datebook section on Monday, August 11.

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Photo of composer Red Bennett
Photo of librettist Sherry Boschert
Photo of director Michael Mohammed

Photos for press download

Photos from the production

Image of musical score for the animal seller’s aria

Suggested story hooks:

• “Opera: A kid thing?” – What They Seem is the fourth opera for children and adults to be performed in the Bay Area in a 3-month period, following on the heals of Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince (San Francisco Opera production at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall) and the Berkeley Opera productions of Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortileges and Bela Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle (Julia Morgan Theater). Is this a trend?

• “Crossing boundaries” -- The versatile composer, Red Bennett, developed his love for opera at the same time as he performed in the punk band "The Painkillers" as lead singer and songwriter. That’s the life of a teenage musician, San Francisco style.

• “Text, click, and chat to opera” -- This may be the first viral-marketed opera in history. The 18-year-old composer comes with all the connectivity of youth, which he’s using to get his first opera performed.

• Although the opera contains a priest-like character who threatens the child-like protagonists, it is not meant to be a commentary on the Catholic Church’s pedophilia scandal, though some may take it that way. What They Seem is not what it seems. Interview the composer to hear more.