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Fellow Travelers

"A gay La bohème" (Opera News)

February 21, 22, 25, 27, & 28, 2026
March 1, 2026
McCaw Hall

Tickets

Overview

Spears’ score pulses like a heartbeat . . . timeless, like any great love story.”

– The Cap Times


Music by Gregory Spears
Libretto by Greg Pierce
Based on the novel by Thomas Mallon

Love in the time of the Lavender Scare. Recent college graduate Timothy Laughlin arrives in 1950s Washington, D.C., ready to join the fight against Communism. A chance encounter with the handsome State Department official, Hawkins Fuller, results in Tim's first job and his first romantic relationship with a man. As Tim struggles to reconcile his newfound love with his political, personal, and religious beliefs, Hawkins comes under the watchful eye of McCarthyism and faces charges that could cost him his job and his freedom. Both men must make impossible choices as they struggle to survive the Lavender Scare.

One of the most frequently performed contemporary operas, this "striking" (American Record Guide) opera with its "ravishing musical score" (Cincinnati Enquirer) makes its Seattle premiere. A powerful piece of historical fiction, this production launches a national project to bring this story to opera stages across the country and speaks to the experiences of those who were banned from government employment and subject to humiliating investigations because of their sexuality.

Available now with 2025/26 season tickets.

Performance Information

Performance Information

McCaw Hall

In English with English subtitles

Evening performances at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM.

Performance Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes including 1 intermission

Movie-Style Rating: R

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Accessibility Offerings

Audio Described Performance: Sunday, March 1

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Praise for Fellow Travelers

An embarrassment of riches . . . Spears’ opera is certainly worthy of the buzz it has generated.”

– Schmopera

an admirable piece of work, full of psychological and emotional acuity, passion, wit and ambiguity.”

– San Francisco Chronicle

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Cast

Amber R. Monroe

Mary Johnson

Soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Mary Johnson, Fellow Travelers (‘26) 
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Youngstown, OH

Engagements: Serena, Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera); Lucienne, Die Tote Stadt (Boston Symphony Orchestra); Soloist, Verdi’s Requiem (National Philharmonic); Nedda, Pagliacci (Glimmerglass Festival); High Priestess, Aida (Baltimore Symphony)

Last updated: January 2025

Amber R. Monroe

Mary Johnson

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Colin Aikins

Timothy Laughlin

Tenor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Timothy Laughlin, Fellow Travelers (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Engagements: Prologue/Peter Quint, The Turn of the Screw, Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi, Jimmy O’Keefe, Later the Same Evening (Julliard Opera); Fenton, Falstaff (Aspen Opera Center); Alfredo, La traviata (City Lyric Opera); Soloist, Trouble in Tahiti (Curtis Opera Theater)

Last Updated: February 2025

Colin Aikins

Timothy Laughlin

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 27, & Mar. 1

Andres Acosta

Timothy Laughlin

Tenor
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Timothy Laughlin, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: Miami, FL
Seattle Opera Debut: Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (‘22)
Engagements: Tony, West Side Story (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari); Edgardo, Lucia di Lammermoor (Madison Opera); Jasper, Snowy Day (Houston Grand Opera); Herald, Don Carlos (The Metropolitan Opera); Timothy, Fellow Travelers (Florida Grand Opera); Mr. Rodriguez, Awakenings (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis)

Last Updated: June 2022

Andres Acosta

Timothy Laughlin

Feb. 22, 25, & 28

Jarrett Ott

Hawkins Fuller

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Hawkins Fuller, Fellow Travelers (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Penn Argyl, PA

Engagements: Samson, Samson (Festival d’Aix en Provence); Colonel Álvaro, Exterminating Angel (Opéra national de Paris); Agrippa, Antony and Cleopatra (Metropolitan Opera); Aeneas, Dido and Aeneas (Grand Théâtre de Genève); Riff, West Side Story (Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona); Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro (Teatro Regio di Torino)

Last updated: January 2025

Jarrett Ott

Hawkins Fuller

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 27, & Mar. 1

Joseph Lattanzi

Hawkins Fuller

Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Hawkins Fuller, Fellow Travelers (‘26)
Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Previously at Seattle Opera: Steward, Flight (‘21); Kuligin, Katya Kabanova ('17); Assan, The Consul (’14); Registrar, Madama Butterfly (’12)
Seattle Opera Debut: Moralès, Carmen (’11)

Seattle Opera Young Artist: 2011/12

Engagements: Silvio, Pagliacci (Atlanta Opera); Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro (Cincinnati Opera); Hawkins Fuller, Fellow Travelers (Arizona Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera); Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Jacksonville Symphony)

Last Updated: January 2021

Joseph Lattanzi

Hawkins Fuller

Feb. 22, 25, & 28

Vanessa Becerra

Miss Lightfoot

Soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25); Miss Lightfoot, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Nuria, Ainadamar (LA Opera); Maria Celeste/Eos, Galileo Galilei (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); Norina, Don Pasquale (Opera Omaha); Adina, The Elixir of Love (Minnesota Opera); Zerlina, Don Giovanni (Arizona Opera); Violetta, La traviata (Berkshire Opera Festival)

Last updated: January 2025

Vanessa Becerra

Miss Lightfoot

Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Marcus DeLoach

Senator Joseph McCarthy/Estonian Frank/Interrogator

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Senator Joseph McCarthy/Estonian Frank/Interrogator, Fellow Travelers (’26)

Hometown: Andover, MA
Seattle Opera Debut: Schaunard, La bohème (‘07)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Kurwenal (cover), Tristan und Isolde (‘10)

Engagements: Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Syracuse Opera); Sam, Trouble in Tahiti (Boston Lyric Opera); David, L’amico Fritz (Teatro Grattacielo); Minister, Breaking the Waves (Opera Philadelphia); Senator Joseph McCarthy/Estonian Frank/Interrogator, Fellow Travelers (Cincinnati Opera); Joseph De Rocher, Dead Man Walking (Opera Ireland)

Last updated: March 2025

Marcus DeLoach

Senator Joseph McCarthy/Estonian Frank/Interrogator

Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Elisa Sunshine

Lucy

Soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Lucy, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: San Clemente, CA
Seattle Opera Debut

Engagements: Flower Maiden/Esquire, Parsifal, Page (cover)/Gilda (cover), Rigoletto (San Francisco Opera); Iris, Semele (The Atlanta Opera); Juliette, Die tote Stadt (Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera); Susanna (cover), The Marriage of Figaro, Gilda (cover), Rigoletto (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Last Updated: March 2025

Elisa Sunshine

Lucy

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Randell McGee

Tommy McIntyre

Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Tommy McIntyre, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Sergeant, La bohéme, Lackey 2, Der Rosenkavalier (Santa Fe Opera); Escamillo, A Tragedy of Carmen (Tulsa Opera); Carceriere, Tosca (Richmond Symphony); King Melchoir, Amahl and the Night Visitors (Dayton Opera); Imperial Commissioner, Madame Butterfly (Cincinnati Opera)

Last updated: March 2025

Randell McGee

Tommy McIntyre

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Kyle Pfortmiller

Senator Charles Potter/General Arlie/Bartender

Bass-baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Senator Charles Potter/General Arlie/Bartender, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: Elgin, IL
Seattle Opera Debut

Engagements: Marquis d’Obigny, La traviata, Brian’s Father, Two Boys (Metropolitan Opera); Mr. XE, Angel’s Bone (Prototype Festival, Beijing Music Festival); Musiklehrer, Ariadne auf Naxos (Arizona Opera); Silvio, Pagliacci (De Nederlandse Opera); Figaro, The Barber of Seville (Florida Grand Opera)

Last Updated: March 2025

Kyle Pfortmiller

Senator Charles Potter/General Arlie/Bartender

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Jeremy Weiss

Senator Potter's Assistant/ Bookseller/Priest/ Technician/Party Guest

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Senator Potter's Assistant/Bookseller/Priest/Technician/Party Guest, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Seattle Opera Debut

Engagements: Harry Easter, Street Scene (Opéra national de Paris); Manuel, La Vida Breve (Opéra-Théâtre de Metz); Himself, Infinitesimal (Paradiso Pure Italia); Schaunard, La bohéme (Charlottesville Opera); Street Singer, Berstein’s Mass (Ravinia Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra); Lifeguard, The Good Swimmer (Brookyln Academy of Music)

Last Updated: March 2025

Jeremy Weiss

Senator Potter's Assistant/ Bookseller/Priest/ Technician/Party Guest

Seattle Opera Debut
Feb. 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & Mar. 1

Creative Team

Thomas Mallon

Author

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Author, Fellow Travelers (‘26)
Hometown: Glen Cove, NY

Thomas Mallon’s eleven books of fiction include Henry and Clara, Fellow Travelers, Watergate (a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award) and Up With the Sun.  He has also written volumes of nonfiction about plagiarism (Stolen Words), diaries (A Book of One’s Own), letters (Yours Ever) and the Kennedy assassination (Mrs. Paine’s Garage), as well as two books of essays (Rockets and Rodeos and In Fact).  A collection of his personal journals, The Very Heart of It:  New York Diaries, 1983-1994, will be published by Knopf in June 2025. Mallon’s work appears in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review and other publications.  He received his Ph. D. in English and American Literature from Harvard University and taught for a number of years at Vassar College.  His honors include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the National Book Critics Circle citation for reviewing, and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, for distinguished prose style.  He has been literary editor of Gentlemen’s Quarterly and deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and in 2012 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  An eight-part dramatic adaptation of his novel Fellow Travelers is now streaming on Showtime/Paramount+, and an opera based on the novel has had a dozen productions throughout the United States.  He is Professor Emeritus of English at The George Washington University and lives in Washington, D. C.

Thomas Mallon

Author

G. Sterling Zinsmeyer

Original Commissioner

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Original Commissioner, Fellow Travelers (’26)
Hometown: San Antonio, TX

G. Sterling Zinsmeyer is a veteran producer of films and stage productions. His interest has been to tell the stories of our gay community. His film production credits include The Deception, which premiered at the 2015 Santa Fe Film Festival, and Latter Days, which was released to wide acclaim in 2004. Latter Days has since been selected by The Library of Congress to be archived in their collection of important American films.

After reading Thomas Mallon’s novel Fellow Travelers, Mr. Zinsmeyer enlisted his friend Kevin Newbury to help him bring this story to the stage as a chamber opera. Together they brought Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce aboard as composer and librettist. The opera premiered in Cincinnati in 2016 to rapturous reviews and was named by The New York Times as one of the ten best classical music events of that year. Mr. Zinsmeyer is currently the Acting Director of the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM.

G. Sterling Zinsmeyer

Original Commissioner

Gregory Spears

Composer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Composer, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: New York, NY
Seattle Opera Debut

Gregory Spears is a New York-based composer who has been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and more. His opera, Fellow Travelers, written in collaboration with Greg Pierce, premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016 and has been produced at many companies across the country. The premiere was featured in The New York Times’ The Best Classical Music of 2016. His latest opera, The Righteous, written in collaboration with former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, was commissioned by Santa Fe Opera and premiered there in 2024. Castor and Patience, also written in collaboration with Smith, was commissioned by Cincinnati Opera for their 100th Anniversary and premiered in 2022. Both operas were named “Critics Pick” by The New York Times. For the 2021-2022 season, the New York Philharmonic commissioned and premiered Love Story, an orchestral song cycle for countertenor and orchestra.

Gregory Spears

Composer

Seattle Opera Debut

Greg Pierce

Librettist

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Librettist, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: Shelburne, VT
Seattle Opera Debut

Greg Pierce is a playwright, librettist, and lyricist based in New York City. He wrote the libretto for Fellow Travelers with composer Gregory Spears, which premiered at Cincinnati Opera, and the libretto for the Grammy-nominated opera The Hours with composer Kevin Puts, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and The Philadelphia Opera. He also written a variety of musicals and plays, including The Landing, Kid Victory, Slowgirl, Her Requiem, The Quarry, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Cardinal. Pierce frequently collaborates with singer and actor Mare Winningham, who has recorded many of his songs, and he has received fellowships from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Yaddo, The Djerassi Institute, the New York Public Library, and the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

Greg Pierce

Librettist

Seattle Opera Debut

Patrick Summers

Conductor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Conductor, Fellow Travelers (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut: Conductor, La bohème (‘98)
Hometown: Loogootee, IN

Engagements: Conductor, The Marriage of Figaro, Il trovatore (Houston Grand Opera); Adriana Lecouvreur (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Hansel und Gretel (Aspen Opera Theater)

Last updated: February 2025

Patrick Summers

Conductor

Kevin Newbury

Stage Director

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Stage Director, Fellow Travelers (‘26)
Hometown: Auburn, ME

Previously at Seattle Opera: Director, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (‘19)
Seattle Opera Debut: Director, Mary Stuart (‘16)

Engagements: Director, Castor & Patience (Cincinnati Opera); Creative Director, Liz Phair: GUYVILLE Tour; Director, The Righteous (Santa Fe Opera); Director, SOUL(SIGNS): Making Music Visible (PBS); Director, Fellow Travelers (National Tour); Co-Founder, Up Until Now Collective

Last updated: January 2025

Kevin Newbury

Stage Director

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer, The Pirates of PenzanceFellow TravelersCarmen; Hair and Makeup Manager & Designer, Daphne in Concert

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Seattle Opera Debut: Hair and Makeup Intern, Giulio Cesare (2007)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Designer, Pagliacci ('24); Jubilee ('24); Lucidity ('24); Les Troyens in Concert ('25); The Magic Flute ('25); Tosca ('25); Supplemental Wigs, Hair and Makeup Designer, Das Rheingold ('23); Alcina ('23); X: The Life & Times of Malcolm X ('24); The Barber of Seville ('24)

Ashlee Naegle made a name for herself early on in her career by mastering the dying art of wig building. She created and designed for several companies around town until the Seattle Opera created an in-house Hair and Makeup Designer position for her in 2017. During her time as the in-house Hair and Makeup Designer, she has built a sizable wig collection, built a department, and set high standards for wigs, hair and makeup. With each production, her designs are custom built for the performers and their characters to create a believable façade for the audience as well as complement the costumes and production as a whole.

Last Updated: July 2025

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

Staging Staff

Jonathan Moore

Production Stage Manager

Production Stage Manager

Hometown: Houston, TX
Seattle Opera Mainstage Debut: Les Troyens in Concert (’25)
Jonathan Moore (he/him) is thrilled to be a part of the Seattle Opera Production Team as Production Stage Manager. He has primarily worked in opera and ballet, including, most recently, a 4-season stint at the Houston Ballet. He has also stage managed for plays, musicals, a Fringe Festival, concerts, and a drag show. Favorite projects include a tour to Tokyo, an opera in a hot spring, and several operas in barns. He has worked across the country, including in New York, San Diego, San Antonio, Steamboat Springs, and Logan, UT.

Last Updated: February 2025

Jonathan Moore

Production Stage Manager

Quinn Chase

Assistant Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: PagliacciJubileeThe Magic FluteTosca

Hometown: Coventry, RI
Seattle Opera Debut: Il trovatore ('19)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Jubilee (‘24); Pagliacci (‘24); X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X ('24); Das Rheingold ('23); A Thousand Splendid Suns ('23)
Engagements: Blithe Spirit, Sanctuary City, Selling Kabul, Teenage Dick (Seattle Repertory Theatre); A Christmas Carol (ACT Contemporary Theatre); Everything is Illuminated (Book-It Repertory Theatre)

Last Updated: January 2025

Quinn Chase

Assistant Stage Manager

Mike Egan

Assistant Stage Manager

At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Video Stage Manager, The Magic Flute

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Seattle Opera Debut: Salome ('02)
Previously at Seattle Opera: A Thousand Splendid Suns (‘23); Ring cycle (‘05, ‘13); Lohengrin (‘04); Parsifal (‘03) 

Last Updated: October 2024

Mike Egan

Assistant Stage Manager

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Photos

Listen to the Music

Articles

Artist Statement from Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce

Composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce share some insight into the score and musical language of the opera.

Read Now

Director's Statement by Kevin Newbury

Stage director Kevin Newbury reflects on the history, community, and artistic values that have come together to bring this opera onto the stage. 

Read Now

2025/26 Season Sponsor

4Culture

Production Sponsors

Michael P. Theisen, MD

ArtsFund


Nesholm Family Foundation

Main Image © Philip Newton