L'Orfeo ed Euridice at Florida Grand Opera, March 2018
"Director-choreographer Keturah Stickann’s production abounds in memorable stage images. The lifeless Euridice’s body being strewn with flowers by candlelight, the furies’ synchronized menace in red and black, and the serene contentment of the shades in the Elysian Fields all registered in strong, almost cinematic fashion. Stickann keeps the drama at forward pitch and seamlessly integrated the music and dance.
There is more than a whiff of Mark Morris in the dancers’ rapid leaps across the stage during the overture and the final suite of dances becomes an eye-filling battle over Orfeo’s lyre, leading to the festive return of the reunited couple. Ten members of Dimensions Dance Theatre, under the direction of former Miami City Ballet principal dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, brought boundless athleticism and vibrancy to Stickann’s demanding choreography." ~Lawrence Budman, South Florida Classical Review
There is more than a whiff of Mark Morris in the dancers’ rapid leaps across the stage during the overture and the final suite of dances becomes an eye-filling battle over Orfeo’s lyre, leading to the festive return of the reunited couple. Ten members of Dimensions Dance Theatre, under the direction of former Miami City Ballet principal dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra, brought boundless athleticism and vibrancy to Stickann’s demanding choreography." ~Lawrence Budman, South Florida Classical Review
Turandot at San Diego Opera, February 2018
"Keturah Stickann has staged the epic with care and imagination. There are long stretches of massed ensemble singing, and Ms. Stickann manages to move the traffic to ever more interesting groupings and stage pictures. She makes excellent use of the levels to suggest the shifting power between the principles.
Although Puccini and his librettists have not given a wealth of detailed background to the characters (Calaf is especially undefined if tuneful), this director has worked with her cast to provide as much specificity as possible, while creating believable character relationships. Keturah has found a wealth of humor in the lively antics of the ministers, and created a truly moving moment after Liu’s suicide. I won’t completely give it away but it evokes a sort of touching “walk to paradise garden.” ~James Sohre, Opera Today
"Drunk on a wild cocktail of color and extravagant visual detail, San Diego Opera's new production of Puccini's final opera Turandot, directed by Keturah Stickann, appropriately eschews aggrandisement and sets about telling its story for what it is - a dark fantastical tale with a part measure of frivolity. Around 100 performers make up the mix on stage and Stickann musters and directs them with ardour, outdone only by a troupe of acrobatics who, in turn, are outshined by the three muck about imperial ministers Ping, Pang and Pong. And the four major leads - Lise Lindstrom, Carl Tanner, Angel Joy Blue and Brian Kontes - did a wonderful job at meeting the challenges Puccini wrote for their roles. The whole forms a potent brew in which Turandot proclaims she is of the heavens and the three P's sing out to Calaf - the foreign prince who solves three cryptic riddles to win her in marriage - that she doesn't really exist. Turandot may very well represent simply a symbol of entrapment and dominance, making the lofty monument she often depicted as quite sensible after all. More softly approached, Stickann's Turandot floats her imperious self amongst her people early on during the riddle ceremony that takes place well into Act 2 when she makes her first earthly and vocal appearance. It works well in setting up the frisson between the gallant but idiotically besotted Calaf, realised exceptionally by an aggressively passionate and the nobly-voiced tenor of Carl Tanner, and a formidable Turandot in the hands of star soprano Lise Lindstrom. In the end, the sum of all the parts came together admirably as Calaf saved himself from beheading, Turandot melted into his arms with a kiss, and the contrived exoticism added its own spectacularity. Give it a great sing and that's about as much as you'd expect from Turandot. Stickann manages to add a smidgen more for your viewing pleasure." ~ Opera Chaser
Although Puccini and his librettists have not given a wealth of detailed background to the characters (Calaf is especially undefined if tuneful), this director has worked with her cast to provide as much specificity as possible, while creating believable character relationships. Keturah has found a wealth of humor in the lively antics of the ministers, and created a truly moving moment after Liu’s suicide. I won’t completely give it away but it evokes a sort of touching “walk to paradise garden.” ~James Sohre, Opera Today
"Drunk on a wild cocktail of color and extravagant visual detail, San Diego Opera's new production of Puccini's final opera Turandot, directed by Keturah Stickann, appropriately eschews aggrandisement and sets about telling its story for what it is - a dark fantastical tale with a part measure of frivolity. Around 100 performers make up the mix on stage and Stickann musters and directs them with ardour, outdone only by a troupe of acrobatics who, in turn, are outshined by the three muck about imperial ministers Ping, Pang and Pong. And the four major leads - Lise Lindstrom, Carl Tanner, Angel Joy Blue and Brian Kontes - did a wonderful job at meeting the challenges Puccini wrote for their roles. The whole forms a potent brew in which Turandot proclaims she is of the heavens and the three P's sing out to Calaf - the foreign prince who solves three cryptic riddles to win her in marriage - that she doesn't really exist. Turandot may very well represent simply a symbol of entrapment and dominance, making the lofty monument she often depicted as quite sensible after all. More softly approached, Stickann's Turandot floats her imperious self amongst her people early on during the riddle ceremony that takes place well into Act 2 when she makes her first earthly and vocal appearance. It works well in setting up the frisson between the gallant but idiotically besotted Calaf, realised exceptionally by an aggressively passionate and the nobly-voiced tenor of Carl Tanner, and a formidable Turandot in the hands of star soprano Lise Lindstrom. In the end, the sum of all the parts came together admirably as Calaf saved himself from beheading, Turandot melted into his arms with a kiss, and the contrived exoticism added its own spectacularity. Give it a great sing and that's about as much as you'd expect from Turandot. Stickann manages to add a smidgen more for your viewing pleasure." ~ Opera Chaser
Seven Deadly Sins & Pagliacci, Virginia Opera, October 2016
"Virginia Opera broke up the usual ham-and-eggs serving of short verismo operas by balancing Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with another piece all about human failing - Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins. Given how at least four of those sins figure prominently in Pagliacci, the pairing made sense. Director Keturah Stickann placed both works in the economically challenged 1930's. The characters of Anna I and Anna II from the Weill opera popped up briefly later during Pagliacci, as if they had tired of Louisiana and somehow made their way to an Italian village. A gritty scenic design by Constantine Kritikos also provided a link between the pieces, underlined, with an almost Fellini-esque flourish, by bits of clown paraphernalia added to the costumes for some figures in Seven Deadly Sins....Everyone revealed assured acting skills, nowhere more compellingly than in the "Pagliaccio e Columbina" performance, which Stickann directed in unusually dynamic fashion. The steady stream of broad, off-color humor seemed genuine for a troupe anxious to hold an audience in the provinces; little touches, such as kids sneaking backstage and being scooted out, made the staging all the more engaging. The violent flashes really were surprising, the final moments truly affecting." ~Tim Smith, Opera News
Orpheus and Euridice at The Vermont Opera Project, August 2016
"Orpheus and Euridice meet, fall in love, cavort, settle down. She dies slowly. He saves but loses her, and he dies a rather unpleasant death. This takes place in the most atmospheric of staging, giving it an ethereal, untouchable feeling — like living in a dream.
"Directed and choreographed by Keturah Stickann, the staging proved stylish and effective storytelling. Robert Wood conducted the inviting music, including the excellent instrumentalists, with a real sense of its drama.
"The Vermont Opera Project’s “Orpheus and Euridice” created the effect of a beautiful animated classic painting with music. Now, that’s a different way to enjoy opera." ~Jim Lowe, The Times Argus
"Directed and choreographed by Keturah Stickann, the staging proved stylish and effective storytelling. Robert Wood conducted the inviting music, including the excellent instrumentalists, with a real sense of its drama.
"The Vermont Opera Project’s “Orpheus and Euridice” created the effect of a beautiful animated classic painting with music. Now, that’s a different way to enjoy opera." ~Jim Lowe, The Times Argus
Il trovatore at Knoxville Opera, April 2015
"In her fourth project with KO, director Keturah Stickann again wove psychological themes into the staging, themes that reference the backstory of the opera otherwise told only through exposition. Specters of Azucena’s mother and child briefly haunt several scenes as a reminder of that story, completed at the finale by a stunning image of an immolation as the existing scenery flies away. Stickann also gave Il Trovatore some truly gorgeous stage pictures through the painting and organization of crowd tableaus and character movement, such as Act II’s “Anvil Chorus,” all the while making a positive attribute of the drop and wing sets". ~ Alan Sherrod, Knoxville Mercury
La clemenza di Tito at Opera in the Heights, February 2015
"Stage director Keturah Stickann has done exceptional work with the Lambert Hall stage. The blocking was smart, never feeling overcrowded, and the window cut-out at center stage proved a visual treat. The stage, papered from floor to ceiling with newspapers and charcoal pitchforks, bespoke a timely present-day obsession with gossip and misconceptions." ~ Sydney Boyd, Girl At The Opera
"Houston's Opera in the Heights impresses with a handsome production of one of Mozart's rarely performed operas, La clemenza di Tito...The staging and set of La clemenza all blends together with simplicity and intrigue. The set, comprised of a few very versatile box set pieces, is entirely covered in a decoupage of newspapers articles. The effect is a welcome one and goes well with the modern costumes of the cast. Keturah Stickann and Jeremiah Minh Grünblatt respectively, as stage director and production designer, have succeeded in showing how themes of this piece traverse into modern times. Mozart's infrequently performed La clemenza di Tito is well-done by Opera in the Heights. From start to finish, their La clemenza di Tito is a marvelous work, filled with beautiful, emotive singing, accompanied by an orchestral performance that is sumptuous and dynamic, all working together to bring forth every possible nuance in Mozart's music. The entire performance including intermission is 2 hours and 35 minutes long. It is well-worth every second of it." ~ Nyderah Williams, Broadwayworld.com
"Houston's Opera in the Heights impresses with a handsome production of one of Mozart's rarely performed operas, La clemenza di Tito...The staging and set of La clemenza all blends together with simplicity and intrigue. The set, comprised of a few very versatile box set pieces, is entirely covered in a decoupage of newspapers articles. The effect is a welcome one and goes well with the modern costumes of the cast. Keturah Stickann and Jeremiah Minh Grünblatt respectively, as stage director and production designer, have succeeded in showing how themes of this piece traverse into modern times. Mozart's infrequently performed La clemenza di Tito is well-done by Opera in the Heights. From start to finish, their La clemenza di Tito is a marvelous work, filled with beautiful, emotive singing, accompanied by an orchestral performance that is sumptuous and dynamic, all working together to bring forth every possible nuance in Mozart's music. The entire performance including intermission is 2 hours and 35 minutes long. It is well-worth every second of it." ~ Nyderah Williams, Broadwayworld.com
Madama Butterfly at Opera Colorado, November 2014
"On an unseasonably frigid Saturday night in November, a capacity crowd at Denver's Ellie Caulkins Opera House witnessed what must be one of Opera Colorado's most significant, landmark evenings in recent memory. The company's struggles over the past couple of years are well-known, but if this week's production of Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" does not make them a distant memory, nothing will. 'Butterfly,' with a superb cast, an awe-inspiring lead singer/actress, and profoundly gorgeous staging, is a ravishing sensory experience, utilizing the Ellie's curious intimacy to its maximum effect. Director Keturah Stickann's intense attention to detail, particularly in the placement and motions of the characters around the simple, elegant Japanese house in which the entire opera is set, also never gets in the way of the singers' performances." ~Kelly Dean Hansen, Boulder Daily Camera
A Celebration of the Arts - Gala Opening of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, September 4, 2014
"When the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Sebastian Lang-Lessing, gave the downbeat for the National Anthem last night at the newly completed Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, the much anticipated grand opening of the performance center officially opened its musical doors to a grateful public. And what an opening. This observer can say that the reaction was unanimous – a triumph and success for Ballet San Antonio, Opera San Antonio and the San Antonio Symphony. To their credit each of the three performing arts organization intermingled with the other: ballet dancers with opera singers and orchestra players with opera singers. And to loosen up all on stage, the saucily dressed in red soprano sang her “Carmen” aria while flirting with Lang-Lessing’s hand and shoulders as well as other male principal orchestra members. The audience loved it." ~Jim Berg, Rivard Report
"A new era for the city's performing arts entered the hearts of San Antonians on Thursday night with the grace of dance, the beauty of singing and even the Parisian car horns of symphonic music at the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. The Tobin Center, opened in ceremonies earlier in the day, held as its inaugural concert, “A Celebration of the Arts,” that featured musicians of the San Antonio Symphony, Ballet San Antonio and Opera San Antonio in a first-time collaboration of the Tobin Center resident organizations...In all, it was visual and sonic swirl of local and outside talent that gave the audience a solid sampling of the delights to come at the Tobin Center from its resident organizations...Thursday's concert and performance program was built around the theme of love. San Antonio is going to love the Tobin Center." ~David Hendricks, San Antonio Express-News
"A new era for the city's performing arts entered the hearts of San Antonians on Thursday night with the grace of dance, the beauty of singing and even the Parisian car horns of symphonic music at the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. The Tobin Center, opened in ceremonies earlier in the day, held as its inaugural concert, “A Celebration of the Arts,” that featured musicians of the San Antonio Symphony, Ballet San Antonio and Opera San Antonio in a first-time collaboration of the Tobin Center resident organizations...In all, it was visual and sonic swirl of local and outside talent that gave the audience a solid sampling of the delights to come at the Tobin Center from its resident organizations...Thursday's concert and performance program was built around the theme of love. San Antonio is going to love the Tobin Center." ~David Hendricks, San Antonio Express-News
Sister Carrie Workshop at Janiec Opera Company, July 2014
"Preparing a brand-new opera is not a task for the fainthearted. There are no recordings for the soloists to study. The composer and librettist [Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein], who to date have completed the first act and half of the second, have heard the work performed only in snippets, with a piano reduction of the intended orchestral accompaniment, and are still tinkering with the score. The Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Center assisted the creative process with three "developmental workshop" performances this week as their 2014 "Opera in a Box" offering. The venue was the Morrison Playhouse of Brevard College, an intimate "black box" theater, and the three stage co-directors [Ms. Stickann, Dean Anthony and Vincent Connor] chose black costumes for the soloists and chorus and even black props. Their goal was to minimize everything else in order to put the focus on the words and the music, aiding the creators in observing their work. The staging achieved its goal, and in a question-and-answer period Friday, one audience member suggested that the minimalist staging had been so effective that it should be considered for a future presentation of the opera." ~ Ted McIrvine, CVNC.org
Don Quichotte at San Diego Opera, April 2014
"San Diego Opera's April 5 opening of Massenet's Don Quichotte began with an onstage speech by the company's general and artistic director, Ian Campbell, which was greeted by boos and catcalls. Campbell, who has led the company since 1983, had announced on March 19 the company's impending closure at the end of its forty-ninth season. Should Don Quichotte prove to be San Diego Opera's swan song, the organization went out with artistic head held high...The company's Don Quichotte director in 2014 was Keturah Stickann, whose deployment of the mixed chorus supported their singing completely; in the brigands' camp, the men were exemplary." ~Charlene Baldridge, Opera News
"The strength of this traditional production is its sincerity. While the aging Knight-errant is the source of scorn for those small-minded knaves in Dulcinea’s world, the nobility of his chivalry is commended in this production. Often glowingly lit, Quixote is messianic in a world that doesn't appreciate him and, rather than evoke pity from the audience, Keturah Stickann’s staging engenders understanding. Still, this is a colorful opera and there is plenty of atmosphere and fun. The fiery Flamenco dancing, choreographed by Kristina Cobarrubia, was a great addition. Sancho’s antics were endearing, not overly loutish, and the difficult-to-stage windmill scene earned intended laughs at its creative execution. All combined, this is a fine production, memorable and supremely thoughtful. " ~ Matthew Richard Martinez, Bachtrack.com
"Keturah Stickann’s stage direction made use of her background as a choreographer by adding subtle touches and details to the characters’ movements, all of which seemed natural and well integrated, and marrying the cleverness and poignancy of the libretto with affecting, uncontrived actions." ~Erica Miner, LA Opus
"Although one cannot characterize Massenet’s Quixote as a comic character, there are comic elements, particularly his fussy swordfight with his rival Juan (humorously played by tenor Simeon Esper) and, in what some will regard as the opera’s most memorable scene, Quixote’s horseback charge into a windmill’s blades." ~ William Burnett, Opera Warhorses
"The strength of this traditional production is its sincerity. While the aging Knight-errant is the source of scorn for those small-minded knaves in Dulcinea’s world, the nobility of his chivalry is commended in this production. Often glowingly lit, Quixote is messianic in a world that doesn't appreciate him and, rather than evoke pity from the audience, Keturah Stickann’s staging engenders understanding. Still, this is a colorful opera and there is plenty of atmosphere and fun. The fiery Flamenco dancing, choreographed by Kristina Cobarrubia, was a great addition. Sancho’s antics were endearing, not overly loutish, and the difficult-to-stage windmill scene earned intended laughs at its creative execution. All combined, this is a fine production, memorable and supremely thoughtful. " ~ Matthew Richard Martinez, Bachtrack.com
"Keturah Stickann’s stage direction made use of her background as a choreographer by adding subtle touches and details to the characters’ movements, all of which seemed natural and well integrated, and marrying the cleverness and poignancy of the libretto with affecting, uncontrived actions." ~Erica Miner, LA Opus
"Although one cannot characterize Massenet’s Quixote as a comic character, there are comic elements, particularly his fussy swordfight with his rival Juan (humorously played by tenor Simeon Esper) and, in what some will regard as the opera’s most memorable scene, Quixote’s horseback charge into a windmill’s blades." ~ William Burnett, Opera Warhorses
Moby-Dick on tour, 2010-2014
"Most singers inhabited their roles fully, and the physicality of this production showed that an American opera should and could have real muscle...Movement director/choreographer Keturah Stickann then created more magic by having people cling, then fling themselves out from the vertically-viewed boats as if overboard into the water of a tempestuous sea."
~Susan Galbraith on the Washington National Opera production, DC Theatre Scene, 2014
"The rest of the cast and, notably, the willing and accomplished SFO Chorus (Ian Robertson, Director) followed the excellent physical game-plan provided by movement director and choreographer Keturah Stickann with beautifully rehearsed precision. Their contributions added immeasurably to the incredible visual appeal of the production." ~Philip Campbell on the San Francisco Opera production, Bay Area Reporter, 2012
"Keturah Stickann (Choreography) effectively shaped scenes of fight and fellowship on the ship's massive deck."
~Georgia Rowe on the San Francisco Opera production, Opera News, 2012
"The visual side is not confined just to the physical set, but includes people, with choreographer, Keturah Stickann, and fight and action choreographer, Nino Pilla, adding more movement and energy. They keep the cast and, especially, the fifteen supernumeraries very busy from start to finish, climbing all over the ropes and masts and sliding down the decks of the Pequod."
~Barry Lenny on the State Opera of South Australia production, Glam Adelaide, 2011
"Choreographer Keturah Stickann and fight choreographer Bill Lengfelder created a breezy night."
~Ronald Blum on the Dallas Opera World Premiere, The Associated Press, 2010
~Susan Galbraith on the Washington National Opera production, DC Theatre Scene, 2014
"The rest of the cast and, notably, the willing and accomplished SFO Chorus (Ian Robertson, Director) followed the excellent physical game-plan provided by movement director and choreographer Keturah Stickann with beautifully rehearsed precision. Their contributions added immeasurably to the incredible visual appeal of the production." ~Philip Campbell on the San Francisco Opera production, Bay Area Reporter, 2012
"Keturah Stickann (Choreography) effectively shaped scenes of fight and fellowship on the ship's massive deck."
~Georgia Rowe on the San Francisco Opera production, Opera News, 2012
"The visual side is not confined just to the physical set, but includes people, with choreographer, Keturah Stickann, and fight and action choreographer, Nino Pilla, adding more movement and energy. They keep the cast and, especially, the fifteen supernumeraries very busy from start to finish, climbing all over the ropes and masts and sliding down the decks of the Pequod."
~Barry Lenny on the State Opera of South Australia production, Glam Adelaide, 2011
"Choreographer Keturah Stickann and fight choreographer Bill Lengfelder created a breezy night."
~Ronald Blum on the Dallas Opera World Premiere, The Associated Press, 2010
Don Pasquale at Opera in the Heights, November 2013
"Under Keturah Stickann's inventive direction, the young cast romps wondrously. Even the set changes are handled with wit and charm. When we move from Pasquale's house to Norina's, gloved hands appear between the screens that form a second-floor wall, pick them up, and deftly replace them farther upstage, revealing Norina at her vanity, ready to go. The garden scene transformation is just as neatly accomplished, as the chorus in slow motion adds shrubs and trellises into Pasquale's house, all lovingly timed for Ernesto's entrance serenade, the famous "Com'è gentil" ("How lovely is the night in mid-April"). Stickann keeps everything elegant yet funny, without going overboard on the low comedy bits." ~D.L. Groover, HoustonPress.com
"Keturah Stickann makes her Opera in the Heights debut stage directing this production of DON PASQUALE. Together, with Enrique Carreón-Robledo as Artistic Director and Conductor, this team has assembled a talented cast and produced an opera that easily beguiles audiences in the intimate setting of Lambert Hall. Furthermore, Keturah Stickann fills the small stage with lively energy that never lets the opera lag. Likewise, Enrique Carreón-Robledo conducts the orchestra with such tangible vigor that they too play with such exuberance that the audience can't help but get lost in the performance." ~David Clarke, Broadway World
"Don Pasquale" fits Opera in the Heights' pocket-size scale better than many operas. The comic high jinks - centering on an elderly bachelor who's tricked into thinking a much younger woman will marry him - involve just four main characters. So Opera in the Heights' production is the next best thing to slipping the audience into Pasquale's living room. The up-close-and-personal view pays dividends.... Stage director Keturah Stickann adroitly fit the action into the small Lambert Hall stage." ~Steven Brown, Houston Chronicle
"Keturah Stickann makes her Opera in the Heights debut stage directing this production of DON PASQUALE. Together, with Enrique Carreón-Robledo as Artistic Director and Conductor, this team has assembled a talented cast and produced an opera that easily beguiles audiences in the intimate setting of Lambert Hall. Furthermore, Keturah Stickann fills the small stage with lively energy that never lets the opera lag. Likewise, Enrique Carreón-Robledo conducts the orchestra with such tangible vigor that they too play with such exuberance that the audience can't help but get lost in the performance." ~David Clarke, Broadway World
"Don Pasquale" fits Opera in the Heights' pocket-size scale better than many operas. The comic high jinks - centering on an elderly bachelor who's tricked into thinking a much younger woman will marry him - involve just four main characters. So Opera in the Heights' production is the next best thing to slipping the audience into Pasquale's living room. The up-close-and-personal view pays dividends.... Stage director Keturah Stickann adroitly fit the action into the small Lambert Hall stage." ~Steven Brown, Houston Chronicle
The Tales of Hoffmann at Knoxville Opera, October 2013
"Knoxville Opera’s current production of Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann” is so loaded with stellar performances two of the most important don’t even get on stage until the curtain calls...Foremost is KO music director and conductor Brian Salesky, who had the foresight to hire everyone else in the terrific production and whose conducting supported rather than overpowered his singers...The second is stage director Keturah Stickann, who, together with lighting designer John Horner, used a first-rate set, designed by Erhard Rom, so creatively that the initial image of a tavern, where the story begins, remains in one’s consciousness while all the other scenes in the recounting of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s exploits take place.
Stickann’s tableau, replete with two nude eunuchs and a stage full of people who had celebrated a little too much, was a genuinely stunning visual moment when the curtain rose on Act III. Her brilliant move of portraying Giulietta’s servant, Pitichinaccio, played by Boris Van Duff, as a bent-over humpback with goat horns and red spike heels, was the final stroke of genius setting up the arrival of Giulietta, the seductive courtesan, performed by Talise Trevigne, in Hoffmann’s third story. Pitichinaccio, who is also in love with Giulietta, tries to poison Hoffmann, but ends up poisoning Giulietta instead." ~Harold Duckett, Knoxville News Sentinel
" It had been 21 years, I was told, since Knoxville Opera last staged Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (“The Tales of Hoffmann”). Knoxville audiences were rewarded for their patience last weekend with a season-opening production that offered up the work’s intriguing premise and elegant score in a successful performance of clever and sophisticated musical theater.
This production marked the third collaboration for KO musical director Brian Salesky and stage director Keturah Stickann, the two having worked together previously on KO’s productions of La Traviata and Manon. Stickann has cleverly updated the visual production to 1920s Berlin, a period that lends itself perfectly to both darkness and “delicious decadence,” and one that is easily accessible to modern audiences. Continuity was served by her wise and strategic use of designer Erhard Rom’s set (lit by John Horner), with its towering walls of wine bottles, that transforms into a locale for each of the acts while retaining the visual reminder that it’s all a tale being told in a tavern." ~Alan Sherrod, Metropulse
Stickann’s tableau, replete with two nude eunuchs and a stage full of people who had celebrated a little too much, was a genuinely stunning visual moment when the curtain rose on Act III. Her brilliant move of portraying Giulietta’s servant, Pitichinaccio, played by Boris Van Duff, as a bent-over humpback with goat horns and red spike heels, was the final stroke of genius setting up the arrival of Giulietta, the seductive courtesan, performed by Talise Trevigne, in Hoffmann’s third story. Pitichinaccio, who is also in love with Giulietta, tries to poison Hoffmann, but ends up poisoning Giulietta instead." ~Harold Duckett, Knoxville News Sentinel
" It had been 21 years, I was told, since Knoxville Opera last staged Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (“The Tales of Hoffmann”). Knoxville audiences were rewarded for their patience last weekend with a season-opening production that offered up the work’s intriguing premise and elegant score in a successful performance of clever and sophisticated musical theater.
This production marked the third collaboration for KO musical director Brian Salesky and stage director Keturah Stickann, the two having worked together previously on KO’s productions of La Traviata and Manon. Stickann has cleverly updated the visual production to 1920s Berlin, a period that lends itself perfectly to both darkness and “delicious decadence,” and one that is easily accessible to modern audiences. Continuity was served by her wise and strategic use of designer Erhard Rom’s set (lit by John Horner), with its towering walls of wine bottles, that transforms into a locale for each of the acts while retaining the visual reminder that it’s all a tale being told in a tavern." ~Alan Sherrod, Metropulse
Rigoletto at Opera Memphis, October 2013
"Operas have been known to plod, but this presentation, with Keturah Stickann directing and Ari Pelto conducting, was impressive and engaging at a dress rehearsal last week...There was special attention to detail that allowed you to savor this production at the Germantown Arts Center....The vivid performances pulled the entire production together. Not only did the principals show their mastery, but the staging was first rate - when the mass of courtiers moved about the stage, the malevolent intent was plain and purposeful." ~Jon W. Sparks, The Commercial Appeal
" I was knocked out by scenic design that perfectly captured the color palette of renaissance portraiture, and lighting that would have suited Caravaggio. Rich, vibrant reds and golds explode among all the black and shades of gray on stage....I was equally impressed by an ensemble performance hellbent on undermining all the old cliches about tenors, sopranos, and the amorous lure of the spotlight....I was almost surprised by a traditional profile and subtle acting that’s about as cinematic as an opera can be without losing its clarity." ~Chris Davis, The Memphis Flyer
" I was knocked out by scenic design that perfectly captured the color palette of renaissance portraiture, and lighting that would have suited Caravaggio. Rich, vibrant reds and golds explode among all the black and shades of gray on stage....I was equally impressed by an ensemble performance hellbent on undermining all the old cliches about tenors, sopranos, and the amorous lure of the spotlight....I was almost surprised by a traditional profile and subtle acting that’s about as cinematic as an opera can be without losing its clarity." ~Chris Davis, The Memphis Flyer
Cruzar La Cara De La Luna at Houston Grand Opera, March 2013
"Cruzar La Cara De La Luna is astoundingly beautiful and compelling."
"Choreography by Keturah Stickann is culturally appropriate and masterfully recreates the intricate footwork of the waltz, huapango, and other exuberant and energetic Mexican dances." ~David Clarke, Broadwayworld.com
"Choreography by Keturah Stickann is culturally appropriate and masterfully recreates the intricate footwork of the waltz, huapango, and other exuberant and energetic Mexican dances." ~David Clarke, Broadwayworld.com
Madama Butterfly at Opera Santa Barbara, November 2012
"Opera SB's Madame Butterfly is a triumph!"
"From a cast and even directorial staff for which this was a debut, Butterfly rang with a certain cosmopolitan beauty that is
Opera Santa Barbara’s forte. The aching melodies, glittering oriental cherry trees and dancing lights that occupied the Granada’s
stage for those three hours made even the most elegant of Santa Barbara socialite’s jewels look dim in comparison. Between the
beautiful display, the talented performers and the tragic story, this evening will likely linger with the audience for quite some
time." ~Emily Hunt, The Daily Nexus
"Providing buoyant support throughout the tragic tale are conductor Sara Jobin, who has made her mark molding orchestras for major classical operas as well as innovative contemporary works, and stage director Keturah Stickann, whose talents include choreography, evident in the gracefully coordinated group movement and central action." ~Rita Moran, Ventura County Star
"A ravishing production fit for a much larger city...Given the opera's sparse and even melodramatic dramatic framework, the trick in a good and engaging production is a careful managing of the elements at the center and on the periphery, which Opera Santa Barbara's treatment over the weekend clearly was." ~Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News-Press
"Opera Santa Barbara's 2012-2013 season arrived with a graceful note with the premiere of a new production of Puccini's masterwork Madame Butterfly. A formidable trio of female opera professionals inclduing Japanese soprano, Mihoko Kinoshita, in the lead role of Cio-Cio-San, the accomplished conductor Sara Jobin, and Director Keturah Stickann, joined forces to create an alluring performance.
"Visually the three acts were enchantingly fluid, and helped to portray the dramatic tides that enveloped the characters. The director and choreographer, Ms. Stickann, successfully captured an engaging quality with almost every role with inventive staging throughout the evening."
~Robert F. Adams, Casa Magazine
"From a cast and even directorial staff for which this was a debut, Butterfly rang with a certain cosmopolitan beauty that is
Opera Santa Barbara’s forte. The aching melodies, glittering oriental cherry trees and dancing lights that occupied the Granada’s
stage for those three hours made even the most elegant of Santa Barbara socialite’s jewels look dim in comparison. Between the
beautiful display, the talented performers and the tragic story, this evening will likely linger with the audience for quite some
time." ~Emily Hunt, The Daily Nexus
"Providing buoyant support throughout the tragic tale are conductor Sara Jobin, who has made her mark molding orchestras for major classical operas as well as innovative contemporary works, and stage director Keturah Stickann, whose talents include choreography, evident in the gracefully coordinated group movement and central action." ~Rita Moran, Ventura County Star
"A ravishing production fit for a much larger city...Given the opera's sparse and even melodramatic dramatic framework, the trick in a good and engaging production is a careful managing of the elements at the center and on the periphery, which Opera Santa Barbara's treatment over the weekend clearly was." ~Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News-Press
"Opera Santa Barbara's 2012-2013 season arrived with a graceful note with the premiere of a new production of Puccini's masterwork Madame Butterfly. A formidable trio of female opera professionals inclduing Japanese soprano, Mihoko Kinoshita, in the lead role of Cio-Cio-San, the accomplished conductor Sara Jobin, and Director Keturah Stickann, joined forces to create an alluring performance.
"Visually the three acts were enchantingly fluid, and helped to portray the dramatic tides that enveloped the characters. The director and choreographer, Ms. Stickann, successfully captured an engaging quality with almost every role with inventive staging throughout the evening."
~Robert F. Adams, Casa Magazine
La traviata at Knoxville Opera, October 2011
"In a search for something different, director Keturah Stickann's staging concept departed a bit from the linear storyline, revealing the opera's Act I and Act II action in 1870 Paris and its environs as a tortured memory in the mind of Violetta Valery, the abandoned courtesan who is dying of tuberculosis in her bed - a bed and occupant around which the action swirls for the entire evening. Verdi's sadly shimmering strings of the Prelude were perfect for supporting the idea. While there can be risks in taking novel approaches like this to well-known works, this one succeeded brilliantly in almost every way, cleverly focusing the audience's attention where it should be - on the character of Violetta - and making her inevitable death truly tragic, rather than merely melodramatic." ~Alan Sherrod, Metropulse
Manon at Knoxville Opera, January 2011
"A breath of fresh air for Knoxville Opera was Keturah Stickann, making her debut as stage director for Manon...Her frozen tableaus of background characters in several scenes were carefully painted, expressive stage pictures." ~Alan Sherrod, Metropulse
"Knoxville Opera does not disappoint, delivering an impressive, solid production...Conductor Brian Salesky and Director and Choreographer Keturah Stickann have outdone themselves...If you can't understand French, there is help from English surtitles projected above the stage, but even without the surtitles, Stickann's staging does a wonderful job helping to tell the story...Knoxville Opera has had some considerable successes in the past, but this is one of its best..." ~Kim Midkiff, Knoxville.com
"Knoxville Opera does not disappoint, delivering an impressive, solid production...Conductor Brian Salesky and Director and Choreographer Keturah Stickann have outdone themselves...If you can't understand French, there is help from English surtitles projected above the stage, but even without the surtitles, Stickann's staging does a wonderful job helping to tell the story...Knoxville Opera has had some considerable successes in the past, but this is one of its best..." ~Kim Midkiff, Knoxville.com
Photo: Jonathan Beyer, Harry House & Chorus during Act IV of Manon at Knoxville Opera, 2011; Directed & Choreographed by Keturah Stickann, Conducted by Brian Salesky, Sets by Stivanello, Costumes by Zack Brown (for Malabar), Lighting Design by John Horner, Wigs and Makeup by Susan Herrera; Photo courtesy of Knoxville Opera