Fellow Travelers

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

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.