Dido and Æneas Presented at Bennington College

Bennington College faculty members Tom Bogdan, Terry Creach, and Sue Rees will stage Dido and Æneas, an opera considered one of the greatest of its time. Bennington’s Margot Tenney Theatre, VAPA, will host four performances, which will take place at 3:30 pm and 8:00 pm, Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, 2007. Performances are free and open to the public, but do require reservations, which can be made by calling the box office at 802-440-4572.

England’s oldest opera, Dido and Æneas is based on the story from the book of Virgil’s Aeneid, the legendary Queen of Cathage Dido, and the Trojan refugee Æneas. In order to cure her unhappiness, Dido, queen of Carthage, marries the Trojan prince, Aeneas, who is madly in love with her. While Dido and Æneas are out hunting, an evil Sorceress and her assistants plot the destruction of Dido and Carthage. Soon, an evil witch disguised as the God Mercury stops Æneas. She tells him that he must abandon Carthage and found a new Troy on Latin soil. While Æneas hates the thought of leaving Dido, he cannot refuse a god's command. In the end, Æneas decides to defy the god's command and stay with Dido. Nevertheless, Dido refuses to stay with a lover who even considered leaving her and soon dies.

Music direction by music faculty member Tom Bogdan, choreography and stage direction are led by dance faculty member Terry Creach, with the set designed by visual arts faculty member Sue Rees.