Free Men

 

 

At the end of the Civil War, Confederate veteran Tom Chance finds himself dependent on the charity of Arthur Owen, an arrogant businessman who insists that Tom marry his daughter Celeste. However, Tom is gay, and he dreads the prospect of marriage. By good fortune, Tom inherits a plantation from his uncle. He flees to his new property, where he finds Joe, a former slave, already in residence. It turns out that Joe is also gay, and the two quickly form a loving, symbiotic relationship in which Tom provides the security of a home and Joe helps Tom recover from the trauma of a tragic wartime killing.

 

However, Arthur and Celeste track Tom down and demand that he return with them and marry Celeste. Seeing that Tom is in a homosexual relationship, Arthur threatens to have Tom arrested for sodomy if he rejects the marriage. Furthermore, Celeste vows to have Joe lynched regardless of Tom’s decision. Seeing no other option, Tom shoots the Owens and collapses, grief-stricken, into Joe’s arms.

 

Free Men has been praised by sensitivity reader Kayla Dunigan as “a tender tragedy that explores what love looks like when two people are placed in an impossible situation.”

 

Performance history

 

March 24 & 26, 2023

Cascadia Chamber Opera

Wildish Theater, Springfield, Oregon

Ryan Dixon (Tom Chance)

Jocelyn Claire Thomas (Celeste Owen)

Carson Lott Truett (Arthur Owen)

Marcus Peterson (Joe)

Nathalie Fortin (Piano)

Naomi Castro (Conductor)

Directed by Emily Pulley

 

August 26 & 27, 2023

Cascadia Chamber Opera

Charlene Larsen Center, Astoria, Oregon

Ryan Dixon (Tom Chance)

Jocelyn Claire Thomas (Celeste Owen)

Brandon Michael (Arthur Owen)

Marcus Peterson (Joe)

Andrew Pham (Piano)

Naomi Castro (Conductor)

Directed by Emily Pulley