July 10–12, 2026
Balboa Theatre
Music by Gregory Spears
Libretto by Greg Pierce
Conducted by Bruce Stasyna
Directed by Kevin Newbury
Based on Thomas Mallon’s novel which recently became an acclaimed Showtime miniseries. Timothy Laughlin is an idealistic college grad when he arrives in Washington DC to join the fight against communism. But a chance encounter with a handsome State Department official leads to a secret love affair and heart-wrenching dilemmas. The year is 1953, and Senator McCarthy isn’t just looking for communists anymore. Hearing the score Opera Magazine calls “seductively beautiful,” you’ll be on the edge of your seat for the work the Chicago Tribune calls “one of the most accomplished new American operas.”
Performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Contains partial nudity.
Sung in English with supertitles projected above the stage in English and Spanish.
Post-Opera Talk Back
Immediately following each performance, join us in the main floor Orchestra seating section for an informative Q&A with San Diego Opera staff and cast members.
Season Sponsors
Prebys Foundation
City of San Diego
Premier Production Sponsor
Larry Ganzell in memory of John E. Ford
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is supported, in part, by The Joan and Irwin Jacobs San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera Collaboration Fund.
The San Diego Opera Chorus is supported, in part, by the John E. Ford San Diego Opera Chorus Initiative
Save with Season Tickets!
Pair Fellow Travelers with Rigoletto (Oct 23–25), Susannah (Feb 12–14), and The Marriage of Figaro (April 2–4) to save up to 20% off single ticket prices. Contact Patron Services at (619) 533-7000 to learn more.
4-opera packages start at $204
Lavender Names Project
Are you a member of the LGBTQ+ community who has been impacted by employment discrimination by the government? The Fellow Travelers tour consortium is partnering with the American LGBTQ+ Museum on the Lavender Names Project, a nationwide community outreach initiative that wants to share your story. Your photo will be included in a visual archive that will appear on stage at the end of each performance.
Andy Acosta
Timothy Laughlin
“Brings such an endearing innocence to Tim as to set the heart alight.”
~Pioneer Press
Andy Acosta
(Timothy Laughlin)
San Diego Opera highlights: Clay in Eden; Javier in Dormir.
Recent and Upcoming: Nibbles in West Side Story (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Ismaele in Nabucco in Concert (Washington Concert Opera); Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers (Virginia Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Madison Opera); Tony in West Side Story (Teartro Lirico di Cagliari); Dickson Sowerby in The Secret Garden (Hawaii Opera Theatre); Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore (Seattle Opera); Mr. Rodriguez in Awakenings (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Papi in The Snowy Day (Houston Grand Opera); Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood in Lucia di Lammermoor (Madison Opera); Lord Arturo Bucklaw in Lucia di Lammermoor (Opera San Antonio); Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas (Pittsburgh Opera, Pensacola Opera, Jacobs School Of Music at Indiana University); Matteo Borsa in Rigoletto (Minnesota Opera).
Joseph Lattanzi
Hawkins Fuller
“Splendid as Hawk — his buttery baritone luxuriant and robust.”
~The New York Times
Joseph Lattanzi
(Hawkins Fuller)
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro (Pensacola Opera); Hawkins Fuller in Fellow Travelers (Seattle Opera, Opera Parallèle, Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera); Title role in Don Giovanni (Arizona Opera); Belcore in L’elisir d’amore (Minnesota Opera); Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd (Dayton Opera, The Atlanta Opera); Paul Jobs in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (San Francisco Opera); Sid in La fanciulla del West (Cleveland Orchestra); Silvio in Pagliacci (Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, The Atlanta Opera); Steward in Flight (Seattle Opera); Dandini in La Cenerentola (Virginia Opera, Arizona Opera); Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro (Cincinnati Opera); Lt. Audebert in Silent Night (Arizona Opera); Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Virginia Opera); Sonora in La fanciulla del West (Virginia Opera).
Amber R. Monroe
Mary Johnson
“Her voice is icily incisive, with warm resonances throughout her range.”
~The Opera Tattler
Amber R. Monroe
(Mary Johnson)
San Diego Opera Debut
Recent and Upcoming: Aida in Aida (Washington National Opera), Serena in Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera); Lucienne in Die Tote Stadt (Boston Symphony Orchestra); Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem (National Philharmonic); Nedda in Pagliacci (Glimmerglass Festival, El Paso Opera); High Priestess in Aida (Baltimore Symphony), Mimì in La bohème (Chattanooga Symphony and Opera), Esther in Intimate Apparel (Arizona Opera), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Opera Columbus), Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro (Kentucky Opera), Clara in Porgy and Bess (Opera Western Reserve), Clarissa in Gregory Spears’s Castor and Patience (Cincinnati Opera), Harriet Tubman in Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom (Cleveland Opera Theater).
Vanessa Becerra
Miss Lightfoot
“Becerra seizes the daunting title role with a confidence that only swells as the opera goes on..”
~Chicago Tribune
Vanessa Becerra
(Miss Lightfoot)
San Diego Opera Debut
Recent and Upcoming: Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance (Seattle Opera); Alice Ford in Falstaff (Chicago Opera Theater); Miss Lightfoot in Fellow Travelers (Seattle Opera, Portland Opera); Violetta Valéry in La traviata (Berkshire Opera Festival); Nuria in Ainadamar (LA Opera); Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Opera Omaha); Norina in Don Pasquale (Festival Napa Valley, Opera Omaha, Lakes Area Music Festival); title role in Leonora (Chicago Opera Theater); Adina in The Elixir of Love (Minnesota Opera); Zerlina in Don Giovanni (Arizona Opera); Maria Celeste/Eos in Galileo Galilei (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment (Minnesota Opera); Carolina in El matrimonio secreto (Florida Grand Opera); Despina in Così fan tutte (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis).
Marcus DeLoach
Senator Joseph McCarthy/Estonian Frank/Interrogator
“...a fine baritone who puts words across with clarity and naturalness.”
~The New York TImes
Marcus DeLoach
(Senator Joseph McCarthy/Estonian Frank/Interrogator)
San Diego Opera Debut
Recent and Upcoming: Estonian Frank in Fellow Travelers (Portland Opera, Seattle Opera, Arizona Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera); David in L’Amico Fritz (Teatro Grattacielo); title role in Don Giovanni (Syracuse Opera); Sam in Trouble in Tahiti (Boston Lyric Opera); Figaro in La Mère coupable (On Site Opera); Minister in Breaking the Waves (Prototype Festival, Opera Philadelphia); Ping in Turandot (Wichita Grand Opera); Second armored man in The Magic Flute (Opera Philadelphia); Schaunard in La bohéme (Seattle Opera).
Elisa Sunshine
Lucy
A "fun, feisty, and powerful" soprano
~San Francisco Examiner
Elisa Sunshine
(Lucy)
San Diego Opera Debut
Recent and Upcoming:
Lucy in Fellow Travelers (Portland Opera, Seattle Opera); Flower Maiden/Squire in Parsifal (San Francisco Opera); The Page in Rigoletto (San Francisco Opera); Iris in Semele (The Atlanta Opera); Juliette in Die tote Stadt (Boston Symphony Orchestra); Annina in La traviata (Santa Fe Opera); Servant/Unborn Child in Die Frau ohne Schatten (San Francisco Opera); Carmelite Nuns in Dialogues des Carmélites (San Francisco Opera); The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (Pensacola Opera); A shepherd in Tosca (San Francisco Opera); Selena in If I Were You (Merola Opera Program); Gretel in Hansel and Gretel (Regina Opera Compnay).
MORE CAST »
Randell McGee
Tommy McIntyre
Randell McGee
Tommy McIntyre
San Diego Opera Debut
Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers (Portland Opera, Seattle Opera); Customs Officer in La bohème (The Santa Fe Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Union Avenue Opera); Second lackey in Der Rosenkavalier (The Santa Fe Opera); The Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly (Cincinnati Opera); Michele in scenes from Il tabarro (The Santa Fe Opera); Ned in Treemonisha (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Kaboom, Frat Boy and Lay About Man in Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); A court usher in Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Bob Beckett in HMS Pinafore (Union Avenue Opera).
Kyle Pfortmiller
Senator Charles Potter/General Arlie/Bartender
Kyle Pfortmiller
Senator Charles Potter/General Arlie/Bartender
San Diego Opera debut
Senator Potter in Fellow Travelers (Portland Opera, Seattle Opera); Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro (Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera); Gabriel of Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus (Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Opera in Williamsburg, Gulfshore Opera); The Count of Luna in Il trovatore (Toledo Opera); Mr. XE in Angel’s Bone (LA Opera, Beijing/Hong Kong Arts Festival); Second priest in The Magic Flute (Metropolitan Opera); Musiklehrer in Ariadne auf Naxos (Berkshire Opera Festival); Doctor Malatesta in Don Pasquale (Chautauqua Opera Festival); Title role in Rigoletto (Opera in Williamsburg); Doctor Falke in Die Fledermaus (Nashville Opera).
Jeremy Weiss
Senator Potter’s Assistant/ Bookseller/Priest/Technician/Party Guest
Jeremy Weiss
Senator Potter’s Assistant/ Bookseller/Priest/Technician/Party Guest
San Diego Opera Debut
Senator Potter’s Assistant in Fellow Travelers (Portland Opera, Seattle Opera); Harry Easter in Street Scene (Opéra National de Paris); Schaunard in La bohéme (Charlottesville Opera); Steve Jobs in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Jacobs School of Music).
Bruce Stasyna
Conductor
“Multitalented conductor Bruce Stasyna, who is San Diego Opera’s resident conductor and chorus master, led the symphony with vigor and style.”
~The San Diego Union-Tribune
Bruce Stasyna
Conductor
San Diego Opera Highlights: Music Director, Pianist, Arranger and Chorus Master for Making Merry: A Choral Holiday Celebration; Conductor – As One; María de Buenos Aires; One Amazing Night with Stephen Costello and Stephen Powell; All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 Holiday Concert; One Amazing Night: When I See Your Face Again; Il barbiere di Siviglia; Così fan tutte; GRAMMY Greats Unite with Latonia Moore & J’nai Bridges.
Recent and Upcoming:
Chorus Master – New York City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Des Moines Opera; Conductor – New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Amalfi Coast Music Festival; Artistic Director and Principal Conductor – Green Mountain Opera Festival; Head of Music and Director of the Young Artist Program – Palm Beach Opera; Music Director – Vero Beach Opera.
Kevin Newbury
Director
"The music, libretto and sure-handed stage direction by Kevin Newbury create a tidal pull that rushes the action along and the audience’s sympathies with it. Mr. Newbury drew impressively vivid performances from a cast of excellent actors and maintained tension through swift scene changes."
~The New York Times
Kevin Newbury
Director
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Three PBS “Great Performances” Broadcasts: Bernstein’s MASS (Ravinia Festival) and the world premieres of Doubt (Minnesota Opera) and Bel Canto (Lyric Opera of Chicago); dozens of other world premieres, including Kansas City Choir Boy (starring Courtney Love, Prototype Festival / National Tour), GRAMMY winner The(R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Santa Fe, Seattle, San Francisco Operas), Unholy Wars (Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Philadelphia’s O Festival), The Good Swimmer (BAM Next Wave Festival), and five operas with composer Gregory Spears: Fellow Travelers (8 productions, including the world premiere at Cincinnati Opera; NY Times “Best of 2016”), Castor and Patience (Cincinnati Opera, NY Times “Best of 2022”), Paul’s Case (Prototype Festival), O Columbia (Houston Grand Opera) and The Righteous (Santa Fe Opera). Theatre includes Candy & Dorothy (GLAAD Media Award Winner), Eighty-Sixed (Diversionary Theatre, San Diego) Candide (with Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, Philadelphia Orchestra); TV/Film: Apple TV+’s Dickinson, dozens of music videos, short films, and film festival awards, including the Times Square Midnight Moment. Co-Creative Director: Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville 30th Anniversary National Tour. Upcoming: Hansel and Gretel (Juilliard School), Fellow Travelers 10th Anniversary National Tour. Co-Founder: Up Until Now Collective.
Novelist
Thomas Mallon
Co-Commisioner
G. Sterling Zinsmeyer
Producer
Jecca Barry
Scenic Design
Victoria Tzykun
Original Lighting Design
ThomasHase
Lighting Designer
Joe Beumer
Lighting Programmer
Dan Friedman
Costume Design
Paul Carey
Stage Manager
Laurel McIntyre
Assistant Stage Managers
Holden Fox
Quinn Chase
Photos by David Jaewon Oh courtesy of Seattle Opera.
"Last Night" - Tim
Tim Laughlin (Andy Acosta) recollects “Last Night” as he waits for confession at St. Peter’s Church.
"I worry, that's all" – Mary and Tim
Mary (Amber R. Monroe) shares with Tim (Andy Acosta) her concerns that his involvement with Hawk may eventually lead to heartbreak.
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