Guggenheim to kick off Fellow Travelers

Briarcombe Institute alums Kevin Newbury and Jecca Barry will see their 10th anniversary tour of the opera Fellow Travelers kick off at the Guggenheim on October 19, 2025. The much-lauded opera is based on a history of The Lavender Scare. Beginning in the late 1940s and continuing through the 1960s, thousands of gay employees were fired or forced to resign from the federal workforce because of their sexuality. This wave of repression was also bound up with anti-Communism and fueled by the power of congressional investigation. The opera's reprisal is timely, coming at a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under threat. Here's the announcement from the Guggenheim:

Based on Thomas Mallon’s best-selling 2007 novel, the opera Fellow Travelers tells “a deeply human love story” (Chicago Tribune) set against the backdrop of a forgotten chapter of LGBTQ+ history known as the Lavender Scare. Created by composer Gregory Spears, librettist Greg Pierce, and director Kevin Newbury, Fellow Travelers premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016. Since then, it has secured its place in the canon and become one of the most critically acclaimed and widely produced operas of its generation, with over twenty-five thousand tickets sold across fifteen productions

Up Until Now Collective, under the leadership of Newbury and Jecca Barry, is producing a tenth anniversary tour in 2026–27 that will bring the work to more than ten venues across the U.S., including Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, and others to be announced, shedding light on this history while building community within the opera industry and across the country. At Works & Process, Newbury, Barry, and opera company leaders will participate in a moderated discussion exploring collaboration and new production models. Cast members will perform highlights from the opera.