Alice Tierney
More Like ThisAlice Tierney
A co-production of BU Opera Institute and School of Theatre
October 13 – 15, 2023
Studio ONE
Alice Tierney explores the mythic stories surrounding the death of the real-life 19th-Century “dissipated woman” Alice Tierney. Tierney was found hanging by her own petticoats on a fence in a seedy Philadelphia neighborhood early one morning in 1880. Despite suspicious circumstances, the death was ruled accidental and never investigated by police. But who was Alice? Can four grad students investigating the site discover the truth? (melissadunphy.com)
Presented as part of the 2023 Fringe Festival.
Alice Tierney
Music by Melissa Dunphy
Libretto by Jacqueline Goldfinger
Music Director • Allison Voth
Stage Director • Claire Choquette













“I think the Alice Tierney is uniquely important with its empowerment of women, and that the main characters of the opera are actually graduate students within the story, as are the graduate students who are performing the roles.” – William Lumpkin, Artistic Director of BU’s Opera Institute.



“We believe that opera is, first, theatrical, and it is not just about singing. It is about engaging an audience in an intensely intimate venue through compelling character work that gives the illusion that they have not heretofore ‘studied’ the music or text, and that both the music and the text are happening in real time.”











Program Book

Unconventional Opera, New Theatre, and What Makes a Fringe Production
A look inside the distinctive, moving, impactful, and unconventional stage works that comprise the mainstage Fringe Festival productions
Info & Credits
Music by Melissa Dunphy
Libretto by Jacqueline Goldfinger
Music Director • Allison Voth
Conductor • Mariia Kurochkina
Stage Director • Claire Choquette
Scenic Designer • Cleo Brooks
Costume Designer • Sydney Hovasse
Lighting Designer • Conor Thiele
Technical Director • Reanna Valencia
Stage Manager • Adrian Speth
Production Manager • Lauren Davis
Photos by Jacob Chang-Rascle