Dead Man Walking: A San Francisco Opera Primer with Carol Christ and Naniette Coleman
Please note: This event took place on Sept. 2. Registering now will give you immediate access to the video recording of the 2-hour discussion. It will be included in your confirmation email.
The San Francisco Opera’s fall season brings four powerful works to the stage — Rigoletto, Dead Man Walking, Parsifal, and The Monkey King — each grappling with timeless questions of good and evil, innocence and retribution, punishment and salvation.
Join Carol Christ and Naniette Coleman for OLLI @Berkeley's San Francisco Opera Primer, standalone events that delve into the heart of each of these operas — the stories they tell, the truths they wrestle with, and the unforgettable characters whose choices shape their destinies. They will be joined by Clifford "Kip" Cranna, Dramaturg Emeritus (Scholar in Residence) of the San Francisco Opera.
Special Guest
Sister Helen Prejean is the author of the groundbreaking memoir Dead Man Walking. Her book, which recounts her ministry to inmates on death row, is the basis for the opera. Sister Helen is a Roman Catholic nun and a preeminent advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
About the Faculty
Carol Christ began her term as the 11th chancellor of UC Berkeley in 2017 and retired as Chancellor Emerita in 2024. Prior to that, she served as president of Smith College. She is a celebrated scholar of 19th-century British literature, a champion of women’s issues and diversity on college campuses, and a lifelong opera lover.
Naniette H. Coleman is a PhD candidate in Berkeley's Sociology Department and studies culture and organizations. She is also a member of the San Francisco Opera's Board of Trustees and the founder and Executive Director of UC Berkeley's national award-winning Night Out/Night Off for Graduate Students arts initiative.
About Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie and Terrance McNally
Joseph De Rocher has been sentenced to death for murder. Armed with her faith, Sister Helen Prejean is accompanying him on his journey to execution. Faced with the raw pain of the victims’ parents and the despair of the murderer’s mother, Sister Helen’s faith is tested in ways she never could have imagined.
Tickets
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- $40 for all other OLLI @Berkeley members
- $60 for general public
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