Cry Wolf

An opera for Young Audiences (2017)

Libretto by William Glick, based on Aesop’s Fables


Synopsis

A lonely shepherd boy who lives on a hill near a village often plays pranks on the villagers below. When a hungry wolf devours his sheep, the sheepless shepherd goes into the forest to seek justice. There he meets the Monkey, a demagogue, a chorus of imbecile Frogs, and the Stag, an elitist fool, each of whom teach the Boy about the dangers of life in the forest without a king. Determined to help the other animals solve the wolf problem, the Boy meets the Mouse, a very small yet very wise bureaucrat, whose friend and former king, the Lion, recently died.

After teaching the Boy about the responsibilities of running the animal world, the Mouse leads him to the tournament to elect a new king, where the Tortoise sings about her friendship to the Hare, who recently died. The tournament takes place in a large maze, and whoever captures and kills the Wolf shall be the new king. The Boy, having entered the maze by the request of the Mouse, confronts the wolf, forgives her for killing his sheep, and decides to set her free. Meanwhile, the Monkey tears down the walls of the maze, killing the Stag in his path. As the Monkey declares himself to be the new king, the Mouse thanks the Boy for saving the wolf and tells him to return home. The Boy reflects on his journey and decides to return home and warn the villagers of what happened in the forest.

Photos from Premiere

A semi-staged production of Cry Wolf was performed in April, 2017 at The University of Texas at Austin during the Cohen New Works Festival. The performance was directed by Azalea Laredo and designed by Zoe Andersen. The composition and performance was awarded a 2017 Roy Crane Award from the University of Texas at Austin.