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the stage director.

Alexandra Dietrich, originally from Freeport, Maine, is known in New England for her work as a mezzo-soprano, music educator, arts advocate, and as a stage director whose direction has been called "brilliant" and "moving". In August of 2023, Ms. Dietrich was chosen as SIX on Broadway's #QueenoftheWeek after multiple students nominated her for the honor for her work to create an inclusive space onstage and off, where pride in individuality of identity is amplified, honored, and celebrated. Her 2023-2024 season opened with a company debut, directing Tom Cipullo's gripping opera, "Glory Denied", at Opera Company of Middlebury in Fall of 2023. Her production was hailed as "stunning, unforgettable, {and} constantly surprising". Her season continues with a return to Marblehead Little Theatre, directing "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder". Productions of Peter Brooke's "Le tragédie de Carmen" with Boston Opera Collaborative,  Rachel Portman's "The Little Prince" with the Longy School of Music of Bard, Edwin Penhorwood's "Too Many Sopranos" with the University of Southern Maine Osher School of Music, and Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" with Melrose Drama to complete her directing season.

 

In the 2022-2023 season, Ms. Dietrich assistant directed on James Robinson's production of Tobias Picker's "Awakenings" with Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Ms. Dietrich also staged productions of "Mean Girls" with Melrose Drama, a sold-out run of a new musical adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" with Marblehead Little Theatre, and returned to Broken Legs Productions staging "Footloose" in the summer of 2023. 

 

In 2019, Ms. Dietrich joined the voice faculty at the University of Southern Maine as an Artist Faculty. Ms. Dietrich served as the Artistic Director of NEMPAC Opera Project from 2018 to 2022. In her first season, she staged Rachel Portman's "The Little Prince" at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall. This marked the first time that the NEMPAC Opera Project had staged a work of a female composer. Ms. Dietrich's staging was chosen by OperaWire as one of the Top 5 Must See Operas in North America for its opening weekend. For her 2nd season, she and the NEMPAC Opera Project were hailed by the Boston Globe for their outdoor Pop-Up Opera performances of "The Barber of Seville" around the North End of Boston and Charlestown. This staging and choice was said to have "demonstrated an impressive level of ingenuity" at a time when traditional enclosed theatrical performances could not be safely done due to the global pandemic. At NEMPAC Opera Project, Ms. Dietrich programmed "JUNETEENTH: Opera in the Key of Freedom" which was filmed in the historic African Meeting House in Boston and featured works by Black diaspora composers that spanned over 300 years. This program was made available with no cost barrier to Boston Public Schools with an accompanying educational guide, and was streamed internationally.

Ms. Dietrich was selected as a Fellow in Directing with Chicago Summer Opera for their 2021 season, assistant directing Garnett Bruce on a production of "Don Giovanni". She joined Yo soy LOLA's creative team to stage direct their 2019 collaborative performance at Oberon in Harvard Square entitled "Resiliency: The Masks We Wear" in their mission to reclaim the narrative and portrayal of Latinas in the arts and media. An advocate for underrepresented composers, she staged Pauline Viardot-García's "Cendrillon" with the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, where her staging was praised as “particularly convincing...perfectly expressive and deeply touching”. Other recent productions include directing sold-out runs of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at Marblehead Little Theatre and "Into the Woods" with NEMPAC Opera Project.

 

A music educator and choral conductor, as well, Ms. Dietrich graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Bachelor's in Musical Theatre Performance. She attended the Longy School of Music for her Graduate Performance degree in Opera. She served on faculty with the North End and Music Performing Arts Center for over ten years as a music director for the music theatre troupe, a voice teacher, a Choral Teaching Artist at the St. John School for 6 years, and as a choral conductor whose choirs have performed with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra under the baton of Christopher Wilkins. Her choir, in 2018, performed as a Prelude Concert to a Landmarks performance at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade with Ms. Dietrich conducting. She is the Director and Co-Founder of the Boston Opera Outreach Troupe, frequently taught for the Watertown Children's Theatre, and was a Master Teaching Artist for the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

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Photo credit: Andrew Morstein

 in the press. 

"Alexandra Dietrich’s staging, including choreography and mime, was particularly convincing...But the Act II duet between Cendrillon and the Prince, as they dance alone on the stage, was perfectly expressive and deeply touching"
- Mark DeVoto, Boston Musical Intelligencer

"And then, there was the blocking, which was generally quite excellent. The blocking played with the height of the levels in Faneuil Hall to rather striking effect." - Arturo Fernandez, Schmopera

"Latinx artists kicked off Yo Soy LOLA’s 2019 LOLA Week with an intimate, multidimensional performance, “Las Que Sueñan,” at a sold-out American Repertory Theater in Cambridge...No one artist was confined by the stage; instead, the performance flowed into and around the crowd giving an inviting, interactive experience...really brilliant. Extremely moving." - Jacob R. Jimenez, The Harvard Crimson

"Opera Company of Middlebury’s “Glory Denied” was a fiercely powerful experience — just what dramatic opera should be…a rich operatic experience — musically and theatrically — thanks much to conductor Filippo Ciabatti and stage director Alexandra Dietrich…created a truly compelling production of Cipullo’s “Glory Denied” that was filled with humanity, tragic and touching." - Jim Lowe, Times Argus

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la tragédie de carmen

Boston Opera Collaborative

april, 2024

Stage Director: 

Alexandra Dietrich

Cambridge, MA

the little prince

Longy School of Music of Bard College

april, 2024

Stage Director: 

Alexandra Dietrich

Cambridge, MA

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too many sopranos

Osher School of Music

University of

Southern Maine

april, 2024

Stage Director: 

Alexandra Dietrich

Gorham, ME

recently premiered.

try me, good king

by libby larsen

Opera on Tap Maine

Director: Alexandra Dietrich

September, 2021

juneteenth:

opera in the key of freedom

  NEMPAC Opera Project 

June 19th, 2021 

Artistic Director: Alexandra Dietrich

previous productions.

glory denied, by tom cipullo 

 

opera company of middlebury, September 2023 

Middlebury, VT

Stage Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director: Filippo Ciabatti

Artistic Director & Set Design: Doug Anderson

Lighting Designer: Brooks Donnelly

Costume Designer: Debby Anderson

Photography: David Devine

the great gatsby: an american musical, by schiro 

 

marblehead little theatre, June 2023 

Marblehead, MA

Stage Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director: David Flowers

Set Design: Jeremy Barnett

Lighting Designer: Greg Mancusi-Ungaro

Costume Designer: Laura Dillon

Producer: Andrew Barnett, Steve Black, and Doug Hill

Photography: Greg Dana

mean girls, by richmond 

 

melrose high school drama, April 2023 

Melrose, MA

Stage Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director: Shawn Gelzleichter

Choreographer: Becca Flint

Lighting Designer: Kevin Parker

Producer: Steve Black

Photography: Giuliana Photography

into the woods, by sondheim 

 

nempac opera project in collaboration with the boston festival orchestra, June 2022 

Boston, MA

Artistic & Stage Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Conductor & Music Director: Alyssa Wang

Choreographer: Alexandra Dietrich

Lighting Designer: Charles Waite Clay

Costume Coordinator: Shannon FitzGerald

Photography: Cesar Ziegler

the phantom of the opera, by lloyd webber 

 

melrose high school drama, April 2022 

Melrose, MA

Stage Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director: Shawn Gelzleichter

Choreographer: Becca Flint

Lighting Designer: Bryan Lussier

Set Designer: Dan Daly

Producer: Steve Black

Photography: Giuliana Photography

pop-up opera: in the streets of boston's little italy  
the barber of seville, by rossini 
 
NEMPAC Opera Project, June 2020 
North End, Boston, MA

Artistic Director: Alexandra Dietrich


las que sueñan, by gil 
yo soy lola, October 2019 
Oberon, Cambridge, MA

Stage Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Dance Director: Stephane Bates
Co-Artistic Directors: Ana Masacote & Amanda Bravo

the little prince, by portman

NEMPAC opera project, june 2019

Artistic Director & Stage Director: 

Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director & Conductor: Dr. Tiffany Chang

Plane Designer: Nicholas Raponi

Costume Designer: Brittany Meehan

Lighting Design: Thomas Simpson

Photography: Sabrina Ornae Photography

jesus christ superstar, by webber

marblehead little theater, april 2019

Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director: Lianne Goodwin

Choreographer: Kathleen Tringale

Technical Direction: Andrew Barnett

Lighting Design: Bryan Lussier

Sound Design: Greg Dana

Costumes: Amanda Allen

Make-up Design: Charlie Kellogg

Producers: Andrew Barnett & Nina Groom

Photography: Nina Groom

cendrillon, by massenet

cambridge chamber ensemble, may 2018

 

Director: Alexandra Dietrich

 

Music Director: Juliet Cunningham

Producer: Martha Birnbaum

Costumes: Alexandra Dietrich 

Make-up: Erin Anderson

Lighting Designer: Alexandra Dietrich and Andy Li

children of eden, by schwartz

theatre company of saugus, february 2019

 

Director: Alexandra Dietrich

Music Director: Matthew Putnam

Choreographer: Kathleen Tringale 

Technical Direction: Larry Segel

Lighting Design: Matthew Garlin

 Costumes: Amanda Allen

Makeup and Hair: Maggie Stokes

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