What People Are Saying

"It would seem quite difficult to recreate on a Princeton stage the lives of inhabitants of the small gaucho town of San Antonio de Areco, Argentina. But Ventresca and his fellow players succeeded in doing so through the production's music, which combined Argentine folk music, Latino pop, and musical theater. augmented by the acting, dialog, stage settings, and costumes."

"Ventresca's talent is remarkable!"

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"I'll be watching for Aaron Ventresca's future productions, either in Princeton or on Broadway."

This original opera explores the lives of the four female Doctors of the Church and a young girl who seeks their aid in a time of need. I am excited to see how the often untold and misunderstood narratives around female doctors of the church are presented in this piece by Emma Ventresca and Aaron Ventresca. This is certain to be a beautiful display of artistry, music, and storytelling.

Emma’s treatment succeeds in highlighting not just the abstract, mystical element of these women, but also their contributions to the Church as reformers and independent thinkers. In so doing she gently interrogates the role of women in Church history and integrates their stories into a modern consideration of faith, one receptive to the female perspective as sufficiently wise, profound, and deeply spiritual enough to inspire, teach, and reinvigorate the faithful.

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The result is a remarkable mosaic of inspiration spanning four separate lives, multiple spiritual and other challenges, and seven centuries of Catholic thought.  Trail-blazing in its union of theatrical and more religious/ritualistic modes of communication, Mulieris Mysterium forges new combinations in the balance of text and music in service to its story.  The work reflects excellent scholarship, research, and documentation as a process meant to link research with creative practice.  Emma’s personal investment is explicit, honest, and inspiring: as her surrogate in the character of the unnamed Girl, we take the journey with her, gathering insight into Catholics history and Catholicism with the aid of the female Doctors of the Church.