EVERLASTING FAINT (Scott Gendel) Selections Madison WI 2026

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: EVERLASTING FAINT  
• Composer: Gendel Scott   
• Libretto: Sandra Flores-Strand    Libretto Text, Libretto Index
• Venue & Opera Company: Capitol Theater, Madison, Wisconsin  
• Recorded: February 2026
• Type: Staged Opera Live
• Singers: Katherine Pracht, Tori Tedeschi Adams, Andrew Bidlack, Emily Birsan, Alan Dunbar Alan Dunbar, Matthew Treviño, Robert A. Goderich
• Conductor: Stephanie Rhodes Russell   
• Orchestra: Madison Opera  
• Stage Director: Keturah Stickann  
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: Madison Opera  
• Date Published: 2026  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: nosubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  A young woman has died of unknown natural causes – or so the doctor declares. Her ghost returns and tells her mother that her husband murdered her. Shaken and resolute, her mother embarks on a journey to find out the truth and deliver justice for her daughter.

  Based on the true story of the 1897 Greenbrier Ghost, Everlasting Faint is a ghost story, a maternal love story, a true crime drama, and an all-American opera. Don’t miss this world premiere by Madison composer Scott Gendel and librettist Sandra Flores-Strand.

  Everlasting Faint
  The Story of the Opera

  Greenbrier, West Virginia, 1897
  ACT I
  Eleven year-old Andy Jones visits the house of his neighbors, the Shues, then runs out screaming.
  His mother Martha mourns the loss of her neighbor, Elva Heaster Shue. The town doctor, Dr.
  Knapp, arrives to examine Elva’s body. Martha tells him that Elva’s husband Trout is grief-stricken
  and acting unusual. Dr. Knapp attempts to examine Elva, but an emotional Trout won’t leave him
  alone with the body. Feeling uneasy, Dr. Knapp attributes Elva’s death to an “everlasting faint.”
  After Elva’s burial, Martha visits Mary, Elva’s mother. She gives her the white scarf that was
  wrapped around Elva’s neck, mentioning Trout’s troubling behavior during the funeral. Mary says
  that he wouldn’t leave Elva’s side or let anyone near the coffin.
  After Martha leaves, Mary notices a spot on the scarf. She attempts to clean it off, but the water
  runs blood red. A familiar voice calls to her, then the spirit of Elva appears, starts to convey a
  message, and vanishes. Mary reflects on how women die at the hands of men.
  Mary confronts Dr. Knapp, asking him to exhume Elva’s body to look for evidence of foul play. Dr.
  Knapp assures her that the cause of death was correct and dismisses her concerns as grief. As he
  leaves to help another patient, Mary discovers the doctor’s ledger; then Elva appears and reveals
  more about her death. When Dr. Knapp returns, Mary tells him that she knows that he never
  examined Elva’s body, because Elva’s spirit told her he would have seen marks. He admits that
  Trout did not allow him to do a thorough examination and agrees to exhume the body if Mary can
  have the case reopened.
  Martha sits near Andy’s bed and prays. Simultaneously, Mary prays and thanks God for the miracle
  of Elva’s visits. Elva appears with the ghosts of two other women, Allie and Lucy, who detail how
  they were killed by Trout Shue, who was married to all three of them. Mary vows that she will find
  justice and that Trout will pay for his crimes.

  ACT II
  Mary visits the prosecutor, John Preston, and asks him to investigate Elva’s death. Preston insists
  that the story of Elva’s ghostly visits will weaken their case. When Mary tells him that Dr. Knapp
  admitted he had not examined Elva’s body, Preston agrees to order an exhumation.
  In a tavern, Trout and his companions drown away their sorrows. Preston arrives and tells Trout
  about his visit with Mary and the forthcoming exhumation of Elva’s body. Trout insists that he
  wants to leave the past behind and move on with his life. Preston serves him with a court order
  requiring him to be present at the exhumation.
  An autopsy is held at Dr. Knapp’s office. As Mary looks on in distress, Elva appears to comfort her.
  Dr. Knapp finds marks on Elva’s throat: her windpipe is crushed and her neck is dislocated, just as
  Mary had said. Trout is arrested.
  In the courtroom, Preston questions Trout, who dismisses Mary as a nagging mother-in-law who
  never liked him. Mary testifies next, and Trout’s lawyer, Mr. Gardner, tries to discredit her by
  mentioning her ghost stories. Mary assures him that the ghost’s visits were a gift from God. The
  attorneys give their closing arguments. As the jurors file out, Mary and Martha pray, and Elva, Allie
  and Lucy appear. The jury finds Trout guilty of murder, and he is sentenced to life in prison. Mary
  rejoices that Elva has finally received justice.
  The entire ensemble breaks character to reflect on the many crimes and injustices against women,
  remembering those affected, acknowledging their pain, and hoping for a better future.
  ~ Madison Opera, 2025

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