AOP - NYU/Tisch Opera Lab presents POETS OF NEW YORK: Operas inspired by Audre Lorde & Walt Whitman. Join us for the premiere of three 30-minute operas inspired by the lives, histories, and geographies of Audre Lorde and Walt Whitman—two queer poets with deep roots in New York City who lived a century apart.
There will be a talkback with the creators directly following the performance moderated by The Walt Whitman Initiative’s president Karen Karbiener
Performances by:
MaKayla McDonald (Soprano)
Gileann Tan (Soprano)
Patrice Eaton (Mezzo-soprano)
Jordan Rutter-Covatto (Countertenor)
Nathaniel Sullivan (Baritone)
Shafiq Hicks (Baritone)
Eliam Ramos (Bass-baritone)
THE OPERAS:
THE WALT WHITMANS OF FORT GREENE PARK
MUSIC by ZACHARY CATRON / LIBRETTO by PEYTON MARION
DIRECTION by SAM HELFRICH
Set Design by Joyce He
Costume Design by Camille Charara
Lighting Design by Andre Segar
This piece is a contemporary opera buffa that explores Walt Whitman's legacy, hero worship, and what lengths people are willing to go to for an extra buck.
WEST LOVE '89
MUSIC by SEAN HAVRILLA / LIBRETTO by TROY DEFOUR
DIRECTION by SAM HELFRICH
Set Deisgn by Charlotte Shi
Costume Design by Camille Charara
Lighting Design by Andre Segar
In 1989, West Berlin, A Black-German woman named Baharnabé discovers Audre Lorde's ADEFRA activist group and her self identity through writing poetry. But, Baharnabé feels she is no writer or poet. In learning how to write her own story, she travels through time and memory while losing love and falling in love. But, ultimately she discovers her identity in what Audre Lorde has called 'Afro-German'.
THE PEOPLE VS AMERICAN CHEESE
MUSIC by DURRA LEUNG / LIBRETTO by CLARE FUYUKO BIERMAN
DIRECTION by SAM HELFRICH
Set Design by Brian Bernhard
Costume Design by Siena Zoë Allen
Lighting Design by Andre Segar
Audre, Walt, Durra, and Clare wake up surrounded by rubble, their gay cruise under attack. The culprit? The greatest danger of all— heteronormativity (in the form of American Cheese). As our unlikely heroes battle cheese slices, they must also battle one another for cultural relevance and icon status. Chaos reigns in this gay fantasia on gayer themes.
Music direction by: Jeremy Chan
Stage Manager: W. Wilson Jones
Production Manager: TJ Rubin
Opera Lab led by
Sam Helfrich, Associate Arts Professor of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Design for Stage & Film
Randall Eng, Associate Arts Professor of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program
A collaborative project of NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, Department of Design for Stage and Film, and The American Opera Project.
Special thanks to Karen Karbiener, The Walt Whitman Initiative and The Audre Lorde Project.
The free public performances of AOP - NYU/Tisch Opera Lab are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and with support from the Howard Gilman Foundation.