house of legendary
Composed by joseph rubinstein
libretto by jason kim
Famed drag performer Dee Legendary embarks on a passionate love affair with Officer John, whose fascination with Dee takes an unexpected and dangerous turn. Inspired by a true story, House of Legendary is an opera about double lives and destructive desires set in the glory days of New York City’s underground drag culture.
Composer Joseph Rubinstein and librettist Jason Kim’s work is a stylish and flamboyant, intimate and daring, lyrical chamber opera fused with 1980s dance music, jazz and pop influences.
CREATORS
Joseph N. Rubinstein was born in Cleveland, OH, and spent his childhood there and in Newport News, VA. He currently lives in New York City. With an emphasis on emotional directness and vivid storytelling, Joseph's melodically driven and dramatic work is often inspired by American history, explorations of identity, and the natural world. His style is particularly informed by the folk-influenced concert music of the United States, United Kingdom, and Russia, and by minimalism, the sacred choral music tradition, electronica, and musical theater. His music has been presented by organizations and individuals including the Seagle Music Festival, Forth Worth Opera, The Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater, Triad: The Boston Choral Collective, American Opera Projects, The Holy Cross Chamber Singers, The Secret Opera, bass-baritone Matthew Burns at the Spoleto Festival USA, C4, and the Young New Yorker’s Chorus. He has collaborated on new theatrical works and songs with librettists and writers including Mark Campbell, Jason Kim, and Melisa Tien. Joseph and Jason Kim are the recipients of a 2017 Opera Genesis Grant from American Opera Projects and The Hermitage Artist Colony for developmental work on their opera “House of Legendary”, as well as a 2020 Repertoire Development Grant from Opera America for the same project. Select vocal works by Joseph are published by See-A-Dot and North Star Music, and are recorded on 4Tay Records and Crossover Music. He is an alumnus of the Pacific Chorale’s Choral Sketches program, New Dramatists’ Composer-Librettist Studio, and American Opera Projects’ Composers & the Voice program. He studied music at Columbia University (BA) and The Juilliard School (MM).
Joseph Rubinstein
Composer
DAVID MENDIZÁBAL (he/they) is a director, designer, one of the Producing Artistic Leaders of the OBIE Award-winning The Movement Theatre Company, and Associate Artistic Director of The Sol Project. Select directing credits include: Don't Eat the Mangos (Magic Theatre/Sundance), On The Grounds of Belonging (Long Wharf), the bandaged place (NYSAF), Then They Forgot About The Rest (INTAR), And She Would Stand Like This (w/ choreographer Kia LaBeija) and Look Upon Our Lowliness (The Movement), and Tell Hector I Miss Him (Atlantic). David is a 2021 Princess Grace Award Honoraria Recipient in Theater. They were part of the inaugural Soho Rep Project Number One Residency, where they created and directed the short film, eat me!. Alumnus of Ars Nova Vision Residency and Maker's Lab, Drama League Directors Project, Labyrinth Intensive Ensemble, artEquity, NALAC, and LCT Directors Lab. David was a participant in the TCG Leadership U: One-on-One program, where they were the Artistic Associate at Atlantic Theater Company. BFA - NYU/Tisch
Directed by
David Mendizábal
Jason Kim is a Korean-born dramatist. His television writing includes BARRY (HBO), GIRLS (HBO), LOVE (Netflix), GRACEPOINT (Fox), and DIVORCE (HBO). His feature work includes an adaptation of the upcoming true crime book THE FLAWLESS for Fox Searchlight Pictures. His play THE MODEL AMERICAN opened the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2017 on the Nikos Stage. His musical KPOP premiered in 2018 at Ars Nova Theater in New York and won the Richard Rogers Award, the Off-Broadway Alliance Award, and Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. KPOP: The Musical is slated to open on Broadway in 2022. He is the recipient of a Writers Guild Award and has been nominated for an Emmy Award, PGA Award, and the NAACP Image Award.
Jason Kim
Librettist
Kemar Jewel is a Black Queer Director and Choreographer from Jamaica, who was raised in Philadelphia. Kemar’s art can be seen in live performances, music videos, and musical theatre. As a member of the Legendary House of Lanvin, Kemar, a Drama League Musical Theatre Directing Fellow, draws inspiration and technique from the Ballroom scene and infuses it with his formal training from Temple University. He went viral and became an internet sensation in 2014 for his Voguing Train video.
His projects have garnered over fourteen million views across various social media platforms and have been featured by TIME, VOGUE, FOX News, and in film festivals around the globe. Most recently, Kemar’s newest project headlined 2021’s Global Black Pride event where Kemar’s work was presented after the keynote speaker, President Joe Biden. Kemar’s mission is to create art that showcases Black Queer and Trans people, and the communities they exist in.
Choreography & Movement by
Kemar Jewel
Development artists
Aaron-Casey Gould
Tenor
Michael Kuhn
Tenor
Trevor Martin
Baritone
Caroline Worra
Soprano
Jordan Rutter-Covatto
Countertenor
The development of House of Legendary is supported in part by a Repertoire Development Grant from OPERA America’s Opera Fund.
PRESS
COMING SOON
Information
Duration 100' / no intermission
Commission House of Legendary is currently in development with The American Opera Project, in association with Seagle Festival. It has received development workshops and support from AOP’s Composers & the Voice program, Fort Worth Opera’s Frontiers Showcase, and The Hermitage Artist Retreat. AOP is currently seeking co-commissioners and producers for the World Premiere. Libretto/score sample available upon request.
Premiere TBD
Roles 5 singers (1 soprano, 1 countertenor, 2 tenors,1 baritone) ;1 ballroom emcee (spoken role); optional dancers / performers
Instrumentation flute, 2 clarinets (bass clarinet), piano, 2 percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, string bass
Development Artists Aaron Casey, Jordan Rutter-Covatto, Michael Kuhn, Caroline Worra, Trevor Martin
Publisher Staged performances of this work require licensing through the creators.
GIVE NOW TO THE CREATION OF
“HOuse of LEGENDARY”
A word from the composer and librettist about the inspiration behind the work.