THE AMERICAN OPERA PROJECT ANNOUNCES SECOND PARTNERSHIP WITH
THE CENTER FOR FICTION, ON NOTE/BOOKS SERIES
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April 28, 2021
Brooklyn, NY — The American Opera Project announces the second event in partnership with The Center for Fiction on “Note/Books”, a series that features libretto readings (with musical excerpts) of new operas inspired by contemporary novels. The first event in the "Note/Books" series showcased Dana Spiotta's Eat The Document on March 11, 2020.
On May 13, 2021 at 7:30pm EDT, audiences will experience an early look at The Night Falls, a dance-driven blend of movement, opera, and musical theater with book and lyrics by Karen Russell (Swamplandia!, Orange World), music and lyrics by Ellis Ludwig-Leone (San Fermin), and choreographed and directed by Troy Schumacher (NYC Ballet). The one-hour event will be presented through The Center for Fiction’s online event series platform and admission is free.
Directed by Troy Schumacher, the presentation will feature the premiere of two dance videos from a summer 2020 workshop of The Night Falls, as well as an in-depth look at the work’s unique chronology from prose to opera to short story. Brooklyn Academy of Music's Executive Producer Emeritus Joseph V. Melillo will moderate.
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ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FICTION |
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The Center for Fiction brings diverse communities together as readers and writers of all ages to develop and share a passion for fiction. Founded in 1820 as the Mercantile Library, it welcomed Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Edgar Allan Poe. The Mercantile Library was renamed The Center for Fiction in 2008, but its founding principle has not changed: With access to the best of literature, everyone is able to find a path to possibility and opportunity. In February 2019, the 200-year-old literary nonprofit opened its expansive 18,000 sq. ft. facility with street-level bookstore and performance space in Brooklyn, offering New Yorkers an immersive cultural experience centered on reading and writing. Throughout the year, The Center for Fiction provides a vast array of public literary events, reading groups, and writing workshops. Its First Novel Prize and Emerging Writers Fellowships help build literary careers, and KidsRead/KidsWrite provides NYC public school students with author-led reading and writing events. In recent years the Center has expanded its mission to celebrate and support the art of fiction by including storytelling in all its forms and integrating music, theater, dance, film, television, and the visual arts into its public programming.
To learn more, visit: https://centerforfiction.org/
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Felisberto, a teenager haunted by recurring nightmares following the death of his boyfriend, begins to suspect that beautiful Sirens are summoning him to a Floridian tourist trap called "The Night Falls": a derelict campground and watery grotto, home of "the world's eeriest echoes." Once there, he discovers others have heard the call—and that they have so much more than a nightmare in common. The Night Falls is new American mythology that asks if art and community can successfully combat nihilism and despair—and if humble humans can brace themselves against the deadly song of the Sirens.
The Night Falls, a dance opera, is supported by New Music USA and BalletCollective, and made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, New New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Howard Gilman Foundation, Helen F. Whitaker Fund, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. The Night Falls was developed during a Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals 2018 residency.
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN OPERA PROJECT |
Founded in 1988, The American Opera Project (AOP) has been at the forefront of contemporary opera for over 30 years. The Brooklyn-based producing organization commissions, develops and produces lyric theater projects, trains emerging composers and librettists, and creates personal connections within its community. Its works have received critical acclaim at opera companies and venues around the world, establishing a new musical canon that recognizes the operatic story in every life.
Press for AOP:
"known for bringing cutting-edge vocal productions to the masses" — New York Magazine
"a perfect first exposure to opera." — Time Out NY
"Bravo to AOP for supporting such controversial and ultimately important work." — Opera Today
"The future of American opera is in good hands." — Opera News
Media Contact: Meagan Brus, Director of Marketing and Communications
Press material is available at: www.aopopera.org/about
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