The Transit Operas - Program A

Six short operas inspired by and dedicated to the New York Transit Museum will be presented at New York University.

American Opera Projects and The NYU Tisch School Of The Arts’ Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program & Department Of Design For Stage & Film present:

The Transit Operas - Program A

These operas will be performed at the African Grove Theatre in New York University’s Paulson Center on Saturday, May 16, 7 PM.

Written by current students and alums from NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Designed by students and directed by directing fellows from NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Department of Design for Stage & Film.

Full program info available here.

Somnambulance on the 4-Track Line

MUSIC by Dan Gibson
LIBRETTO by Chiara M. N.

A Triplex subway car: Brooklyn, 1924. A passenger with sleeping sickness ponders their ability to accept their uncertain future as they face the fears of their worsening symptoms.

Make Room

MUSIC by Felipe Segovia Sanhueza
LIBRETTO by Kennen Butler

As the brand new R33 makes its first trip towards Flushing Meadows and the World's Fair, it is forced to grapple with the realization that they too may have to make room for the wonders of the future.

Empire Heights

MUSIC by Zane Britwell
LIBRETTO by Simon Lansberg-Rodriguez

Three candidates interview for a position at the newly-reopened Empire Heights Theater in post-war New York City.

Another Train, Another Time

MUSIC by Landon Braverman
LIBRETTO by Susan C. Li

Another Train, Another Time is a time travel queer love story taking place in both the modern day and 1904. We follow the story of two souls drawn together against all odds, as human connection blossoms in the most unlikely of places of a subway car on the Six Avenue line.

Love, George

MUSIC by Stefanos Kemanetzis
LIBRETTO by Chenyue Hu

A 15-minute opera exploring the lives of early 20th-century Greek immigrants building the New York subway, through the perspectives of their letters sent back home to Greece.

It Never Stops

MUSIC by Gaurav Mishra
LIBRETTO by Caleb Conaway

It Never Stops is a short opera set on a 1980s R36 BQ train. Arthur, a recently-jobless mortuary man, has to confront his uncertain future with the aid of two living subway placard ads: HCA (a Hemorrhoids Cream advertisement) and THE INSTITUTE (A Business Institute advertisement). As the train barrels forward, Arthur faces a choice: reinvent his mortuary service with THE INSTITUTE, or help HCA escape to Coney Island. Darkly comedic and surreal, It Never Stops explores death, destination, and the inescapable grip of corporate messaging, setting the audience on a journey they can't get off.

ADDITIONAL CREDITS

Music Director / Pianist: Julius Abrahams

Performers: Jardena Gertler-Jaffe (Soprano), Kira Dills-DeSurra (Mezzo-Soprano), Jordan Rutter-Covatto (Countertenor) and Reykwaan Adorno (Tenor)

Stage Directors: Britt Berke, Jerrica D. White

Stage Manager: Chris Daly

Composers: Dan Gibson, Felipe Segovia Sanhueza, Zane Bridwell, Landon Braverman, Stefanos Kemanetzis, Gaurav Mishra

Librettists: Chiara M. N., Kennen Butler, Simon Lansberg-Rodriguez, Susan C. Li, Chenyue Hu, Caleb Conaway

Costume Designers: Matt Oxley, Eryn Perkins

Set Designers: Yufan Hu, Yun Yen, Matt Conte

Lighting Designer: Jordan McAuliffe

Production Manager: TJ Rubin

Production Stage Manager: W. Wilson Jones

AOP Staff: Charles Jarden (Interim General Director); Joel Kalow (General Manager)

AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab led by

Sam Helfrich, Arts Professor in NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Department of Design for Stage & Film

Randall Eng, Associate Arts Professor of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program

ITP Art Installations led by

Kari Love, Adjunct Professor of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ ITP department

Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Assistant Arts Professor of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ ITP department

Interactive art installations created by students, residents and faculty from NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ ITP department.

A collaborative project of NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, Department of Design for Stage and Film, and American Opera Projects.

For more than a decade, the program has supported over 130 emerging composers and librettists and more than 70 theater design students in telling stories from across New York City.

The NYU/Tisch Opera Lab is 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, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.