Fallujah

Summary The first opera about the Iraq war experience is inspired by the life and work of US Marine, Christian Ellis, Fallujah follows mothers and sons as they search for hope and healing in the aftermath of a war that changed their relationships forever. The opera provides a glimpse inside real hearts and minds before and after one of the Iraq War's biggest battles. The result is an inspiring, mind-opening, and moving opera by Canadian composer, Tobin Stokes and award-winning Iraqi American playwright, Heather Raffo. The opera Fallujah began with a generous grant from Charles Annenberg Weingarten and his organization Explore.Org to City Opera Vancouver. Charles tasked City Opera Vancouver with creating a contemporary opera inspired by the life and work of USMC Sergeant Christian Ellis. Ellis served with the Marines in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. Award-winning Iraqi-American playwright and Librettist Heather Raffo met Ellis in the winter of 2011. After extensive interviews began the process with composer Tobin Stokes of translating elements of Ellis's wartime experience into the opera Fallujah. The opera had four workshops at City Opera Vancouver. The final workshop in 2012 was filmed as part of the legacy of Explore.Org to use the web to create a portal into the soul of humanity and inspire life-long learning. Over the last four years the opera has had developmental workshops at the Kennedy Center, Georgetown University, Arena Stage, Noor Theater (NYC), The Culture Project (NYC), and was written in part at the McCarter Theater's Sallie B. Goodman Artist Residency. LBO's production presents the world premiere. View more details

Fallujah

Directed : Kenneth Shapiro Andreas Mitisek

Written : Heather Raffo

Stars : Arnold Livingston Geis Gregorio Gonzalez Suzan Hanson Zeffin Quinn Hollis

0

Details

Genres : Music

Release date : Mar 17, 2016

Countries of origin : United States

Official sites : official website

Language : English

Summary The first opera about the Iraq war experience is inspired by the life and work of US Marine, Christian Ellis, Fallujah follows mothers and sons as they search for hope and healing in the aftermath of a war that changed their relationships forever. The opera provides a glimpse inside real hearts and minds before and after one of the Iraq War's biggest battles. The result is an inspiring, mind-opening, and moving opera by Canadian composer, Tobin Stokes and award-winning Iraqi American playwright, Heather Raffo. The opera Fallujah began with a generous grant from Charles Annenberg Weingarten and his organization Explore.Org to City Opera Vancouver. Charles tasked City Opera Vancouver with creating a contemporary opera inspired by the life and work of USMC Sergeant Christian Ellis. Ellis served with the Marines in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. Award-winning Iraqi-American playwright and Librettist Heather Raffo met Ellis in the winter of 2011. After extensive interviews began the process with composer Tobin Stokes of translating elements of Ellis's wartime experience into the opera Fallujah. The opera had four workshops at City Opera Vancouver. The final workshop in 2012 was filmed as part of the legacy of Explore.Org to use the web to create a portal into the soul of humanity and inspire life-long learning. Over the last four years the opera has had developmental workshops at the Kennedy Center, Georgetown University, Arena Stage, Noor Theater (NYC), The Culture Project (NYC), and was written in part at the McCarter Theater's Sallie B. Goodman Artist Residency. LBO's production presents the world premiere. View more details

Details

Genres : Music

Release date : Mar 17, 2016

Countries of origin : United States

Official sites : official website

Language : English

Photos

Comments
Welcome to juqing comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Login to display more comments

Edit Focus

Lake Placid Serenade

Lake Placid Serenade

On a peaceful, pre-war winter in Czechoslovakia, the genial godfather, Jaroslaw Haschek, of Vera Haschek, presents the young girl with her first pair of ice skates. Soon, she astonishes the warm-hearted people of her village with her skill and she is acclaimed a marvel on ice. She wins the ice-skating championship of her country and is invited to skate at the fabulous Lake Placid Carnival in the United States. Vera receives an offer of a contract from eager showman, Carlton Webb, and his press agent Jiggers - but she turns them down. The financial backer for the two men is a wealthy, gabby, man-chasing woman called "Countess". Vera is a sensation at Lake Placid when she learns of Germany's move on Czechoslovakia, and she immediately attempts to abandon her career and rejoin her people. The trip cannot be arranged and, alone in a strange country, she seeks an uncle, Carl Cermack, who has become a prosperous American citizen. The uncle welcomes her to his sumptuous Long Island home, where he lives with his spoiled débutante daughters Irene and Susan. Vera learns that the two sisters are fighting it out over the same man, Paul Jordan, Cermack's junior partner, who isn't overwhelmed by either sister. Vera invites her uncle and cousins to join her at Lake Placid, where she is to appear in the dazzling New Year's Eve ballet. She is named "queen" of the ballet, and Roy Rogers, a visiting movie-star cowboy is named "king." Paul begins to pick up interest in Vera, and she agrees to sign a contract with Webb, provided she can use an assumed name in his shows. Jiggers suggests they call her "Cinderella," because she has lost one of her famous skates. When Vera opens at Madison Square Garden, Jiggers plants the story that she refuses to appear until her skate is returned. Aware that Paul has kept her skate as a souvenir, Cermack telephones his partner in Texas. On the night of the opening, Webb and Jiggers are driven to desperation since Vera has taken their publicity gag in earnest and refuses to go on unless her skate is returned. None of the phony "Prince Charmings" Jiggers has hired has the right skate, of course. The weary Vera doesn't even look at the last applicant - but the skate is hers. She stares down and recognizes her godfather, Jaroslav, who has been brought to America by her uncle. He explains that her skate was given to him by a young man. He beckons into the crowd and Paul emerges. Vera finds herself in the arms of her own Prince Charming.

All Filters