A semi-staged preview of a new opera in two acts.

Sunday only! Composer Alex Weiser, librettist Ben Kaplan, and director Mary Birnbaum will be joined by David T. Little (Composer) & Mila Henry (The American Opera Project, Artistic Director) for a post performance discussion When History Becomes Opera.

The opera State of the Jews follows Theodor Herzl in the last year of his life, as his efforts to secure a Jewish homeland become increasingly desperate. It includes scenes from the Sixth Zionist congress, in which Herzl proposes Uganda as a possible land for Jewish settlement, and Herzl’s visit with Pope Pius X, in which he seeks the Pope’s support for a Jewish State. Interwoven with this public historical narrative is the more intimate story of Theodor’s conflicted relationship with his wife, Julie Herzl, and the toll his political views and activities took on their family life.

Composer Alex Weiser developed State of the Jews during his fellowship in AOP’s training program Composers & the Voice.

Composed by Alex Weiser
Libretto by Ben Kaplan
Directed by Mary Birnbaum
Music Direction by Lee Dionne

Featuring: Mario Diaz-Moresco, Kristin Gornstein, Alex Mansoori, Jonathan Z. Harris, C4 and Friends; the Merz trio (Lee Dionne, Brigid Coleridge, Julia Yang), Greg Chudzik, Harriet Langley, Lauren Siess, and Yasmina Spiegelberg

A LABA 2nd Stage Production*
Presented by The Theater at the 14th Street Y. Co-presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Leo Baeck Institute, American Society for Jewish Music, and Steinway & Sons.

General Admission: $35
Running Time: 90 Minutes
There will be one intermission

For tickets, click here

*Not an AOP-produced event