american opera projects ANd NYU Tisch School of the Arts’
Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program & DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN FOR STAGE & FILM
present

NYU/tisch OPERA LAB spring 2025

Woodlawn Cemetery
Three 30-minute operas inspired by the lives and histories of residents at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, NY.

These operas will be performed at the African Grove Theatre in New York University’s Paulson Center on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17.
Additionally, a concert version will be presented at Woodlawn Cemetery to honor the spirits depicted in these operas.

visions of drag

Music by ziyan Yang
Libretto by andi lee carter

The Queen of Liberation / Gileann Tan, Soprano
Angie Xtravaganza/ Eliza Bonet, Mezzo-soprano
RuPaul / Lindell O'Carter, Tenor
Bert Savoy / Eliam Ramos, Bass-baritone

Bert Savoy, the iconic drag queen of 1920s New York City, tragically dies in a lightning strike. His soul embarks on a time-traveling journey, first through the vibrant 1980s ballroom scene led by Angie Xtravaganza, then through the rise of RuPaul's Drag Race in the 2000s. Finally, he reaches a near-future world where the Queen of Liberation reigns, proving that mortal rules no longer apply, and all are free to celebrate without limits.

styx & stones

MUSIC BY Kat Cartusciello
LIBRETTO BY Jessie Field

Donna / Denisha Ballew, Soprano
Penelope/ Gileann Tan, Soprano
Charon / Esther Yi-An Tien, Mezzo-soprano
Brandon / Lindell O'Carter, Tenor

Penelope and Donna awaken on the shore of the River Styx, unaware of how they arrived. Guided by Charon, the ferryman, they learn they’ve died—and that they must cross into the afterlife, one at a time. Unwilling to part, the women defy the rules, throwing their coins into the Styx to stay together. Their love transforms the barren shore into a hundred-year tapestry of memories, joy, and despair. Meanwhile, Brandon—a grieving friend left behind—narrates fragments of their mortal lives, weaving a story of love’s endurance in the face of inevitability.

GREYHOUNDS FIGHT, GREYHOUNDS PLAY. HUMANS DANCE, HUMANS FIGHT

MUSIC BY Andy Li
LIBRETTO BY Sravya Saraswatula

Anna Hyatt Huntington / Denisha Ballew, Soprano
Human/Greyhound 1 / Eliza Bonet, Mezzo-soprano
Human/Greyhound 2 / Esther Yi-An Tien, Mezzo-soprano
Alexander Archipenko / Eliam Ramos, Bass-baritone

Inspired by Anna Hyatt Huntington’s Greyhounds Playing and Aleksander Archipenko’s Dance, the libretto animates sculptures, greyhounds, and headless humans to explore the immortality of art versus the fleeting lives of its creators.