present the WORLD PREMIERE of the First Opera about HENRIK IBSEN
Henrik Ibsen
Suzannah Ibsen
Nora
Hedda
Madame Dufresny
Ibsen's Muse
Marguerite
Emilie
World Premiere
2021
To Be Announced
“AN OPERA JOURNEY UNLIKE ANY OTHER!”
CAST & CREATIVES
Hartmut von Lieres
Composer
has composed music for films and theater. Currently, Composer of the Auroville Theatre Group, India, Mr. von Lieres created music compositions for Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” “King Lear,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Sandcastle.” Composer of the symphony, “Schloss Hueffe,” performed by Sinfonie Orchester Lübbecke, conducted by Herrman Grube, he also composed “HS,” a composition for Dance Theatre Osiris in Helsinki, Finland about the painter, Helene Schjerfbeck. Mr. von Lieres has given a piano concert tour across Ecuador, and currently divides his time creating music and performing concerts in Germany and in Auroville, India.
Ronald Rand
Librettist, Co-Executive Producer
Goodwill Cultural Ambassador, Mr. Rand tours the globe in his 20th year bringing to life Harold Clurman, the “elder statesman of the American Theater” in his celebrated solo play, "LET IT BE ART!" seen in 25 countries and twenty U.S. states, three critically acclaimed Off-Broadway productions, Theatre Olympics, five tours across India, and over fifty universities and colleges. Founder and Publisher of “The Soul of the American Actor” Newspaper, in its twenty-third year, he is the author of “CREATE!” “Acting Teachers of America” and “Solo Transformation on Stage.” An acclaimed international Director, his production of “LUV,” continues playing to sold-out audiences in its eighth year at Sarajevo’s Chamber Theatre 55. As an actor, Mr. Rand has appeared in over two hundred plays, films, and TV shows. He was a Fulbright Specialist, performing and teaching across Bosnia & Herzegovina, Malaysia and Uruguay. Mr. Rand is the screenwriter of “Group Paradise,” the first film about The Group Theatre.
Nancy Rhodes
Stage Director
Artistic Director of Encompass New Opera Theatre in New York City. Dedicated to the creation, development and production of adventurous new music theatre and contemporary opera, and revivals of important musical works by American and international composers. Founded in 1975, Nancy Rhodes & Encompass New Opera Theatre has produced sixty full-scale productions and over a hundred and fifty staged readings of new works. Ms. Rhodes is a champion of new American opera, staging the world premieres of Kirke Mechem’s “Tartuffe” at the San Francisco Opera, Virgil Thomson’s “Lord Byron” at the Alice Tully Hall, and new operas for the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera Theatre. A renowned international Director, Ms. Rhodes’ productions include “Death in Venice” in Stockholm, “Carmen” in Oslo, “Happy End” in Finland, ”Kiss Me Kate” in Ankara, ”West Side Story” in Istanbul, and “Eccentrics, Outcasts and Visionaries: A Century of American Opera” for the Holland Festival. The numerous operas Ms. Rhodes has staged include Blitzstein’s “Regina,” Britten’s “Phaedra,” Antheil’s “Transatlantic,” and Virgil Thomson’s “The Mother of Us All.” Ms. Rhodes co-conceived and directed “Only Heaven” with composer Ricky Ian Gordon, directed Grigori Frid’s opera, “The Diary of Anne Frank” at the Cleveland Opera. She was the Director of the first American musical performed at Albania’s National Opera House. Ms. Rhodes is the commissioned librettist of a new opera, “The Theory of Everything.”
Dennis D’Amico
Co-Executive Producer
Mr. D’Amico was the Executive Producer of “The Garland Music Series” and “The Garland Appeal USA” commemorating Linda McCarthy fights cancer through the healing power of music, supported by Sir Paul McCartney. He produced the World Premiere of Sir Paul McCartney’s classical composition “Nova” at Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon. Mr. D’Amico has cast many Broadway shows including “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Miss Firecracker Contest,” “Three Musketeers,” and “Into the Light.” His work in film includes Oscar Best Picture “Out of Africa,” “Santa Claus the Movie,” “9½ Weeks,” and “A Woman or Two.” He contributed his many talents to “Strange Interlude” starring Glenda Jackson and “Aren’t We All” with Rex Harrison and Claudette Colbert. Every year Dennis produces charity events that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer, children’s cancers, autism, scleroderma and animal’s rights. Mr. D’Amico has performed with artists such as Nigel Kennedy, REO Speedwagon, The Marshall Tucker Band and Fred Turner of Bachman Turner Overdrive. As a jazz producer, he has worked with Kenny Rankin, Chevy Chase, Dorado Schmidt, Peter Beets, Cassandra Wilson, Tom Scott and Pablo Ziegler. Mr. D’Amico was Executive Producer of the Michael Madsen film, “Turning the Tables” with Daryl Hannah. He produced “The Believe Concert” starring Chevy Chase and Danny Aiello to raise funds for children with cancer. Mr. D’Amico produced the “Let Us In” concert with Kenny Loggins, Steel Magnolia, and Jeff Daniels. He is currently producing a new play by Tony Award winning writer Mark Medoff, “Baby Lamb.”
HONORARY COMMITTEE
(as of April, 2021)
David Amram - Composer
Karen Allen - Actress
Selma Alisaphic - Actress
Nicole Ansari - Actress
Alec Baldwin - Actor
Anne Bogart - Director
Martha Carpenter - Portrait Artist
Tina Chen - Actress
Brian Cox - Actor
Graciela Daniele - Choreographer
Joyce DiDonato - Opera Singer
Olympia Dukakis - Actress
Eve Ensler (known as V) - Playwright
Jack Garfein - Director (1930-2019)
Lee Grant - Actress/Director
John Guare - Playwright
Sheldon Harnick - Lyricist
Stephen Henderson - Actor
Jennifer Horne - Poet
Angelica Huston - Actress
Eleni Triada Ioannidou - Opera Singer
Sabra Jones - Director
Alonzo King - Choreographer
Stephen Lang - Actor
Carol Lawrence - Actress
Tony Lo Bianco - Actor
Laurence Luckinbill - Actor
Emily Mann - Director
Zana Marjanovic - Actress
Sylvia McNair - Opera Singer
Marilyn Neilson - Actress
Carolyn Palmer - Sculptor
Linda-Bond Perry - Opera Singer
Christopher Plummer - Actor (1929-2021)
Michael Pressman - Director
Harold Prince - Director (1923-2019)
Ronald Rand - Actor
Laila Robins - Actress
Patricia Rozario - Opera Singer
Rita Salzman - Producer
Andrei Serban - Director
Wendy Smith - Author
Holland Taylor - Actress
Theodoros Terzopoulos - Director
Dolly Thakore - Actress
Tommy Tune - Choreographer
V (formerly Eve Ensler) - Playwright
Jean-Claude Van Itallie - Playwright
Robert Wilson - Director
Shruti Majumdar - Gender Based Violence Specialist, United Nations
Professor Tapati Gupta - University of Calcutta
Professor Xiaomei Chen - University of California
Professor Ananda Lal - Jadavpar University
Professor Olivia Noble Gunn - President Ibsen Society of America
Professor Dean Krouk - Vice-President Ibsen Society of America
Lori Ann Reinhall - Editor-in-Chief, The Norwegian-American Newspaper
with
Special Guests
International Experts
Creative Team of IBSEN
1891. Kristiana, Norway. Henrik Ibsen returns home a celebrated playwright after a self-imposed exile of 26 years. Yet his conscience won’t let him rest.
When his Muse holds a mirror up, he steps inside his mind to confront himself. Wrestling with his doubts, he fights to come to grips with everything he has accomplished. Important women in his life appear. Characters he’s written flood his conscience.
He wrestles with his conscience: Could I have done more to expose the injustices in society for the free and full development of the individual, especially women!
Can Ibsen find a way forward? Do we have the courage to look at ourselves and accept our responsibility!
Ibsen’s ideas are even more relevant today providing a bridge towards a moral compass in the universe. Part of Ibsen’s quest was to give a canvas to women and force us to hold a mirror up to ourselves - to see that there is still much more we can do!
We face an uncertain future. Audiences around the world know this. Women must live their dreams! Young girls must know they’re safe to grab hold of their destinies!
E-MAIL SIGN UP TO RECEIVE
THE LATEST NEWS AND TICKET INFORMATION
CONTACT: