The world premiere of Stonewall, a new opera from composer Iain Bell and Pulitzer-winning librettist Mark Campbell, is set to begin performances June 21 ahead of WorldPride. The production is set to run through June 28 with New York City Opera.
Set in 1969, the opera features an array of characters—including a lesbian facing harassment, a city clerk who moonlights as a female impersonator, an English teacher fired from a Catholic school, and a transgender woman celebrating the anniversary of her transition—who convene in the Greenwich Village bar that became the impetus for a movement.
Flip through photos of rehearsal below:
The cast stars Andrew Bidlack, Liz Bouk, Lisa Chavez, Michael Corvino, Jessica Fishenfeld, Marc Heller, Brian James Myer, and Jordan Weatherston Pitts. Carolyn Kuan will conduct the production at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, with direction by Leonard Foglia and choreography by Ricahrd Stafford.
WATCH: a Sneak Peek of New York City Opera’s Stonewall
The premiere commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and takes the stage as NYC Pride hosts this year’s WorldPride celebration. The opera is the third presented as part of NYCO’s ongoing initiative to present an LGBT-focused work each June, following Brokeback Mountain in 2018 and Angels in America in 2017.
