Arts & Events
Press Release: Improvised Opera about John Brown in Berkeley for 2 More Sundays
John Brown's Truth , by William Crossman, is a multi-genre, musically improvised opera with classical and jazz singers and musicians, dancers, and spoken-word artists. It is a radical departure from traditional opera format and, as such, is truly an opera for the 21st Century. Its most innovative feature is that while its script (libretto) is written, its music is not.
All music—including that performed by the principal singers, the chorus, and the orchestra—is entirely improvised on the spot to the libretto. This means that each performance of the opera is musically unique, newly recreated in the moment.
The opera covers selected events, all within the year 1859, in the life of anti-slavery abolitionist John Brown as he prepares and carries out his raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia and, afterwards, as he is put on trial for the raid. Though the timeline of events depicted is historically accurate, the libretto is a mostly fictionalized rendering of conversations John Brown might have had—and in some cases actually did have, according to historical reports—expressing his actual beliefs, intentions, and plans.
This John Brown character is a true visionary who sings about freedom with Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, and others from Brown*s past, present, and future. The opera is receiving its first performances on this 150th anniversary of Brown*s Harpers Ferry raid and trial.
Director: Michael Lange
Cast: India Cooke, Raymond Nat Turner, Eliza O’Malley, Maria Medina Serafin, Lewis Jordan, Sarita Cannon, Akinyele Sadiq, Cheryl Schwartz, Henry Mobley, Zigi Lowenberg, Ava Square-LeVias, Sandy Poindexter, William Crossman, Bolanle Origunwa, India Boyd-Wilkerson.
Dates/Times::
Sunday, December 5, 2010, 3:30PM
Sunday, December 12, 2010, 3:30PM
What: John Brown*s Truth, a multi-genre, musically improvised opera with an extraordinary cast of classical & jazz singers, musicians, dancers, and spoken-word artists. Created by William Crossman; directed by Michael Lange.
Where : Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave. (at Berryman) Berkeley, CA
Info/Media/Tickets: visit website johnbrownstruthopera.com
Phone: 510-839-5691
Cost: General $15; Students $10.
Contact: William Crossman by email: willcross@aol.com
John Brown’s Truth is a production of MIMESIS, a performing arts organization/California non-profit 501(C)3.
Tickets: brownpapertickets.com 1-800-838-3006, & at Door
Website: johnbrownstruthopera.com
