Part III of the Defenestration Trilogy
Mind control, torture, biological weapons, LSD, and defenestration are ingredients for a new opera that could only be about "Man." Evan Hause's final Defenestration opera, "Man: Biology of a Fall," about the infamous 1953 CIA cold-cocking of army bio-weapons researcher Frank Olson, runs for four nights only: October 4, 5, 6, and 7 (matinee). Libretto is by Gary Heidt.
An exceptional cast of opera and musical theater singers and actors are accompanied by a 13-piece chamber orchestra shaded by live electronics all under the musical direction of the composer. Active Eye's Jyana Gregory directs.
"Man: Biology of a Fall" is the first full opera production to take place at the Kumble Theater of Long Island University.
Evan Hause is a stylistic polyglot whose tuneful tendencies lace with virtuoso instrumental writing with a range of American accents. Gary Heidt's satiric, conspiracy theory libretto weaves fictional threads between factual encounters and turns over stones (situational, political, historical) at every opportunity. The last offering by this duo of Southerners about defenestree James Forrestal was called "dramatic and haunting" by Opera News.
Music: Evan Hause
Libretto: Gary Heidt
Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (2 intermissions)
Sung in American English, no supertitles
PRODUCTION
Conductor - Evan Hause
Director - Jyana S. Gregory
Lighting Design - Matthew Richards
Costume Design - Jessica Ford
Stage Design - Rumiko Ishii
Live (Musical) Electronics - Daniel Iglesia
Sound Design - Daniel Gaydos
CAST
OLSON - Steven Ebel
LASHBROOK - Darren Lougée
GOTTLIEB - San-ky Kim
RUWET - David A. Gordon
WHITE - Mark Peters
SARGANT/SCHWAB - C. David Morrow
WILSON - Raemond Martin
ALICE - Mary Ellen Assue
HUGHES/ABRAMSON - John Schenkel
MULHOLLAND - Jeffrey Mandelbaum
BILLY - Christopher Burris
JANET - Kamala Sankaram
GLORIA - Miriam Tabb
TOM - Yuval Boim
ORCHESTRA
Flute/Piccolo - Jill Sokol
Oboe/English Horn - Katie Scheele
Clarinet - Maureen Hurd
Bass Clarinet - Sara Phillips
Horn - Jason Sugata
Trombone - Julie Josephson
Percussion - Peter Wise
Piano - Ning Yu
Laptop - Daniel Iglesia
Violins - Mitsuko Suzuki & Brian Lindgren
Viola - Lev Zhurbin
Cello - Brian Snow
Bass - Ryan Koehler
STAFF
Production Stage Manager - Marci Skolnick
Assistant Music Director - Eli Zoller
Website Design - Orin Buck