A new production of a freshly revised version of composer Anthony Davis's epic work Amistad will headline the 2008 Spoleto Festival USA. Directed by Sam Helfrich with costumes by Kaye Voyce and an imaginative set by Caleb Wertenbaker, this highly anticipated new production will inaugurate the reopening of Memminger Auditorium, an historic theater in downtown Charleston that has just undergone extensive rehabilitation.
Composed by Anthony Davis with a libretto by Thulani Davis, Amistad first premiered at Chicago's Lyric Opera in 1997. The piece had not been performed since the Chicago run until Spoleto Festival USA commissioned Davis to revise the opera to bring this important story alive in a theatrically and musically vital way that would work within Memminger Auditorium.The city of Charleston itself offers a unique backdrop for Amistad with its long connection to the history of the slave trade. 2008 is a year of particular significance as it marks the bicentennial of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, providing a particular resonance to the Spoleto production. The festival also plans numerous related events including artist talks and roundtables at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture; guided tours of the newly renovated Old Slave Mart Museum followed by a walking tour of sites related to African-American history in Charleston and screenings of related films. In addition, the Freedom Schooner Amistad – a replica of the slave ship currently on an 18-month transatlantic voyage – will be docked at the Charleston Maritime Center from May 16 through the opening weekend of Spoleto Festival USA.Videos