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The Bearded Ladies, Philadelphia's experimental cabaret troupe, are pleased to announce their next project: ANDY: A Popera. Inspired by the life, fame, and philosophy of Andy Warhol, this cabaret/opera hybrid is written by the artists of Bearded Ladies, will be built in three stages, and features original music by resident composer Heath Allen. The project is being developed in partnership withOpera Philadelphia, with a goal of building to a pop art opera to premiere in 2015. The development of ANDY: A Popera has been generously supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The artists of Bearded Ladies Cabaret are building the Popera in three stages over a 12-month period. "Our development process, itself, will be an exploration of Andy Warhol's rise to pop-art popularity and the culture that coalesced around his work," saidJohn Jarboe, Artistic Director of The Bearded Ladies. "As we develop the Popera, it will grow in length and scope, from five-minute pieces to a fully-realized show, and from a small cast to an ensemble of as many as 30 people. The piece also will stretch its physical footprint, expanding from free pop-up performances throughout the city, to a Wilma Theater cabaret, to a fully-realized work developed with Opera Philadelphia. The central question we are exploring through Andy's life and art is: 'Is immortality worth dying for?'"
"Two of the city's most innovative artistic organizations - Bearded Ladies Cabaret and Opera Philadelphia - are coming together to create an exciting new piece that we hope will strengthen the city's reputation for being a hub of experimental work," saidDennis Scholl, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation. "Better yet, they are bringing the piece into Philadelphia's many neighborhoods, meeting audiences where they live and engaging and enriching the city through the arts."
"I have been a huge fan of Bearded Ladies Cabaret for years, and it has been a thrill to observe and support their creative process through the first stage of developing ANDY," said David B. Devan, General Director and President of Opera Philadelphia. "We've gathered cabaret performers and opera singers together in the same room to create new music and explore the drama of a larger-than-life figure like Andy Warhol. This is exactly the kind of creative exploration that we encourage in our 'From the Lab' initiatives like the Composer in Residence program and the Hip H'opera project. I cannot wait for the first public pop-ups and the journey to a fully-realized Popera."
Embracing the idea of pop in all its forms, the project is being developed in three stages, with the first stage debuting in May as a series of short pop-up performances that take place all over the city. The series kicks off on Friday, May 2, with an Art After 5performance at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Singers will present an evening devoted to the life and legacy of Andy Warhol using human-size pop-up books, operatic performances, and a rock band. Bring your own T-shirt for hands-on silk screening and you too can be a Pop artist. Eastern State Penitentiary, FirstFriday, and local grocery stores are just some of the pop-up locations to be announced.
Additional five-minute pop-ups can be enjoyed throughout the month in non-traditional spaces like grocery stores and on street corners. Interested people can follow The Bearded Ladies (@KnowYourBeards) and Opera Philadelphia (@OperaPhila) on Twitter for announcements of dates, times, and locations. Information will also be published on the Bearded Ladies website:www.beardedladiescabaret.com
The Beards and the Opera will then connect the various pop-ups from the first stage of development into an hour-long cabaret piece that will run for two weeks, from July 16-27, at the Wilma Theater. Each performance will be an experiment, allowing for changes from one performance to the next based on audience reaction and feedback. At this stage, a larger band, more performers, and a set will be added to the piece.
The third and final stage will be the Popera. While the first two stages of the development process will result in a series of pieces of varying lengths and mobility, the long-term gain is the model the two groups will have created and honed for a longer working process - one that respects the audience as much as the performers.
