Ancram Opera House Spotlights New Work in Summer Play Lab Series

Continuing its 2023 focus on incubating and growing new artistic work, Ancram Opera House (AOH) will present a double-bill of innovative works-in-progress by Hudson Valley-based artists Seth McNeill and Emily Rubin. Performances will be at Ancram Opera House, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram, on Sunday, July 9th at 4pm. Tickets are $20, or $15 for students (with a valid student ID) and are available online at ancramoperahouse.org.

Bullet, by Seth McNeill, delves into the darkly comic depths of a solo play deconstructed through a hilariously failed TED talk, unraveling themes of depression, isolation, family trauma, and the internal struggle of artists to find their place in the world.

Cancer Cabaret, by Emily Rubin, Maryann DeLeo, and Christine Koenig, with music by Michael Inge, lets audiences experience the transformative power of musical theatre as these artists, who are also cancer survivors, interpret difficult moments and triumphs through song and storytelling.

In addition, as part of its mission to foster community connection through the performing arts, Ancram Opera House will host two free writing workshops led by Rubin and McNeill where attendees will participate in the same process the artists used to develop their Summer Play Lab works. In The Write Treatment Workshop, July 6, 3-5pm with Emily Rubin, attendees will use the craft of writing and sharing their work as a creative and therapeutic practice. In Seth McNeill’s MONODIALOGUE, July 8, 10-12, attendees will practice free-writing to construct delightful self-dialogues made up of the interruptions and self-contradictions in normal conversations and stream of consciousness. To register, visit ancramoperahouse.org/workshops.