Michigan Opera Theatre Adds Free Screenings Of TWILIGHT: GODS

Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) has added free, live screenings of Michigan Opera Theatre Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director Yuval Sharon's highly-anticipated "Götterdämmerung" adaptation, "Twilight: Gods." Screenings will take place Oct. 20 and 21, starting at 6:20 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m. inside the Detroit Opera House. Patrons will watch from the comfort of the Detroit Opera House theatre as a single camera follows a group of cars through the experience, just as it would be seen inside the Detroit Opera House Parking Center.

Mask-wearing will be required at all times, temperature checks will be required upon entry, and all government-mandated social distancing measures will be observed. Tickets are free but limited, in order to ensure proper social distancing within the theatre. They are available online at www.MichiganOpera.org or, for parties larger than four people, by calling the box office at (313) 237-7464.

"Twilight: Gods" sold out in 32 hours, and an additional sold-out performance date had already been added.

"The unprecedented demand for tickets to this unique opera presentation in the Detroit Opera House Parking Center serves as an early indication of the public's response to the new and engaging creativity that Yuval Sharon brings to MOT and our community," says MOT President and CEO Wayne S. Brown.

Conceived and directed by Sharon, "Twilight: Gods" is a site-specific adaptation of Richard Wagner's "Götterdämmerung"-"The Twilight of the Gods"-staged in the Detroit Opera House Parking Center. Inspired as much by the brutal utilitarianism of the parking facility as the safety precautions of the coronavirus era, "Twilight: Gods" transforms Wagner's six-hour masterpiece into an hour-long series of scenes with live singers and members of the MOT orchestra performed in intervals throughout the Parking Center. Equal parts drive-in theater and opera house event, "Twilight: Gods" gives audience members the opportunity to watch Wagner's drama unfold scene-by-scene from the safety of their cars, while the live performance (sung in English) is broadcast to car stereos-a full immersion in the world of the Ring. Leading American soprano Christine Goerke stars as Brünnhilde.

Each scene of "Twilight: Gods" will be accompanied by original narrative verse by Detroit-based poet Marsha Music. The final work in Wagner's "Ring" cycle, "Götterdämmerung" is, at its essence, about the dismantling of a corrupt old order and the establishment of a new beginning. Beyond linking the scenes of the abbreviated opera, Music's poetry recontextualizes the climactic unraveling of Wagner's cosmic mythos against the evolution of the city of Detroit.

"Twilight: Gods" is co-commissioned by MOT and Lyric Opera of Chicago. This spring, "Twilight: Gods" will take place in Chicago in a new staging by Sharon.

Last month, Sharon was named as MOT's first-ever Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director, a five-year appointment made possible by a generous gift from MOT Board member Gary L. Wasserman. MOT, based in the historic Detroit Opera House, has long been an accessible venue for high-caliber performance while inspiring artistic investment and historical preservation in downtown Detroit. Sharon joins Brown as the leadership team for MOT going forward. Sharon begins his tenure with "Twilight: Gods"; the 2021-22 season, Sharon's first full season as artistic director, will be announced this spring.

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