David Bennett (Gotham Chamber Opera), Diane Wondisford (Music-Theatre Group), Stephen Karam, Nico Muhly, Rebecca Taichman, David Devan (Opera Company of Philidelphia) Photo

From: Photo Flash: Rufus Wainwright, Isaac Mizrahi, et al. at DARK SISTERS Premiere

Dark Sisters is a suspenseful, emotional, and lyrical depiction of one woman's struggle with life and faith and the universal dilemma of whether to stay or leave. The opera opens a window into the lives of Eliza and her sister wives, members of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamous sect based in the southwestern United States. Creators Muhly and Karam have drawn inspiration from the crush of media attention surrounding two of the many raids on FLDS compounds (the 2008 raid at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, TX and the 1953 raid at Short Creek, AZ), as well as from the stories of the more than 80 wives of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.