Ethan Heard News

New York's Heartbeat Opera has announced its ninth season in 2022-23. 

Signature Theatre has announced its 33rd season today, which highlights the organization’s long-time relationship with the legendary Stephen Sondheim. Signature has produced 31 Sondheim productions in its 32 season history – more than any other theater in North America.

Next week, FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

Megan Loughran, cast member of the recent national tour of Falsettos and champion of NYC's Cabaret Showdown, makes her solo Feinstein's/54 Below debut in Megan Loughran and The Late Night Snacks. Megan combines the energy of a late night host with that of a leading lady in a way that keeps her audiences simultaneously on their toes and drinking heavily. Don't miss the performer one reviewer called both “foul-mouthed” and “gentle.” 

The announcement of the Tony Awards and the return of the BC/EFA Red Bucket campaign brought a huge sense of normalcy back to the theatre industry last week - unfortunately this week, we were also reminded how far the industry has to go in establishing the new normal with the release of Actors Equity Association’s latest Diversity and Inclusion report.

Signature will welcome Ethan Heard as Signature’s Associate Artistic Director and Anika Chapin as Director of Artistic Development.

Heartbeat Opera’s tour of FIDELIO lands at The Broad Stage February 26th and 27th. Heartbeat’s artistic director Ethan Heard directs Beethoven’s 1814 masterpiece re-imagined and re-orchestrated for the era of Black Lives Matter. I had the chance to throw a few queries out to Ethan on his timely and unique project that he also adapted and co-wrote.

Heartbeat Opera will mount a four-city tour of its powerful 2018 adaptation of Beethoven's masterpiece, FIDELIO, which Heartbeat artistic director Ethan Heard conceived for the era of Black Lives Matter. The tour begins at home in NY's Metropolitan Museum on February 10, 12, and 13, 2022. 

Heartbeat Opera will bring back its beloved drag opera extravaganza. Heartbeat's annual tradition of mixing opera, drag, and the art of pastiche returns to Brooklyn's Roulette for the first time since 2019.

The Met today announced a new season of live performances with in-person audiences beginning fall 2021 and a new Artist in Residence, the acclaimed dancer and choreographer Bijayini Satpathy. Beginning in October, performances will once again take place in galleries throughout the Museum, as well as in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, and will feature MetLiveArts commissions and leading international musicians and composers.  

HEARTBEAT OPERA will return to the in-person stage for its eighth season this year.  Heartbeat's 2021-22 season kicks off in September with a free outdoor screening of BREATHING FREE, their visual album that connects Beethoven's Fidelio with the work of Black composers and lyricists such as Harry T. Burleigh, Langston Hughes, and Anthony Davis.

Heartbeat Opera has announced that starting July 1, 2021, bass-baritone Derrell Acon will become the company's first Associate Artistic Director. Acon will also serve part-time on the West Coast at Long Beach Opera as their Associate Artistic Director and Chief Impact Officer.

HEARTBEAT OPERA announces the West Coast Premiere of Breathing Free, an ambitious and “gripplingly produced” (Boston Globe) visual album dedicated to the celebration of Black artistic voices, presented by The Broad Stage online Wednesday, February 10 at 7pm (Pacific) and Saturday, February 13 at 7pm (Pacific).  For tickets and information visit thebroadstage.org.

HEARTBEAT OPERA announces the West Coast Premiere of Breathing Free, an ambitious filmed song cycle dedicated to the celebration of Black artistic voices, presented by The Broad Stage online Wednesday, February 10 at 7pm (Pacific) and Saturday, February 13 at 7pm (Pacific).  For tickets and information visit thebroadstage.org.

HEARTBEAT OPERA—the radical indie opera company 'leading the charge in online opera' (Parterre) with 'groundbreaking' virtual content (Operawire) that is 'hacking the corporate contours of Zoom into a postmodern proscenium” (Washington Post)—announces BREATHING FREE, an ambitious six-part virtual series from December 4-12, dedicated to the celebration of Black artistic voices.

HEARTBEAT OPERA—the radical indie opera company 'leading the charge in online opera' (Parterre) with 'groundbreaking' virtual content (Operawire) that is 'hacking the corporate contours of Zoom into a postmodern proscenium” (Washington Post)—announces BREATHING FREE, an ambitious six-part virtual series from December 4-12, dedicated to the celebration of Black artistic voices.

HEARTBEAT OPERAa?"the fast-growing indie opera company whose visceral, re-imagined, re-orchestrated and stripped down stagings of classic operas have been called 'a radical endeavor' by Alex Ross in The New Yorkera?"continues to take its programming online in light of COVID-19. As artists face increasing financial hardship, Heartbeat Opera takes pride in the fact that 85% of their fall budget is going toward employing more than 50 collaborators.

The Broad Stage has announced its 2020/21 season. The announcement comes at a delicate time as the arts are reeling from the pandemic.

HEARTBEAT OPERA extends its LADY M soirées on Zoom after selling out the first 18. 14 more have been added from May 27-June 6.

HEARTBEAT OPERAa?"the daring young indie opera company whose unconventional orchestrations and stagings of classic operas have been called 'a radical endeavor' by Alex Ross in The New Yorkera?"concludes its sixth season with its first adaptation of Verdi: LADY M, a reimagined and re-orchestrated work-in-progress, envisioning the story of Macbeth through the eyes of Lady Macbeth.