Pittsburgh Opera Will Present World Premiere Of TIME TO ACT
The new opera examines grief, responsibility, and healing through the lens of young people.
Pittsburgh Opera will present the world premiere of TIME TO ACT at the Bitz Opera Factory in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, with performances running February 28 through March 8. The new opera will be staged as a one-act work with no intermission and will be sung in English with projected supertitles.
Set in present-day America, TIME TO ACT follows a group of high school students preparing a production of Sophocles’ Antigone. Their rehearsal process is disrupted by the arrival of a new student, Alona, whose traumatic past is revealed after a school safety drill triggers a crisis. The opera examines questions of responsibility, self-forgiveness, and acceptance, while giving voice to students navigating the emotional aftermath of school violence.
The opera is composed by Laura Kaminsky, whose As One has become the most-produced contemporary opera in the United States. The libretto is by Emmy Award nominee Crystal Manich, a longtime Pittsburgh Opera collaborator whose work for the stage, film, and circus has been presented across the United States, Europe, Argentina, and Australia. TIME TO ACT marks Pittsburgh Opera’s fifth world premiere in the past decade.
Audience members should note that the production includes a simulated safety drill and references to school shootings, school violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
CAST AND ARTISTIC TEAM
The cast will include Timothi Williams+ as Alona, Erik Nordstrom* as Tyson, Shannon Crowley* as Bailey, Logan Wagner* as José, and Yazid Gray** as Robin Grace. Michael Sakir+ will conduct, with Crystal Manich serving as stage director. The artistic team will also include dramaturgical assistance by Amy Hutchison, scenic and costume design by Lindsay Fuori, lighting design by Mary Ellen Stebbins, sound design by Pan-Pan Gou, assistant conductor Glenn Lewis, chorus master Mark Trawka, associate coach and pianist James Lesniak, assistant stage director Dana Kinney*, and stage manager Tess Naval. Williams and Sakir make their Pittsburgh Opera debuts; Nordstrom, Crowley, Wagner, and Kinney are Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artists; and Gray is a Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist alumnus.
TICKETS AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Performances will take place on Saturday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m., with audio commentary available for patrons with visual impairments; Friday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, March 7 at 2:00 p.m.; and Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m. The runtime is approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are generally priced between $65 and $70, with half-price tickets available for children and teens ages six through 18. Group and additional discounts are available. Tickets may be purchased by calling (412) 456-6666 or by visiting opera.culturaldistrict.org.
TIME TO ACT is a co-commission by Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Montana, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, with additional funding provided by Opera Santa Barbara. The production is presented by permission of Bill Holab Music and received commissioning and development support from New Music USA’s Organization Fund, OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers program supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, OPERA America’s Opera Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
