As One

Cast

Lucia Lucas
Hannah

Blythe Gaissert
Hannah

Creative

Alexandra Enyart
Conductor

Stephanie Havey
Stage Director

Emma Antenen
Set Designer

Erik Teague
Costume Designer

Nick Hussong
Projection Co-Designer

Nicholas Chimienti
Projection Co-Designer

Marcella Barbeau
Lighting Designer

Jon Summers
Sound Designer

Melanie Steele
Wig & Makeup Designer

A chamber opera for two voices and String Quartet
Music & Concept:
Laura Kaminsky
Libretto: Mark Campbell & Kimberly Reed
Film: Kimberly Reed
By arrangement with Bill Holab Music
As One was commissioned and developed by American Opera Projects (AOP)
Premiere Date: Sept 4, 2014, American Opera Projects at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY

As One is the chamber opera everyone’s talking about. Poignant, comedic, and uplifting, the show weaves the coming-of-age story of Hannah, a transgender woman, into the universal struggle to live your own truth. Presented in an intimate performance space and score for two singers and string quartet, As One delivers a potent reflection on modern life through stunning words and music from award winners Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed.

Performed in English with English supertitles
Performed at Pullman Yards

Banner_Performance_CAYA_AsOne

illustration: Erik Teague

Bohème Project at Pullman Yards

Pullman Yards
225 Rogers Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30317

For assistance, please call The Atlanta Opera Ticketing Services at 404-881-8885

Bohème Project Performances

Pullman Yards is located just four miles east of downtown Atlanta, less than one and a half miles north of I-20.

Take I-75 North or South to the John Lewis Freedom Pkwy exit, 248C going east. Continue about .75 mile and bear right onto Ga-10/Freedom Pkwy/Carter Center and continue for about .6 mile and turn right onto GA-42/Moreland Ave heading south for about .5 mile and turn right onto the Moreland Ave Ramp and stay left towards DeKalb Ave. Turn left onto Dekalb Ave and continue for 1.1 miles and turn right onto Arizona Ave and Pullman Yards will be just ahead on the left.

Onsite Parking can be pre-purchased through ParkMobile by clicking here.
Use the ParkMobile app to purchase on site at Pullman Yards.

Guests are also encouraged to use ride share services or public transportation.

Accessibility information will be available soon.

Community Events

Movie Screening: Cabaret

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 7 p.m. | Out Front Theatre Company | 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30318
Tickets – $5 and available here
Presented by The Atlanta Opera, Out Front Theatre Company & Out on Film in partnership with The Atlanta Pride Committee

Enjoy the company of other Liza fans in this casual screening of the iconic Cabaret (1972) directed by none other the Bob Fosse. Starting Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey, this screen adaptation of the musical won 8 Academy Awards and is the most awarded film in Oscars history not to win Best Picture. Out Front Theater Company hosts this first in a series “Come As You Are” events prior to The Atlanta Opera’s June residency and performances at Pullman Yards, including a brand-new production of Cabaret. Come as you are or join us in costume!

Community Conversation: Intersectionality, Queerness, & Art

Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 7 p.m. | Out Front Theatre Company | 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30318
Free – Registration required
Presented by The Atlanta Opera & Out Front Theatre Company in partnership with The Atlanta Pride Committee & Out on Film

May 17 is the National Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and in light of Out Front Theatre’s presentation of Homos, Or Everyone in America and in anticipation of The Atlanta Opera’s production of As One in June, the two organizations are teaming up to host a conversation on transgender, bisexual and gay representation in the arts.

Pride Nights

As One Performance | Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 8 p.m.
Cabaret Performance | Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 8 p.m.
Pullman Yards | 225 Rogers Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
Pride Nights and Come As You Are community events presented by The Atlanta Opera & Out Front Theatre Company in partnership with The Atlanta Pride Committee & Out on Film

Film Screening: The Sound of Identity

Monday, June 13, 2022 at 7 p.m. | Out Front Theatre Company | 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30318
Free – Registration required
Presented by The Atlanta Opera, Out Front Theatre Company & Out on Film in partnership with The Atlanta Pride Committee

Lucia Lucas will play Hannah in The Atlanta Opera’s production of As One in June, and it will be the first time she has ever played a transgender character on stage. Lucia is a proud “heldenbaritonisten” and speaks openly of her journey as a transgender woman in opera.

The Sound Of Identity is a unique, history making, feature length documentary. It features the first ever transgender woman performing an opera lead in the U.S. with a professional company, in a standard work. And, it happened in Tulsa. Playing Don Giovanni, Lucia Lucas breaks archaic social barriers, making way for other trans opera performers. The New York Times says “…as her booming, powerful baritone ricocheted off the walls, Ms. Lucas, 38, became the (Don Giovanni) character…” The Guardian calls Ms. Lucas “a rising star” while the San Francisco Chronicle says while she “boasts a robust, flexible baritone… these (the) roles open up new dramatic vistas.”

Lucia will join filmmaker James Kicklighter and Executive Producer Andy Kinslow for a talkback following the screening. Hosted by Out Front Theatre Company, this is the third and final event in the Come As You Are Community Program series of events as a part of The Atlanta Opera’s June residency at Pullman Yards and its Atlanta premiere of As One.

As One Act II Talk-Back

During each As One performance

Each performance of As One will be accompanied by a special talk-back with the creators, performers, creative team, and local community members. We will invite local transgender community members to participate in these in these talkbacks alongside our teams to share their personal experiences as well as react to the production.

Get the Feeling

Runtime

Synopsis

As One is a chamber opera in which two voices—Hannah after (mezzo-soprano) and Hannah before (baritone)—share the part of a sole transgender protagonist. Fifteen songs comprise the three-part narrative; with empathy and humor, they trace Hannah’s experiences from her youth in a small town to her college years on the West Coast, and finally to Norway where she is surprised at what she learns about herself.

Read More

ACT I
Part I
In “Paper route,” Hannah rides around her suburban neighborhood delivering newspapers and revels in her more feminine impulses. Her youthful challenges in conforming to gender norms are related in “Cursive,” “Sex ed,” “Entire of itself ” and “Perfect boy”—in such disparate subjects as handwriting, sex, a John Donne poem,
and exemplary male behavior. However, in “To know,” she discovers that she is not alone in the world and seeks understanding about herself at a local library.

Part II
During her college years, Hannah struggles with her bifurcated existence in “Two cities,” but also encounters the joy of being perceived as she wishes in “Three words.” In “Close,” she has made the decision to undergo hormone therapy and briefly suffers its vertiginous effects before feeling at one with her own body. “Home for the holidays,” “A christmas story” and “Dear son” all occur around the Christmas season and relate Hannah’s growing distance to her family and her past, which is countered by an immediate connection with a stranger in a local café. In “Out of nowhere,” Hannah escapes a harrowing assault that prompts her to find a link to the larger trans community and end her self-imposed alienation. Reacting to the conflicting voices in her head, she finally resolves to escape in the fragment, “I go on to…”

Part III
“Norway.” In this extended aria, Hannah finds, in Nature, solitude, and self-reflection, the simple yet surprising equation that will help her achieve happiness.

ACT II
On-stage talk-back with the artists and others.

Characters & Cast

Hannah

Blythe Gaissert

View Website

Hannah

Lucia Lucas

View Website

Come As You Are Festival Frequently Asked Questions

Tickets

Where can I purchase tickets?

Tickets can be purchased online at www.atlantaopera.org/tickets

Cabaret tickets can be purchased at www.atlantaopera.org/performance/cabaret

As One tickets can be purchased at www.atlantaopera.org/performance/as-one

Jay Hunter Morris Cabaret tickets can be purchased at www.atlantaopera.org/performances/#jhmcabaret

Can I purchase tickets on-site?

Tickets will be available for purchase at the main entrance. Card payments only, no cash transactions please. 

I have lost my tickets! What do I do?

No need to worry. Our box office can resend your tickets to your email, print them on-site, or you can access your tickets on The Atlanta Opera app. 

I have to print my tickets received by email if I have a smart phone?

If your ticket has been sent to your email, we can scan the QR code from your phone at the venue. No need to print. 

What are the ticket office hours?

Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm 

Can I get a refund? What is the exchange policy?
All tickets are final sale. The Atlanta Opera has a no refund policy. If a performance is canceled, patron tickets will be refunded or exchanged. 
Is there a seating chart?

The seating layout may be viewed when purchasing your ticket at our website at www.atlantaopera.org/tickets, or to view the map only you can click here.

Are there discounted tickets available?

There are no discounts on Come As You Are Festival tickets for the general public. However, if you are a veteran, you may sign up for free Veteran Tickets at www.atlantaopera.org/tickets/veterans-program

Food & Beverage

Are there dining options available on-site?

Pullman Yards has two restaurants on-site, plus there are food trucks in the yard if you are in the mood to try something new!

There are also two food packages offered for pre-order – more information available at www.atlantaopera.org/tickets/#addon. Pre-order food packages must be ordered 5 days prior to the event date. 

Are there concessions offered in the lobby?

There will be a concession stand with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks offered in the lobby. 

Are there food packages available for purchase?

There are 2 packages available for purchase – A VIP Table Picnic with wine and an Individual Snack Pack.

For more information and to order, click here www.atlantaopera.org/tickets/#addon. Pre-order food packages must be ordered 5 days prior to the event date. 

When and where can I pick up my pre-ordered food package?

The VIP Table Picnic with wine and Individual Snack Pack will be available for at the concessions bar in the warehouse lobby when the lobby opens 1.5 prior to curtain. (6:30pm for 8pm show, 12:30 for 2pm show)

Can I bring food and drink into the theater?

Food and drink that is purchased on-site are permitted at tables and seats inside the house. No outside food or drink is allowed. 

Can I bring my own food and drink to Pullman Yards?
No outside food or drink from outside Pullman Yards is permitted. The only exception is bottled water. 

Your Visit to Pullman Yards

Where is Pullman Yards located?

225 Rogers Street NE, Atlanta GA 30329

Is the performance indoors or outdoors?

The performance will be inside a warehouse at Pullman Yards.

When should I arrive at Pullman Yards?

The warehouse lobby will open 1.5 hours prior to curtain. (6:30pm for 8pm show, 12:30 for 2pm show) 

Seating will open 30 minutes prior to curtain. (7:30pm for 8pm show, 1:30 for 2pm show) 

Please try to arrive an hour prior to curtain to account for potential traffic. 

When will the lobby and seating open?

The warehouse lobby will open 1.5 hours prior to curtain. (6:30pm for 8pm show, 12:30 for 2pm show) 

Seating will open 30 minutes prior to curtain. (7:30pm for 8pm show, 1:30 for 2pm show) 

Please try to arrive an hour prior to curtain to account for potential traffic. 

How long is the performance?

Cabaret is approximately 2 hours 40 minutes 

As One is approximately 2 hours 

Jay Hunter Morris Cabaret is approximately 90 minutes 

Will there be a pre-performance talk?

There are no pre-show talks for Cabaret. 

There will be a talkback at the very end of As One as an integral part of the performance.

Is there a content advisory? Is this performance suitable for children?

Cabaret Content Warning: 
This performance contains mature themes including profanity, depictions of violence and sexual situations, reference to abortion, alcoholism, drug use, Nazi imagery, and the rise of the Nazi party. 

As One Content Warning:
This performance contains mature themes including profanity, sexual or suggestive content, drug use, and depictions of violence against the transgender community. 

Will I be able to understand the performance?

Cabaret and As One will be sung in English. 

There will be supertitles for As One.

There will NOT be any supertitles for Cabaret. A Cabaret ASL performance is offered on Friday, June 17 @ 8pm. Please call 404-881-8885 or go online at tickets.atlantaopera.org/130090/132514  to purchase tickets. 

Is there a dress code?

There is no dress code, but we suggest that you wear closed-toe, flat shoes, or your favorite tennis shoes. The parking lot is an ADA approved gravel lot. Please wear comfortable clothing to keep cool as the venue may be warm. 

Will it be hot inside this venue?

The warehouse theater may get warm as there is no air conditioning but there will be fans. It is 10°F cooler inside the venue than it is on the outside. 

Where can I park?

Patron parking is in Lot A, just in front of the performance warehouse. We highly encourage rideshare. 

Parking is purchased through ParkMobile for $21. 

To pre-purchase parking, patrons may go online at app.parkmobile.io/venue/pullman-yards-opera/events  

Parking may be purchased on site at Pullman Yards via the app parkmobile.app.link/SYLSYDYShR  

Is there public transportation available near Pullman Yards?

Nearby is Marta Edgewood-Candler Park stop (2-minute drive, 19-minute walk from the station to Pullman Yards). We highly encourage rideshare. 

What services are available for visitors with disabilities?

Accessible parking is available at the front of Lot A.  

The ASL performance for Cabaret is Friday, June 17 @ 8pm. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at 404-881-8885 go online at tickets.atlantaopera.org/130090/132514. 

Accessible seats are offered in every section for all performance dates. Accessible tickets are available for purchase by phone at 404-881-8885. 

What happens if I am late?

Late seating is offered at the back of the theater based on available seating or standing room. Patrons may return to their original seats at intermission. Please try to arrive an hour prior to curtain to account for potential traffic. 

May I take photos or recordings?

No photography or recording is permitted during the performance. 

Will there be a place to check my bag?

There will not be a bag check at Pullman Yards. Large bags must be left in your vehicle. Small backpacks and purses may be placed under your seat. 

What if I have a question at the theater?

An information and community engagement table will be located by Shop Opera in the lobby. One of our staff members will be happy to assist you! 

What if there is an emergency?

In the case of an emergency, please find any front of house staff member for assistance. 

I lost an item at Pullman Yards, who can I call?

Please call Guest Services at 470-528-2200 to inquire about any lost items. 

Safety

What are the health and safety protocols?

Masks are encouraged for all patrons. 

The Atlanta Opera will continue to monitor government policy changes, Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, government mandates, and public health notices and make changes as necessary or appropriate to ensure the safety of staff, artists, and the public. 

Do I need to wear a mask?

Masks are encouraged for all patrons. 

Composer

Laura Kaminsky

Cited in The Washington Post as “one of the top 35 female composers in classical music,” LAURA KAMINSKY’s works are “masterful” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and “full of fire as well as ice, contrasting dissonance and violence with tonal beauty and meditative reflection. It is strong stuff.” (American Record Guide) Her opera As One (2014; co-librettists Mark Campbell & Kimberly Reed) is the most produced contemporary opera in the U.S. since the 2016-17 season.  The original cast recording on the BSS label was named one of the best new opera recordings of 2019 by Opera News. With Reed, she has created Hometown to the World (Santa Fe & San Francisco Operas: Opera For All Voices Consortium); it premieres in fall 2020 in Santa Fe.

Read More

New operas include Finding Wright(librettist Andrea Fellows Fineberg) for Dayton Opera (2021) and February (co-librettist with novelist Lisa Moore) for Newfoundland’s Opera on the Avalon (2023). She is currently writing for the New York Festival of Song’s Spring 2020 suffrage-themed concert and the American Pianists Association 2021 competition. An upcoming cd for Cedille Records features iconic pianist Ursula Oppens performing Kaminsky’s Piano Concerto with the ASU Symphony Orchestra (Jeffery Meyer, music director), her Piano Quintet with the Cassatt String Quartet, the solo Fantasy, and Reckoning: Five Miniatures for America for piano four-hands, where Oppens is joined by Jerome Lowenthal. Visiting Artist at Arizona State University in Spring 2020, she is creating Desert Portal, a dance work with Coley Curry (choreography) and visual artist Rebecca Allan (projections and costumes) to inaugurate ASU’s Institute for Desert Humanities Research. The 2019-2020 Composer Mentor for Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, she is head of composition at the Conservatory of Music Purchase College/SUNY.  Scores: Bill Holab Music. Recordings: Affeto/Naxos, Albany, Bridge, BSS, CRI, Capstone, Mode, and MSR labels. Kaminsky is a BMI composer. laurakaminsky.com

Headshot_LauraKaminsky

Librettist

Mark Campbell

On the heels (at least in “opera time”) of the success of Kevin Puts’ and his opera Silent Night in 2016, Mark Campbell is thrilled to be rejoining Atlanta Opera this season with two works he co-created: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs and As One. Mark’s work as a librettist  have received both the Pulitzer Prize in Music (2012) and a GRAMMY Award (2018) and is at the forefront of the contemporary American opera scene. A prolific writer, he has penned 37 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals, and the text for 5 song cycles and 2 oratorios. Mark’s other successful works include The Shining, Stonewall, Later the Same Evening, Burke & Mr. Hare, The Manchurian Candidate, The Other Room, Edward Tulane, Empty the House, The Inspector, Approaching Ali, A Letter to East 11th Street, Volpone, Bastianello/Lucrezia, Songs from an Unmade Bed, Sanctuary Road and A Nation of Others.

Read More

Mark has received many other prestigious prizes for his work, including the first Kleban Foundation Award for Lyricist, 2 Richard Rodgers Awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, 3 Drama Desk nominations, a Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, a New York Foundation for the Arts Playwriting Fellowship, the first Dominic J. Pelliciotti Award, and a grant from the New York State Council of the Arts. Mark is also an advocate for contemporary American opera and serves as a mentor for future generations of opera creators through such organizations as American Opera Projects, American Lyric Theatre, and Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. Upcoming premieres include The Secret River for Opera Orlando (Stella Sung, composer), Supermax for Saratoga Opera, (Stewart Wallace, composer); A Thousand Acres for Des Moines Metro Opera (Kristin Kuster, composer) and the book for the musical Les Girls for Théatre du Châtelet (Cole Porter, composer). www.markcampbellwords.com

Headshot_MarkCampbell

Librettist & Filmmaker

Kimberly Reed

Filmmaker and writer Kimberly Reed was recently commissioned by a consortium of opera companies led by Santa Fe and San Francisco Opera to write Hometown to the World, premiering in 2020. With Mark Campbell she co-wrote the libretti for Today It Rains (Opera Parallèle), Some Light Emerges (Houston Grand Opera), and As One (American Opera Projects), which is the most frequently produced opera in America. Her song cycle Fierce Grace: Jeannette Rankin premiered at the Library of Congress in 2017. Reed’s written work is published in “The Moth,” a New York Times best-seller. Her documentary film Prodigal Sons won 14 awards and was released in theaters and broadcast worldwide. Her Sundance award-winning 2018 documentary Dark Money was promptly named by Vogue magazine as one of the 66 Best Documentaries of All Time and shortlisted for the Academy Awards.

Photo by Claire Jones

Conductor

Alexandra Enyart

Alexandra Enyart has been called “one of Chicago’s greatest operatic gifts” (Chicago Theatre Review) and “a podium talent to watch”(Chicago Classical Review).   She’s performed with Opera Columbus, Australian Contemporary Opera Company, Opera Orlando, and many others around the country and globe. She has served as a Chicago Sinfonietta Fellow and as a “Turn the Spotlight” fellow with Chicago Opera Theatre music director, Lidiya Yankovskaya. In 2017 Alexandra won the CODA conducting competition and in 2018 she won CCM’s Mozart Overture Conducting Competition. Alexandra served as a panelist at the Opera America conference in 2021 and serves currently on the Artistic Advisory Council for American Opera Projects.

Read More

Alexandra is as comfortable on the podium as she is in the opera pit having made her international debut in Tomsk Russia with the Tomsk Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016 while finishing her Master’s in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Louisville. At the same time she also worked as the apprentice conductor with the Louisville Orchestra and Kentucky Opera as well as the Assistant Conductor for the Louisville Youth Orchestra. Alexandra works as a champion of new music and helped to bring As One, When Adonis Calls, and Patience and Sarah to the stage, among many others. She also champions young singers and advocates for every voice in her work with Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium which includes productions of La finta giardiniera, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and L’elisir d’amore with many more to come!

As a transgender conductor Alexandra strives to create a more equitable and diverse musical world. As such she has successfully chartered “Faulty Systems”, an annual program in which activists and artists come together to share stories of underrepresented communities or ideas through music, speech, poetry, dance and other mediums. Alexandra also helped to launch the Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium’s sing–thru program, which functions to create an accessible space for young artists to experiment with musical styles and traditions following their education. Alexandra believes that to conduct is an honor and privilege, and continues to work to support and strengthen the musical community of which she is privileged to be a part.

Headshot_AlexandraEnyart

Stage Director

Stephanie Havey

Winner of the Adelaide Bishop Award and the OPERA America Director-Designer Showcase, Stephanie Havey has staged productions for Seattle Opera, Opera de Montreal, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Hawai’i Opera Theatre, Michigan Opera Theatre, Atlanta Opera, Opera Omaha, New York City Opera, and others.  Her new productions have been featured at Boston Lyric Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, Finger Lakes Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Lyrique-en-mer Festival International de Belle-Ile, Curtis Institute of Music, and Carnegie Mellon University.  She has also been a member of the staging staff at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and The Santa Fe Opera.

Read More

Ms. Havey is sought after as a collaborator for the development of new opera, staging new works with Opera Philadelphia for their Double Exposure event, OPERA America’s New Works Forum, and is in her fourth season of developing new works as the Resident Stage Director for North American New Opera Workshop.

Upcoming engagements include Seattle Opera, Arizona Opera, Madison Opera, Atlanta Opera, Charlottesville Opera, and Manhattan School of Music.

During her two seasons as the first Resident Artist Stage Director for the Pittsburgh Opera, she received rave reviews for her new production of  Il matrimonio segreto and directed numerous productions and a staged recital series in the Opera Studio.

Ms. Havey is the Director of the Tomita Young Artist Program at Finger Lakes Opera and the Artistic Director of the Oberlin Conservatory Summer Opera Intensive.  Her extensive work with Young Artist training programs includes the OPERA America Career Blueprints Program, Curtis Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Mannes School of Music at The New School, Manhattan School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Central City Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera North, University of Delaware, and the Florida State Opera.  She has also been the Director of Opera Workshop at Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee State University in Nashville.

Headshot_StephanieHavey