The Kaiser of Atlantis

Past Production

Cast

Michael Mayes
Emperor Overall

Kevin Burdette
Death

Alek Shrader
Harlequin

Daniela Mack
The Drummer

Jasmine Habersham
Girl

Calvin Griffin
The Loudspeaker

Brian Vu
A Soldier

Nathan Munson
(Nov 12 & 14)
Soldier

Creative

Clinton Smith
Conductor

Tomer Zvulun
Stage Director

Julia Noulin-Merat
Set Designer

Joanna Schmink
Costume Designer

Ben Rawson
Lighting Designer

Composer: Viktor Ullmann
Librettist: Petr Kien
Premiere Date: December 16, 1975, De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam

The circus is abandoned, and artists are shells of their former selves. The dictator Emperor Overall reigns and declares total war. Death refuses to take another soul.

Viktor Ullmann’s now critically acclaimed chamber opera The Kaiser of Atlantis was written in 1943 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Before his death at Auschwitz, Ullmann gave the score to a colleague, and the opera remained unperformed until 1975.

A haunting allegory about redemption despite the worst of humanity, this new production of The Kaiser of Atlantis features The Atlanta Opera Company Players in a chilling satire built for our time.

Performed in German with English supertitles

Banner_PerformancePageKaiser2Eyes_2021
part of the 2020-21 Molly Blank Big Tent Series
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Banner_PerformancePageKaiser2Eyes_2021
part pf the 2020-21 Molly Blank Big Tent Series

Cast

Michael Mayes
Emperor Overall

Kevin Burdette
Death

Alek Shrader
Harlequin

Daniela Mack
The Drummer

Jasmine Habersham
Girl

Calvin Griffin
The Loudspeaker

Brian Vu
A Soldier

Creative

Clinton Smith
Conductor

Tomer Zvulun
Stage Director

Julia Noulin-Merat
Set Designer

Joanna Schmink
Costume Designer

Ben Rawson
Lighting Designer

Composer: Viktor Ullmann
Librettist: Petr Kien
Premiere Date: December 16, 1975, De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam

The circus is abandoned, and artists are shells of their former selves. The dictator Emperor Overall reigns and declares total war. Death refuses to take another soul.

Viktor Ullman’s now critically acclaimed chamber opera The Kaiser of Atlantis was written in 1943 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Before his death at Auschwitz, Ullman gave the score to a colleague, and the opera remained unperformed until 1975.

A haunting allegory about redemption despite the worst of humanity, this new production of The Kaiser of Atlantis features The Atlanta Opera Company Players in a chilling satire built for our time.

Performed in German with English supertitles

[dams_ao_vimeo_instead_of_tickets_box]

Get the Feeling

Costume sketches by Joanna Schmink

Synopsis

Prologue

A voice heard over a loudspeaker sets the scene and presents the characters.

Scene 1

Harlequin describes his sorry life without laughter or love. Death joins him and together they lament how slowly time passes in their grim environment. Death belittles Harlequin’s wish to die and explains how much more dire his own situation is than that of Harlequin. He lacks respect now that the “old-fashioned craft of dying” has been replaced by “motorized chariots of war” that work him to exhaustion with little satisfaction.

The Drummer announces the latest decree of the Emperor: Everyone will be armed and everyone will fight until there are no survivors. Death denounces the Emperor for usurping his role: “To take men’s souls is my job, not his!” He declares that he is on strike and breaks his saber.

Characters & Cast

Loudspeaker

Calvin Griffin

Acclaimed for his “voluminous” and “darkly lustrous” voice (South Florida Classical Review).

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Harlequin

Alek Shrader

American tenor Alek Shrader has developed an outstanding reputation both for his beautiful lyric vocalism and his expressive characterizations.

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Death

Kevin Burdette

He has impressed audiences on both sides of the Atlantic with his mellifluous voice and strongly dramatic characterizations.

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The Drummer

Daniela Mack

She leads the vanguard of a new generation of opera singers, infusing her artistry with a mix of intensity, adventurousness, and effortless charisma.

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Emperor Overall

Michael Mayes

Renowned for his outstanding performances in contemporary operas.

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Soldier

Brian Vu

Described by The New York Times as having an “ample and pleasing tone,” tenor Brian Vu creates visceral and interdisciplinary art on the operatic, theatrical, and concert stages.

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Soldier
(Nov 12 & 14)

Nathan Munson

He has been praised for his vocal beauty, and proven to be a versatile presence on the concert and operatic stage.

More >

Girl

Jasmine Habersham

A versatile and dynamic performing artist.

More >

Top Things to Know

What to Expect

Your safety is our top priority

This outdoor experience was designed in consultation with leading experts in the fields of epidemiology, public health, workplace/industrial hygiene, and infectious diseases.
The Atlanta Opera will continue to monitor government policy changes, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, government mandates, and public health notices and make changes as necessary or appropriate to ensure the safety of patrons, artists, and staff.

Social Distancing

Tickets are sold as “pods” that can accommodate up to four people in one party. All pods will be safely distanced from each other under the Big Tent.

Stanchions, signage, and barriers will be used throughout the venue to ennsure social distancing is maintained for all audience members.

Shortened Performances

In order to limit exposure, all performances are only 60-70 minutes in length.

Face Coverings

Everyone will be required to wear a face covering at all times, both inside and outside the tent for the duration of the performance(s). Click here for mask safety recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Health Screenings

Patrons will be required to take a Health Screening Questionnaire either before arriving or on site. Temperature checks will also be conducted prior to entry.

Reduced Contact

Ticket scanning, temperature checks, and safety screenings will be contactless and staff will be equipped with masks, face shields, and gloves to keep you safe.

Enhanced Cleaning

Hand washing and sanitizing stations will be dispersed throughout the outdoor venue and personal hand sanitizers will be available at each pod. Seats, tables, bathrooms, and every check-in stations will be fully sanitized prior to and following each performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’re here to help

We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions that will help you navigate through this new experience. If you don’t see an answer to your question, please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to assist you!

Location

The Big Tent at Oglethorpe University

All performances will be presented in large, ventilated, open-sided tent. The tent is located on Anderson Field at Oglethorpe University’s Hermance Stadium.

Composer

Viktor Ullmann (1898-1944)

Viktor Ullmann was born on 1 January 1898 in Těšín (Teschen), modern Český Těšín / Cieszyn. It belonged then to Silesia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is now divided between Cieszyn in Poland and Český Těšín in the Czech Republic. Both his parents were from families of Jewish descent, but had converted to Roman Catholicism before Viktor’s birth. As an assimilated Jew, his father, Maximilian, was able to pursue a career as a professional officer in the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In World War I he was promoted to colonel and ennobled.

After deployment on the Italian Front at Isonzo, he was granted study leave, which he used to start studying law at Vienna University. There he also attended the lectures of Wilhelm Jerusalem. At the beginning of 1918 he was accepted in Schönberg’s composition seminar. With Schönberg he studied the theory of form, counterpoint and orchestration. Ullmann was an excellent pianist, although he had no ambitions for a career as a soloist.

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Librettist

Petr Kien (1919-1944)

Franz Peter Kien, a prominent figure among many outstanding artists imprisoned in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) ghetto during World War II, is usually associated with the opera The Kaiser of Atlantis by Viktor Ullmann. In addition to the libretto of that opera, Kien left significant artwork, poetry, and plays.

Kien spent his first 10 years in Varnsdorf, an industrial town near the Czech-German border. During the financial crisis his family moved to Brno. In 1936, Kien graduated with honors from a German high school. The certificate contains special notes on his remarkable skills in writing and drawing. The same year, Kien enrolled in Prof. Willy Novak’s class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and in the graphic design school Officina Pragensis under Prof. Hugo Steiner-Prag.

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Conductor

Clinton Smith

Clinton Smith’s 2019/20 season includes debuts at Florentine Opera conducting Le nozze di Figaro and Opera Birmingham conducting Cendrillon. He returns to Dayton Opera to conduct Cenerentola, and Tacoma Opera to conduct L’elisir d’amore. He spends his seventh summer on the music staff at Santa Fe Opera playing continuo and covering music director Harry Bicket’s performances of Cosi fan tutte.

Mr. Smith’s recent conducting credits include Charlie Parker’s Yardbird at The Atlanta Opera and Arizona Opera, Pagliacci/Pulcinella at Opera Orlando, Il barbiere di Siviglia at Dayton Opera and the University of Michigan, Le nozze di Figaro at Tacoma Opera, Alcina at Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Turandot, Norma, and Hansel und Gretel with Pacific Northwest Opera, The Mikado for Kentucky Opera, and Noah’s Flood with Opera Las Vegas. He has served on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, and Skylark Operas and has included the preparation of over fifty operas in German, Italian, French, English, Czech, Russian, and Mandarin.

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Director

Tomer Zvulun

General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is also one of leading stage director of his generation, earning consistent praise for his creative vision and innovative interpretations. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and the US, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Montreal, Buenos Aires, Israeli Opera, and the festivals of Wexford, Glimmerglass and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, and Boston University.

Tomer spent seven seasons on the directing staff of the Metropolitan Opera where he directed revivals of Carmen and Tosca and was involved with more than a dozen new productions. He is a frequent guest director in companies such as Seattle Opera (Semele, La Bohème, Eugene Onegin, Lucia di Lammermoor), Dallas Opera (Die Fledermaus, La Bohème), Houston (Flying Dutchman, Rigoletto), Wexford Festival (Silent Night, Dinner at Eight), Cincinnati Opera (Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Flying Dutchman), Wolf Trap (Falstaff, Don Giovanni), Israeli Opera (Dead Man Walking, Giulio Cesare) among others. His European premiere of Silent Night at the Wexford Festival received two Irish Times Awards and traveled from Ireland to Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival and the opera companies of Atlanta, Austin and Salt Lake City.

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