The Dramatists Guild Opera Committee’s Librettist Initiative premiered the short film Credit the Librettist: Conversations with Today's Opera Makers at Opera America’s New Works Forum on Thursday, January 16 at 10am at the National Opera Center, 330 7th Avenue, 7th Floor, New York. Credit the Librettist: Conversations with Today’s Opera Makers was conceived by Michael Korie and Mark Campbell, and the Librettists Initiative.
The film features interviews with leading opera composers and librettists, including Mark Adamo, John Corigliano, Anthony Davis, Ricky Ian Gordon, David Henry Hwang, Tony Kushner, Craig Lucas, David T. Little, Terrence McNally, Lynn Nottage, Paola Prestini, John Patrick Shanley, Gene Scheer, Stephen Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori, Royce Vavrek, and opera producers Lawrence Edelson, Eric Einhorn, and Laura Lee Everett of Opera America.
The film centers on the upsurge in new American opera, which has generated a greater focus on the story and given new prominence to the librettist in the creation of new works. It was created in order to inform leaders in the opera world about ways to achieve great parity for opera librettists, foster a more equitable approach to crediting artists that more accurately reflects their process of collaboration, and educate audiences about how new operas are made.
In addition to the film premiere of Credit the Librettist, the session at the New Works Forum will include:
- A brief introduction to the Initiative;
- A panel discussion led by Sarah Williams of Opera Philadelphia;
- A Q+A with people from the field.
The opera committee is comprised of Michael Korie, co-chair, Mark Campbell, co-chair, Deborah Brevoort, Sara Cooper, Donna Di Novelli, Stephanie Fleischmann, David Johnston, Stephen Karam, Jason Kim, Tony Kushner, Craig Lucas, Terrence McNally, Deborah Murad, Lynn Nottage, Sarah Rebell, Emily Roller, Kelley Rourke, Stephen Schwartz, John Patrick Shanley, David Simpatico, Ralph Sevush, and Joan Ross Sorkin.
The Composers Advisory board includes Anthony Davis, Jerre Dye, Herschel Garfein, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jennifer Higdon, Cerise Jacobs, David T. Little, Evan Mack, Missy Mazzoli, Joshua McGuire, Paul Moravec, Lila Palmer, Kevin Puts, Kimberly Reed, Kamala Sankaram, Gene Scheer, Jeanine Tesori, Royce Vavrek, Dara Weinberg, and Du Yun.