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Nautilus Documentary Project

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AN ORIGINAL OPERA DOCUMENTARY

"We're seeing something uniquely American, that is less linear and less naturalistic. We recognize that it's different and powerful." -Ben Krywosz, Mentor/Producer/DirectorA Revolution in American Opera

Once perceived as stagnant and oriented toward older, affluent White patrons, opera and music- theater in America are being revitalized by bold and inventive new works that are attracting younger, more diverse, and more adventurous audiences.

American opera has seen an explosion in creative activity in recent years, after decades in which new works were rarely seen on major US stages. In 2000, only three new works were produced by major companies; in recent years we have seen more than 20 each year. Even the prestigious Metropolitan Opera has embraced the trend.

 

"Musical storytelling has tremendous cultural resonance. It reflects and shapes our ideas of who we are, as a people, as a country." -Kamala Sankaram, Composer/PerformerWhy This Film

The film takes you behind the scenes to meet the composers, librettists, directors, and producers who are the driving forces behind this important new work. Join them in their quest to make enduring contributions to this most complex and ambitious art form. The film will run 70-90 minutes and feature leading creators and producers from the national opera scene such as:

 

Jake Heggie | Paul Moravec | Kamala Sankaram | Kevin Puts
Mark Campbell | Lidiya Yankovskaya | Ricky Ian Gordon
Beth Morrison | Ryan Taylor | Ben Krywosz

 

 

"I have something to say and I'm hoping that everyone in the audience will pay attention." -Tazewell Thompson, Librettist/Stage DirectorJoin Us as Partners

 

Our goal is to help change attitudes toward opera and music-theater and to build audiences for ambitious new works. Our film will help opera and music-theater companies across the nation boost ticket sales for productions of unfamiliar works. Here’s how we’ll do it:

  • Red carpet film festival screenings to build awareness
  • Theatrical release in select cities, attracting audiences and press coverage
  • Partnerships with key creatives in opera, music-theater, and theater
  • Special screenings for opera and music-theater companies to engage their patrons
  • Screenings and discussions at top universities
  • Education & discussion materials for opera, music-theater and theater programs
  • National television broadcast on PBS
  • Digital release on iTunes, Amazon, and Netflix

 

 

Our Award-Winning Director

New York-based producer/director Peter Rosen has been engaged for our project.  He has produced and directed over 100 full-length films and television programs which have been distributed world-wide and have won awards at all the major film festivals. He has worked directly with some of the most important figures in the arts such as Leonard Bernstein, Yo-Yo Ma, Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes, Stephen Sondheim, Alexander Godunov, Midori, Martha Graham, Placido Domingo, Van Cliburn, Claudio Arrau, Byron Janis, I. M. Pei, and Garrison Keillor.

Rosen won the prestigious Directors Guild of America Award in 1990 for his PBS production “Here to Make Music: The Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.” The show also won a prime-time Emmy Award in 1990 and was called “enriching and inspiring” by the New York Daily News. He was again nominated for the DGA Award in 1998 for his PBS film, “First Person Singular: I. M. Pei”. “The Cliburn; Playing on the Edge”, with KERA/PBS, sponsored by ExxonMobil, won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2001. More recently, Peter produced two feature films: “Bad Boy of the Art World” on American artist Larry Rivers (1923-2002), “Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future”, sponsored by a major grant from A. Alfred Taubman and “American Masters” for PBS.

 

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"Europe's vast output of operas defined the original parameters of the art form. Now Americans are setting new parameters with an abundance of new works. It's an exciting time. And it's not happening anywhere else in the world like it is right here." -Jake Heggie, ComposerPROJECT STATUS

The project team has begun fundraising and is creating an initial demo reel for use in promoting the film.

 

PROJECT WEBSITE

(To come)

 

 

 

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

David Smith (Co-Producer, Finance) is semi-retired from a long career in finance and investment banking. He practiced law for three years at the beginning of his career, then moved to work on mergers and acquisitions.  David is passionate about literature, theater and opera, and was a board member of Minnesota opera from 2017 to 2020. David is also a playwright, novelist, poet, and librettist who participated in the Composer Librettist Studio at Nautilus in 2018. His plays have won national and regional awards and have had minor regional productions.  He hopes to publish his first novel in 2024. David is currently working with several composers in different states on a wide variety of projects, including chamber operas, comedic, musical theater, and opera.  His website is aptwordsmith.com.

 

Bob Beverage (Co-Producer, Production) is a performer, writer, and producer of long standing in the Twin Cities. He has written, directed and/or produced numerous scripts for television and the stage including work for The Discovery Channel, TPT’s Newton’s Apple and The Miracle Network Telethon (Minneapolis production). His plays have been produced across the country and in Europe. His most recent projects include writing and co-directing an 80-minute, dramatic video production, “The Life and Loves of Sinclair Lewis,” produced for the Sinclair Lewis Foundation, and co-writing CHRISTMAS OF SWING, produced at History Theatre. Bob has also written and/or produced many short-form industrial videos for such companies as Honeywell, Roche Diagnostics, US Foodservice, Allied Chemical, Ciba-Geigy, Boehringer-Ingelheim and IBM.