As One
Music & concept by Laura Kaminsky • Libretto by Mark Campbell & Kimberly Reed
By arrangement with Bill Holab Music • Commissioned and developed by American Opera Projects (AOP)
As One film direction and film by Kimberly Reed, commissioned by AOP. As One premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music, September 2014, made possible in part with funding from BAM/DeVos Institute of Arts Management at Kennedy Center Professional Development PRogram, OPERA America’s Opera Discovery Grants for Female Composers Program, supported by Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Bronx Council on the Arts, Purchase College Development Fund, Tanner Fund at Utah State University, Jeremy T. Smith Fund, Dr. Coco Lazaroff, Lynn Loacker, Judith O. Rubin, and many generous individuals.
75 minutes. Two singers and a string quartet. One person’s poignant and compelling journey to wholeness. As One tells the story of a trans woman named Hannah and her pilgrimage towards self-discovery and acceptance. What might our world be like if we each dared to authentically embody who we are?
Content Warning:
As One contains a scene of violence—song number #13, “Out of nowhere”—that may be disturbing to some people. The scene lasts approximately 8 minutes and is followed by a satisfying finale depicting the joy of trans self-realization.
Performers
Hannah Before
Hannah After
Conductor
Violin
Violin
Viola
Cello
Creative Team
Composer
Librettist
Libretto & Film
Stage Director
Stage Manager
Consultant & Hannah Before Understudy
Scenic Designer
Lighting Design
Wardrobe, Hair, and Makeup Supervisor
Q & A Host
Original Artwork
Film Operator & Rehearsal Pianist
Rehearsal Pianist
“As One forces you to think, simultaneously challenging preconceptions and inspiring empathy.”
The New York Times
“You don’t have to be transgender—or even an opera-lover—to be moved and haunted by As One … It’s a work that will reach anyone who has come to terms with growing up, learning to live with themselves, dealing with the short-comings of others. In other words, all of us. As One has become a touchstone in outreach to the trans community…”
BroadwayWorld
“As One is everything that we hope for in contemporary opera: topical, poignant, daring, and beautifully written. “
New York Classical Review