THE EXTINCTIONIST

a new one-act opera in development

semi-staged presentations at PS21 Chatham

Music by Daniel Schlosberg

Libretto by Amanda Quaid, based on her play

Directed, Conceived, and Developed by Louisa Proske

Music Directed by Jacob Ashworth

Live Stream Remote Technical Director - Max Silverman

Heartbeat has commissioned its first new opera! The Extinctionist will be developed in a semi-staged presentation in Spring 2021 at PS21 in Chatham, NY -- the premiere of the full production is planned for Spring 2022. The 60-minute one-act opera is scored for four singers and four multi-instrumentalist players. Schlosberg’s music follows Quaid’s tightly-drawn libretto, from contemporary small talk to roiling dreamscape, its acute style encompassing witty gesture, expressionist stichomythia, and full-on dramatic pathos in the tradition of opera’s great mad scenes. Surrounded by apple orchards and acres of beautiful land, the open-air pavilion at PS21 is a poignant place to begin our journey on this piece questioning motherhood, climate collapse, and our relationship to nature.

A young couple is trying to have a baby. Ice caps are melting. Brooklyn will soon be underwater. Upcycling is the new recycling. The Woman wonders: What if the only way to protect her future daughter was to not have her? What if she could save the planet from unspeakable future destruction by sterilizing herself ... by becoming the very first "Extinctionist”? In this dark comedy, a Woman’s body becomes the battlefield of our political anguish, conflicting desires, and individual responsibility.

Saturday, May 29 at 7:30p EDT

Sunday, May 30 at 3p EDT

In person at PS21 Chatham, NY

And streaming online

Click here to learn more.