The Dallas Opera has commissioned a second opera by creative team Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer. Based on the book “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby the celebrated editor of Elle magazine. Husband, father, and a man with a very complicated personal life, he's a major player on the Paris social scene. His life shatters when a devastating stroke leaves him paralyzed and unable to speak "locked in" like a diver at the bottom of the sea, who can only watch the world go by as he yearns for bygone pleasures. Bauby's spirit is indomitable, and he blinks with the only muscle he can control to "write" his book with the help of an assistant. Although physically incapacitated, he still has a brilliant mind that can wander and fly like a butterfly, freeing him to travel through time and space where nothing is impossible.
The world-premiere will be conducted by TDO Music Director Emmanuel Villaume and directed by Leonard Foglia, who reunites the successful design team of Robert Brill (set design), David C. Woolard (costume design), and Elaine J. McCarthy (projection design) that provided the unforgettable visual impact of Talbot and Scheer’s first opera Everest.
The opera will star Lucas Meachem, Richard Croft, Clifton Forbis, Sasha Cooke, Andriana, Deanna Breiwick, Andrew Bidlack, and Jocelyn Hansen.
Performance Dates: March 5-13, 2021
