Fletcher Opera Theater
![Graphic with photograph of Mary Cardwell Dawson and shades of pinks and purples](/sites/cpa/files/styles/event_logo/public/events/2024-06/2425_PassionMCD_1080x1080%20resize.jpg?itok=EJKlfdGi)
![Graphic with photograph of Mary Cardwell Dawson and shades of pinks and purples](/sites/cpa/files/styles/event_logo/public/events/2024-06/2425_PassionMCD_1080x1080%20resize.jpg?itok=EJKlfdGi)
Play by Sandra Seaton.
Original music by Carlos Simon.
Text for original music by Sandra Seaton.
Commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival.
A new play with music starring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves! North Carolina-born trailblazer Mary Cardwell Dawson founded the National Negro Opera Company in the mid-20th century, creating unprecedented opportunities for Black artists and audiences across America. One evening in 1943, the company is scheduled to perform Carmen on a floating barge on the Potomac River. When inclement weather threatens to force the performance into a segregated hall, Mary must navigate the raging storms to ensure the show goes on.
FEATURING Denyce Graves, Johnnie Felder, and Díana Thompson-Brewer
DIRECTED BY Kimille Howard