The StoryThe Body Politic follows a transgender man from Afghanistan who emigrates to North Carolina at the height of the Afghan War.
Cultures collide and families falter, as Iphis sees his world reflected through the contrasting lenses of a conservative foster parent, a drag queen roommate, a precocious student, and the fearless mother who raised him. The Body Politic premiered last year at the Boston Center for the Arts as an opera, and made worldwide headlines (New York Times, UK's Daily Mail, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, etc.) as the first opera or musical to be performed for a state legislature, when it was presented at the North Carolina General Assembly in protest of the notorious "bathroom bill". TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS
The Body Politic has full 501(c)3 nonprofit fiscal sponsorship through the New York Musical Festival. ALL donations are fully tax-deductible. |
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
New York Musical Theatre Festival JULY 18-23, 2017, Playwrights Horizons
Liberty looks small |
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ARTICLES & REVIEWS:
"This opera has a voice! ...Timeless terms that speak to the role of storytelling as a means to understanding." - Boston Globe "If just one N.C. representative in the audience was affected in the way I was, Hurley and Osborne definitely succeeded." - The Daily Tar Heel "I paid close attention to the songs, spotting several key phrases that resonated with my experience both in this skin and in this state." - Independent Weekly, transgender critic "Democratic Rep. Verla Insko of Chapel Hill, among those in the crowd who gave the performers a standing ovation, said the cast still offered a compelling message through song that moves the discussion along about LGBT issues." - Daily Mail, London "It certainly enhanced my understanding and my appreciation, too, of some of the issues that confront North Carolinians in these trying and difficult times." - Classical Voice Magazine "There was no villain. Nobody’s issues or beliefs were trivialized... They all had flaws, as well as backstories that didn’t excuse their behaviors, but made it clear to the audience how the characters' experiences shaped who they are." - The Daily Tar Heel "The amount of effort and finesse in sustaining those songs was astounding, powerful, and resonant." - Independent Weekly, transgender critic "The score is highly effective, conveying a sense of traditional Afghan music in the scenes set there and more upbeat and idiomatic tunes in the American portions... The big numbers, too, were quite marvelous." - Classical Voice Magazine |
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Production History
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NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL / 2017
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Next Link Project. Summer 2017, New York City. Coming soon. NORTH CAROLINA STATE LEGISLATURE / 2016
Presented in protest of North Carolina's notorious "bathroom bill". The first opera/musical in American history presented for a state legislature. BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS / 2016
WORLD PREMIERE Commissioned and presented by Juventas New Music Ensemble (Artistic Director, Lidiya Yankovskaya) |