Light and Power: A Tesla/Edison Story
A chamber opera with music composed by Isaac Schankler, libretto written by Jilly Dreadful, performed by the Juventas Music Ensemble in Boston, 2011
“Memories are just the lies we tell ourselves.”
Experience the electrifying rivalry between scientific visionaries Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, reimagined in the 2011 opera Light & Power. Through flashbacks spurred by a laboratory fire, Tesla's history unfolds with lyrical modernism, ragtime, and a surreal cast of characters—from a heroic soprano-played Tesla “pants role” (Chelsea Beatty) discovering her transgender identity to Nova a cyborgean hive queen muse who commands a Chorus of Bees that functions like a cyberpunk Greek chorus. As Tesla confronts his legacy and his business-minded villainous rival, Thomas Edison (Davron S. Monroe), Light & Power explores the thin line between genius and madness, the power of innovation, and the high cost of changing the world.
What people said about Light and Power
“One of the really refreshing elements about this production was that, unlike what seems to be the norm of many modern operas, the breaking of time and the shifting between reality and abstraction was handled with a careful sense of clarity. The collaboration between [Dreadful] and composer Isaac Schankler was very evident; one got the sense that the entire production was bound to a unified vision. This is no easy feat for operas that have been produced hundreds of times, let alone a world premiere.”
— Peter Van Zandt Lane
“It was fascinating to see Thomas Edison portrayed as a villain and a bully, (though he’s not completely unredeemed by the end) and Davron S. Monroe’s portrayal of him was wickedly delightful.”
— Miss Music Nerd
“The concept may sound geeky and obscure, but there's plenty of dramatic potential to the story. As co-director Roxana Myhrum explains, "I love bringing to life historical characters, and using opera to explore themes that are hyper-theatrical and really exciting. Tesla really needed an opera written about him. His story involves intrigue, world travel, betrayal - all grounded in the physics of electricity."
— The Morton Report
Photos are from Keith Collier Photography, found on the sites of the reviews.