Director

Our next chapter begins with two brand new radical adaptations and reorchestrations of major classics led by two fabulous new directors: Shadi Ghaheri directs a brand new adaptation of Puccini’s Tosca, set in a modern-day religious authoritarian dictatorship, and Emma Jaster directs Lady M, our twist on Verdi’s Scottish opera.
Lady M, based on Verdi’s Macbeth, is the culmination of our “brilliant” (New York Magazine) and “riveting” (Opera News) early pandemic venture, Lady M: An Online Fantasia, for which we sold out 32 online soirees, reaching over 1000 homes across 5 continents. Emma, who has been Heartbeat’s Movement Director on countless projects, including Lady M online, takes the reins to direct Ethan Heard and Jacob Ashworth’s co-adaptation, conjuring a bracingly contemporary couple as the Macbeths, along with a complete sonic and dramatic reimagining of the three witches.
Running on back-to-back nights in rep will be our newest adaptation of Tosca, a piece we've been dreaming about for years, led by Iranian-American director Shadi Ghaheri. Our version translates Puccini’s iconic story of love and revolution to an unnamed religious regime, where an uncensored version of Tosca — in which corrupt officials are murdered, revolutionaries are executed, and, most importantly, a female heroine interrupts the cycle of violence — would never be allowed to happen. Things become daringly real when a troop of actors decide to risk their lives to perform it.

Emma Jaster

Director

Events

11 - 23 Apr, 2023

Tosca & Lady M · Heartbeat Opera

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