West Edge Opera

Bulrusher

Jacqueline

We are excited that Nathaniel Stookey will be the composer of West Edge Opera’s first commission while he develops his first full-length opera, Bulrusher, based on the play of the same title by Eisa Davis who will serve as co-librettist. Bulrusher the play was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize in 2007.
Bulrusher is a coming of age story about an African-American girl growing up in Northern California’s remote Anderson Valley in 1955. Found in a basket by the river, she is raised by the local schoolteacher and has never seen anyone that looks like her until a young Black woman from Alabama comes to town. Meeting someone like herself opens a political, sexual and identity awakening within her.
The development of the complete opera Bulrusher will take place over the course of three years, with a series of milestones built into the process.
Bulrusher will debut in a fully staged production as part of West Edge Festival 2023.