On this episode of Creative Space, we meet the creative team behind ‘10 Days in a Madhouse,’ a world premiere opera making its debut at Opera Philadelphia this Thursday, September 21st.

Inspired by the audacious exploits of 19th-century reporter Nellie Bly, who faked madness in 1887 to report on the conditions of Blackwell’s asylum from the inside, the opera is brought to life by composer Rene Orth, librettist Hannah Moscovitch, director Joanna Settle, and conductor Daniela Candillari.

Together, the creative team  reveals their creative process and the elaborate path to the birth of ‘10 Days in a Madhouse’— from the first spark of inspiration to its realization on stage.

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SHOW NOTES:

0:57—Introduction to ‘10 Days in a Madhouse’

2:30—Meet the Creative Team: Rene Orth, Daniela Candillari, and Joanna Settle

3:00—Deciding on a career in the arts

7:00—Coming together for ‘10 Days in a Madhouse’

9:30—What is creativity?

15:30—What inspired you to do this opera?

17:55—What do you love about Nellie Bly’s story?

19:15—What Daniela loves about Rene’s music

20:55—We look to history to inform us about our present.

24:45—The role of a librettist and composer in opera

25:27—Bringing words and music together

28:00—Rene on rewriting a key scene after becoming a mother

29:42—What Rene loves about working with Hannah

31:30—Joanna’s role as a director

34:00—The question that makes Joanna want to get to work

37:05—Daniela’s role as the conductor

39:00—Opera is a hyper-collaborative form.

41:50—The importance of a strong team in opera

43:30—What’s it like making a world premiere opera?

44:50—Rene’s favorite scenes

45:30—Why a work is never complete

47:25—”Artists can articulate the hard things.”

50:30—Message Rene wants to convey

52:52—”No one does what Opera Philadelphia does.”

55:27—What’s next?