What: World premiere of Bertha the Mom, a chamber opera examining hysteria, feminism, and the birth of psychoanalysis.
When: Sunday, June 3, 2018
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $20 Door, $15 Online
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: http://bit.ly/SP180603
Brooklyn, NY – Bertha the Mom merges the histories of hysteria and feminism in a chamber opera that questions the validity of truth and how it relates to what we know about the past. The work is based on the historical accounts of German feminist Bertha Pappenheim—commonly known under the pseudonym Anna O—patient of Dr. Josef Breuer, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and the first subject of psychoanalysis. Told through four performers, the stories of Pappenheim and Anna O are told in parallel to examine radically different types of female subjects within 1880s Vienna. Employing the fiercely original palates of these four creative performers, Clara Latham merges fantastical sonorities with earnest melodies, creating an uncanny mixture of camp and sincerity.
The well-lauded cast includes soprano Alice Teyssier, baritone Michael Weyandt, trumpet player Peter Evans, and Seth Parker Woods, described by the Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace.”
Performers:
Alice Teyssier – Bertha
Michael Weyandt – Doctor Josef Breuer
Peter Evans – Character’s Unconsciouses
Seth Parker Woods – Character’s Unconsciouses
Directed by Katherine Brook
Composed by Clara Latham
Libretto by James Currie