Penny

by Douglas Pew

March 19 - April 2 | Virtual

Penny is a NEW opera about the power of music. In the course of this one-hour opera, we see the leading character Penny Rutherford literally and figuratively find her voice. As Penny learns to express herself through singing, she transforms before our eyes and begins to believe in herself. Penny also happens to be a person with autism. As the saying goes, “if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” In this opera you’ll meet Penny, who is singular in every way. She does not typify a person with autism, but is one representation of it.

Staged for the first time outside of its commission with the Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center, this virtual production will be marketed to a national audience. We will be working with disability rights advocates to present this work over a two week run.