New Opera Suddenly Last Summer to Have Its World Premiere

The Fisher Center at Bard, located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley, has announced the lineup for SummerScape 2026, running June 25-August 16.

SummerScape 2026 will include the world premiere of the new opera Suddenly Last Summer by MacArthur Fellow Courtney Bryan, with libretto by Fisher Center artistic director and chief executive Gideon Lester and Tony-nominated director Daniel Fish, running June 25-July 19. Fish also directs the production. The opera, based on the seldom-performed Tennessee Williams gothic play set in New Orleans, tells the story of the wealthy Venable family and a young woman’s struggle to speak truth to power.

The company features Mikaela Bennett as Catharine Holly and Tina Benko as Mrs. Venable, with additional casting to be announced. The creative team includes scenic designer Marsha Ginsberg, costume designer Terese Wadden, lighting designer Stacey Derosier, and projection designer Joshua Thorson.

The festival also includes Lucinda Childs: Momentary Reprise, a program of premiere and revived works from choreographer Lucinda Childs (June 26-28),  Richard Strauss’s rarely staged opera The Egyptian Helen (Die ägyptische Helena) directed by Christian Räth (July 24-August 2), Mozart and His World (August 7-9, 13-16), and the return of the festival’s handmade mirrored pavilion, the Spiegeltent (June 26-August 15).