A CRISIS OF RESPONSIBILITY — live event
NATIONALSAWDUST+ PRESENTS A CRISIS OF RESPONSIBILITY: EXCERPTS FROM "THE SHELL TRIAL" FEATURING ELLEN REID, AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED This NationalSawdust+ evening showcases insights and excerpts from Reid's new opera, The Shell Trial, written with librettist Roxie Perkins, on the heels of its March 2024 world premiere in Amsterdam. Commissioned by Dutch National Opera and based on the play De zaak Shell by Rebekka de Wit and Anoek Nuyens, the opera explores climate devastation as a crisis of responsibility via a landmark 2021 court case in which environmentalists won a shocking lawsuit against Shell Oil. The program will include arias sung from the perspectives of diverse figures, such as The Climate Refugee, The CEO, The Artist, as well as a chorus of children representing those killed by Shell’s colonial past and climate disasters. Members of the Young People’s Chorus of New York (YPC) will perform in the evening, which will include a probing discussion featuring a climate activist along with Reid and NS+ curator Elena Park. The composer will share her experience of creating the provocative piece, which offers a range of voices and viewpoints on whose responsibility it is to halt climate change. As the complexity of the issues in the Shell lawsuit becomes clear, boundaries between guilty party and innocent victim, past harm and future progress, and individual and collective responsibility grow increasingly blurred. The event is part of NS+’s continuing For Nature series, three programs exploring the interplay and collision between the natural and human worlds, featuring artists and musicians, scientists, and activists working to preserve and restore the environment. For Nature is made possible by the generous support of Kathryn and Emmanuel Morlet and the Westcustogo Foundation.
Starts: 2024-06-13T19:30:48Z
Ends: 2024-06-13T21:30:48Z
Where: 80 North 6th Street, New York 11249, United States
Price: $44.48