Seattle Opera: The Falling & The Rising

The Falling and the Rising
Music – Zach Redler
Libretto – Jerre Dye

The Falling and the Rising is an operatic story of service, sacrifice, and connection inside uncertainty. The opera was originally created from compiled interviews with active-duty soldiers and veterans at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The Old Guard at Fort Myer, and Fort Meade. It serves as an ode to American soldiers, honoring the indomitable spirit of our military veterans and shining a light on the significance of their often untold stories.

The opera traces the inner journey of a comatose soldier after she has suffered a roadside attack. As her consciousness traverses a coma-induced dreamscape, the audience serves as both companion and witness to her journey. Along the way we share powerful encounters with fellow service members, each one on the brink of a discovery of their own. Together, they seek clarity and communal hope through their shared resilience in facing a murky and everchanging reality.

Performance details:

The intimate, fully-staged, 70-minute chamber opera will be performed by 5 singers and an 11-piece orchestra in Tagney Jones Hall at the new Opera Center.

Wondering if this opera is appropriate for your children?

The Falling and the Rising contains some complex themes. Read the content advisory below to help decide whether this opera is right for you and your family.

Movie-style rating: PG or PG-13 for:

– Storyline centered on the experience of being a soldier, both while deployed and upon return home.
– A simulated explosion conveyed through light and sound. There is no on-stage violence.
– Scenes in a hospital. The main character suffers a traumatic brain injury due to an IED explosion in the first scene, and the opera depicts her imagined inner thoughts while in a medically induced coma and on her journey to recovery.
– Mild coarse language in several scenes.

Although The Falling and the Rising is a story of military service and sacrifice, the overall tone is hopeful and resilient. There are no explicit depictions of combat, violence, or graphic injuries. The complex themes of sacrifice, grief, family, and personal growth may be difficult for elementary schoolers to fully grasp.

About Seattle Opera

http://seattleopera.org