Atlanta Opera Community Conversation – Madama Butterfly

The Atlanta Opera’s presentation of Madama Butterfly in November 2022 provides an opportunity for discussion and reflection on a beautiful and beloved, but also troubled work of art.

The Atlanta Opera will produce a series of events and community conversations along with partners such as the Japan American Society of Georgia to contextualize and create a safe space for open-eyed exploration of Madama Butterfly. Fundamentally, this is an opera written in the first decade of the 1900’s by a European man, which reaches our modern ears and understanding in a different way.

Their goal is to ensure that audiences and performers of all races and ethnicities have the resources to think critically about the work. Community programming both live and digital will be announced as they are finalized over the summer.

Details:

• The cast includes Japanese and Asian-American performers, and their participation and representation is important to us. We realize that their experiences bring much to their performances, and that these experiences are unique and their own.
• Inclusion is not only important on stage but off stage, as well. We will bring in advisors to guide our production and ensure respectful staging and conversation in the rehearsal process. Specifically, a movement consultant.
• The Atlanta Opera admires colleagues who acknowledge and embrace the work that must be done to present Madama Butterfly successfully.