Manifest Destiny 2011

Opening on the ten- year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, comes the updating of the 2005 opera that questions America's culpability in those terrifying terrorist assaults. The composer Keith Burstein and librettist Dic Edwards have taken the traditional Romeo and Juliet tragic love story and set it in contemporary war torn Arabia, creating a moving and shocking piece re-evaluating the enduring belief that love conquers all. Two young lovers battle with their beliefs and their destiny. Leila, a young poet, determined to continue the work of her murdered father, fights for justice and truth by joining a suicide bombing cell. Her lover Daniel fights to save her life and the lives of the innocent people affected by the bombings. Radically updated for its 2011 outing, this production reflects on how society, and perceptions of America's foreign policy, have changed since September 2001. Directed by Valentina Ceschi, with the cast: Tom Kennedy, Emma Pettemerides, Katrina Waters, David Menzes and Dario Dugandzic.