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FULL WE MIGHT BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING (various) Austin TX 2025 Joanne Evans, Annisha Mackenzie
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: We Might Be Struck By Lightning
- Composer: various
- Libretto: various Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Ground Floor Theatre, Austin Texas, LOLA Opera
- Recorded: July 2025
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Joanne Evans, Annisha Mackenzie
- Conductor: Joey Choi
- Orchestra: Instrumental Ensemble
- Choreographer: Rebecca Whitehurst
- Stage Director: Rebecca Herman - Show Creator and Stage Director - Choreographer Natalie George Productions - Lighting and Scenic Design Desiree Humphries
- Stage Designer: Natalie George Productions
- Costume Designer: Desiree Humphries
- Lighting Designer: Natalie George Productions
Information about the Recording
- Published by: LOLA Opera
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
Music By:
Gustav Mahler, Antonín Dvořák, Claude Debussy, Robert Owens, Manuel de Falla, Richard Strauss, Franz Schubert, H. Leslie Adams,Lili Boulanger, William Grant Still, Jules Massenet, Hugo Wolf, Rosephanye Powell, Robert Schumann, Amy Beach, Alma Mahler
Act I (Present Day)
Prelude – (arr. B. Tibbetts)
Scene 1 – While on a work trip, Joanne receives news that her mother is dying (Ich hab’ ein glühend Messer – Mahler). As she waits for her flight home, memories of her mother flood in (Songs My Mother Taught Me – Dvořák).
Scene 2 – At home, Annisha struggles to get out of bed while her fiancé works nearby (Romance – Debussy). Unable to express what she’s feeling, Annisha retreats inward. Her fiancé eventually goes to bed alone, leaving Annisha with her spiraling thoughts (Die Nacht – Robert Owens).
Scene 3 – Joanne arrives at the hospital. Her mother is resting fitfully, and Death is already present (Asturiana, Nana – de Falla).
Scene 4 – Annisha and her fiancé attempt to reignite their spark, but Annisha realizes she can no longer fake it. She admits to herself that she is deeply depressed (Recueillement – Debussy). Later, she confides in her fiancé about her struggles. (Die Nacht – R. Strauss).
Scene 5 – Joanne contemplates mortality and all the things left unsaid between her and her mother. As Death leads her mother away, they offer Joanne the chance to follow (Steh’ still – Wagner; Der Tod und das Mädchen – Schubert).
Scene 6 – Feeling trapped in a heteronormative life, Annisha grows restless (The Heart of a Woman – H. Leslie Adams). She and her fiancé argue while preparing for Joanne’s mother’s memorial (Instrumental Interlude – Mahler arr. B. Tibbetts).
Scene 7 – At the service, Annisha notices a woman—Girl—and feels something stir inside her (Vous m’avez regardée avec toute votre âme – Lili Boulanger). Joanne delivers her eulogy (Grief – William Grant Still). As others offer condolences, Annisha remains preoccupied by Girl (Qu’importe que l’hiver – Massenet). Meanwhile, Death watches Joanne closely. Joanne searches for a glimmer of hope, and Death senses she is not yet ready (Um Mitternacht – G. Mahler).
Act II (Three Months Later)
Scene 8 – Joanne remains consumed by her mother’s death. She calls out to Death while drawing a bath (Komm, o Tod, von Nacht umgeben – Wolf). Death and Mother confront each other, as Joanne recoils from the final step, frightened by what she almost embraced.
Scene 9 – Annisha nervously awaits her first date with Girl (Parfois, je suis triste – Lili Boulanger). Girl arrives, and a new chapter begins (Instrumental Interlude – Fauré, arr. B. Tibbetts).
Scene 10 – Joanne, further unraveled, welcomes Death at last (I Want to Die While You Love Me – Rosephanye Powell). That same night, Annisha and Girl share their first night together. (Ständchen – Schumann).
Scene 11 – Joanne’s mother, powerless to intervene, watches Death and Joanne draw closer. Meanwhile, Annisha’s fiancé finishes moving out and faces the aftermath of their breakup (Instrumental Interlude – Debussy arr. B. Tibbetts).
Scene 12 – On a beach getaway, Annisha proposes to Girl (Extase – Amy Beach).
Scene 13 – Joanne visits her mother’s grave and prepares to die surrounded by nature (Erntelied – Alma Mahler).
Scene 14 – Death returns to embrace Joanne, just as Annisha and Girl celebrate their wedding (Du bist die Ruh – Schubert).