‘Penny,’ Opera Centered on Autism, Makes Its Premiere This Weekend

The Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative continues to bear fruit and create a climate for new operas.

The 2014-2015 WNO season continues with another offering with the world premiere of the one-hour opera, “Penny,” by composer Douglas Pew and librettist Dara Weinberg Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 to 24 in the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center.

Developed from an original story by Weinberg, “Penny” tells the story of a woman with autism who discovers that she has a gift for music. Conflict ensues within her family, as the woman tries to become more and more independent.

“Penny” coincides with the presence of the world-premiere production of “Mockingbird,” a play that also deals with autism, in the Kennedy Center Family Theatre through February 1. The play, commissioned by the Kennedy Center and the Very Special Arts program, is about an 11-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, who loses her closest friend, her brother, and learns to adjust to new help and a new world, with the discovery of her talent as an artist.

“Mockingbird” is based on the National Book Award-winning novel by Kathryn Erskine and is directed by Tracy Callahn.

Pew and Weinberg, the composer and librettist of “Penny,” are alumni of the WNO’s American Opera Initiative. Their first collaboration, “A Game of Hearts,” was part of the first season of the initiative.

Michael Heaton, director of the American Opera Initiative, said, “I am proud that our program is achieving its mission—to continue to foster new American talent and to provide a forum for contemporary American stories and music.”

The cast of “Penny” features a number of current members of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, including mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel, soprano Kerriann Otano, bass Wei Wu and tenor Patrick O’Halloran.