An Embarrassing Position
An Embarrassing Position is a short play written in 1895[1] by American author Kate Chopin,[2] which was adapted as a comic opera in 2010 by American composer Dan Shore.
The play[edit]
Chopin wrote An Embarrassing Position while living in St. Louis, Missouri.[2] She submitted it to the New York Herald drama competition, but did not win.[3] It appeared in the St. Louis Mirror on December 19, 1895.[4] Later, interest in her work grew, and in 1970 the play was published as part of Kate Chopin: Complete Novels and Stories by the Library of America.[5]
The play has been studied as an example of early American literature; for example, it is included in Yvonne Collioud Sisko's book Looking at Literature: 12 Short Stories, a Play, and a Novel.
The opera[edit]
After Dan Shore rewrote Chopin's play as a comic opera, An Embarrassing Position was first produced by the New England Conservatory in 2010,[6] and went on to win a Big Easy Entertainment Award[7][8] and the National Opera Association's Chamber Opera Competition.[9] The opera has been praised for its lyricism[10] and its evocation of turn-of-the-century New Orleans.[11]
The opera was favorably reviewed in The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate in New Orleans.[12] and Gambit magazine.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ "Kate Chopin" Archived September 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Writers' History.
- ^ a b Emily Toth; Per Seyersted (22 October 1998). Kate Chopin's Private Papers. Indiana University Press. pp. 20–. ISBN 0-253-11593-0.
- ^ Kate Chopin (1970). The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. LSU Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-4960-7.
- ^ Bonnie James Shaker (1 April 2005). Coloring Locals: Racial Formation in Katie Chopin's "Youth's Companion" Stories. University of Iowa Press. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-1-58729-428-0.
- ^ Zell, Martin Allen. "Stray Leaves: Portrait of the Artist with Two Heads" Archived 2014-09-12 at the Wayback Machine. NOLA Book and Literary News
- ^ The Morning Call (March 5, 2011). "Allentown Native Wins Big Easy Award". Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ "Classical Arts Awards". Gambit: the Best of New Orleans.
- ^ Coviello, Will (February 15, 2011). "Classical Arts Awards". Gambit Weekly. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ "Chamber Opera Competition". National Opera Association. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ Vella, Christina (November 12, 2010). "Xavier Opera Workshop and Shore". The St. Bernard Voice.
- ^ Mahne, Theodore (July 26, 2013). "Gershwin's 'Blue Monday' and contemporary 'An Embarrassing Position' charm at Marigny Opera House". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ "Theater year in review: N.O. audiences had much to applaud in banner season". New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- ^ Coviello, Will. "Review: Blue Monday and An Embarrassing Position ". Gambit: The Best of New Orleans.
External links[edit]
- Kate Chopin (1970). The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. LSU Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-4960-7.