Performance Dates

Friday, Feb 2, 2024 @ 8:00 PM – Sydney Laurence Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Saturday, Feb 3, 2024 @ 8:00 PM  – Sydney Laurence in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Sunday, Feb 4, 2024 @ 4:00 PM – Sydney Laurence in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts

For Tickets CLICK HERE or call 907-263-ARTS (907-263-2787)

Scalia/Ginsburg Photo Gallery

Scalia/Ginsburg captured in all its SUPREME glory by Denny Wells Photography 

About Scalia/Ginsburg

Rachel Policar as Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Penn Square Music Festival (Nick Gould Photography)

“A SUPREMELY comical look at a friendship of constitutional proportions!”

Hailed as “a dream come true” (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), a “perfect … jewel” (Opera Today) and a “buoyant show with a deeply serious core” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), Derrick Wang’s comedic “opinion” causes no “dissents”! Put this Alaska premiere production on your entire family’s “docket”. Inspired by the late justices’ own words and by the “operatic precedent” of Händel, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Offenbach, Bizet, Sullivan, Puccini, Strauss, et al. A delightful look at the notorious RBG, and her fierce judicial opponent Antonin Scalia, through the lens of their great friendship, setting forth the case…”We are different. We are one.”

Performed in English with English supertitles

Scalia/Ginsburg is presented by special arrangement with Consequent Music

 

 

WATCH Trailer

Voth Hall Exhibition

At a time when America has become deeply polarized politically, and antisemitism and discrimination based on race or ethnicity are on the rise, Derrick Wang’s hilarious, and touching, one-act opera demonstrates the power of the arts to transcend intellectual, religious, and ideological differences. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia were two of the greatest legal minds of their generation, two opposite ends of the political spectrum, two icons of a polarized nation, and yet friends who could agree on two things: civil discourse and a love of opera.

To foster dialogue in our community, we utilized Voth Hall (adjacent to the Sydney Laurence Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts where Scalia/Ginsburg was performed) as a space for opera attendees to view exhibits and informational tables from partner organizations, informing the public of their missions. Pre-Opera Talks and Talkbacks after each show connected the audience with the subject matter of Scalia/Ginsburg.

The Exhibition was open one hour before and after each performance. Partners, included:

Free Pre-Opera Talks

Plan to join us one hour before each performance to learn the interesting background, tidbits of information and fascinating insights into Derrick Wang’s comic, timely masterpiece. We are proud to present our colleague in the arts, Michael Jungreis, as your Pre-Opera Talk Host. Michael is well-known to Anchorage audiences as the host of KLEF’s “Saturday Night at the Opera”.
Fri, Feb 2 at 7:00 pm – Voth Hall
Sat, Feb 3 at 7:00 pm – Voth Hall
Sun, Feb 4, 2024 at 3:00 pm – Voth Hall
 
 
 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg explains Scalia/Ginsburg

Video: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explains Derrick Wang’s opera Scalia/Ginsburg. (Source: Bloomberg / The David Rubenstein Show.)

Scalia/Ginsburg Reviews

“A perfect…jewel” (Opera Today)

“Swingingly irresistible, but also rhetorically compelling” (Opera News)

“A fantastic gem…a blast to watch…the very definition of inclusive…this is the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire)

“Brilliant…gorgeous” (DC Theatre Scene)

“Funny, exceedingly clever” (Above the Law)

“Tuneful…accessible…smart…a triumph” (The American Interest)

“A buoyant show with a deeply serious core” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“Laser-accuratetop-notch” (Classical Voice North America)

“Engaging…plays cleverly [with] musical wit” (Wall Street Journal)

“Sassy” (Naples Daily News)

“Riveting…inventive” (Town Topics)

“Lusciously funny, divinely witty…[Scalia/Ginsburg] glitters dazzlingly” (U.S. 1)

“A fiercely entertaining crash course on the U.S. Constitution and the people who uphold it.…Who knew that an opera audience could holler and cheer like it was the Super Bowl?” (Broad Street Review)

“Opera simply is not supposed to be this much fun. There are few comic operas that maintain intense humor throughout — Gianni Schicchi may be an exception. Scalia/Ginsburg not only shares that rare comedic perch, but it is informative almost like no other opera.” (Berkshire Fine Arts)

“This is ecumenical non-partisanship with intelligence, wit, verve, style, and an utter sweetness of purpose.” (Houston Press)

“Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without having first seen Scalia/Ginsburg?” (Los Angeles Times)

Synopsis

“What happens when Supreme Court Justices go before a Higher Power? In this operatic comedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia face a series of trials as they grapple with their opposing views, legal legacies, and unlikely friendship. Opinions will be offered. Dissents will be delivered. And justice will be sung.”

Derrick Wang

About the Composer

Derrick Wang is a creator, thinker, and advisor unlocking value in unlikely places.

As a creator, he is known in worldwide media as the composer and librettist of the opera Scalia/Ginsburg, which U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called “a dream come true,” and which ushered in the current era of Supreme Court-themed art. The Los Angeles Times wrote: “Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without first having seen Scalia/Ginsburg?” Hailed as “a perfect…jewel” (Opera Today), “a fiercely entertaining crash course on the U.S. Constitution and the people who uphold it” (Broad Street Review), and “the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire), Scalia/Ginsburg was premiered to international attention at noted conductor Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival and (in its revised version) at The Glimmerglass Festival, featured as its own chapter (the audio version of which Derrick Wang narrates) in Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s book My Own Words, broadcast on national radio in the United States, featured on Live with Carnegie Hall, and performed across the United States and abroad, including its sold-out Australian premiere in 2021.

As an interdisciplinary thinker in fields including music and law, and as the creator of the motto “We are different, we are one,” Derrick Wang demonstrates the power of the arts to transcend intellectual and ideological divides. U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia both wrote forewords to Derrick Wang’s work. His scholarly research, noted for “successfully integrat[ing] huge amounts of constitutional theory [and] legal scholarship” (Above the Law), has been published in academia (e.g. the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts), covered in legal periodicals (such as the ABA Journal and Landslide), and featured on network television (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?). His creative work has been covered in U.S. news outlets ranging from The Wall Street Journal to MSNBC, and in international media from The Economist to the Süddeutsche Zeitung and beyond.

As a speaker, he has addressed the nation’s leaders, including scholars, judges, and lawmakers across the American political spectrum, in places ranging from the Chautauqua Institution to the Supreme Court of the United States. Select events and hosts have included TEDxBroadway, the Judicial–Congressional Dialogue at the Library of Congress, Second Circuit Judicial Conference, National Constitution Center, U.S. Copyright Office, Stanford Arts Institute & Stanford Law School, Columbia Law School, and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

Read full bio>>>

Cast

Production Team


Rachel PolicarRuth Bader Ginsburg


Jesús Vicente MurilloThe Commentator


Dane SuarezAntonin Scalia


Brian DeMarisAO Principal Conductor


Alaina DeBellevue –
Rehearsal Accompanist / Orchestra Pianist


Cedar Cussins – Lighting Designer


Elle Janecek – Hair & Makeup Designer


Josh ShawStage Director/Set/Projection Designer


Kaeli Braden – Costume Coordinator


Helen Irene Muller – Stage Manager

Taylor Feightner – Assistant Stage Manager

Scalia/Ginsburg History

On June 27, 2013, the day after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, composer-librettist Derrick Wang appeared at the Supreme Court to present selections from his new opera, Scalia/Ginsburg.

For more information, watch Derrick Wang’s TEDxBroadway talk on his journey with Scalia/Ginsburg from the Supreme Court to the stage.

In July 2015, the world premiere production of Scalia/Ginsburg took place at the Castleton Festival, founded by renowned conductor Lorin Maazel in Castleton, Virginia.

(MSNBC reports that Justice Ginsburg attended and said, “I had a wonderful time. I loved every minute of it.”)

In August 2017, Scalia/Ginsburg received its sold-out second production in a revised version at The Glimmerglass Festival, one of the largest summer opera festivals in the United States. Acclaimed tenor William Burden, celebrated for originating lead roles in major American operas, sang the role of Scalia. The final performance was followed by a discussion with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

 

Libretto & Forewords

Justices Ginsburg and Scalia wrote forewords to Derrick Wang’s libretto [script], an early version of which was published in 2015 by the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts. Excerpts from the libretto are republished in Justice Ginsburg’s 2016 book My Own Words as the chapter “The Scalia/Ginsburg Opera,” the audiobook version of which is narrated and performed by Derrick Wang from New York’s Steinway Hall.

After the passing of Justice Scalia, the libretto was revised for the 2017 production of Scalia/Ginsburg at The Glimmerglass Festival. This revised libretto is to be published in a forthcoming new edition.

READ FOREWORDS by Justices Scalia and Ginsburg>>>

READ LIBRETTO>>>

Free Student Final Dress Rehearsal

Anchorage Opera would like to open the final dress rehearsal to K-12 students at no cost for our production of Scalia/Ginsburg by Derrick Wang on Jan 31, 2024 at 7:00 pm performed in English with projected Supertitles in English. The opera offers important insights on Ginsburg and Scalia’s ability to debate and attack ideas rather than individuals, to respect one another, and to put their disagreements aside in their pursuit of shared interests and civil discourse. Ideals to strive for, and ones which we hope to instill in our youth by offering this free, educational, and fun experience.

This production will be held at Sydney Laurence Theatre, Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and seating is limited. We will do our best to accommodate any K-12 student that would like to come, however some parties may receive fewer tickets than requested based on availability.

CLICK HERE to request your vouchers.

As this is a coveted event for many schools in the Anchorage area, please do not request more tickets than you will use. If you are promised a certain number of tickets and find you will not be able to use them all, please contact us as soon as possible so that people on the wait list can be notified and make arrangements to attend.

We hope to see a full house of  K-12 Students there! BRAVO