Short clips from dress rehearsals of The Kaiser of Atlantis.

The full version is available now on Spotlight Media.

The circus is abandoned, and artists are shells of their former selves. The dictator Emperor Overall reigns and declares total war. Death refuses to take another soul.

Viktor Ullmann’s now critically acclaimed chamber opera The Kaiser of Atlantis was written in 1943 in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Before his death at Auschwitz, Ullmann gave the score to a colleague, and the opera remained unperformed until 1975.

A haunting allegory about redemption despite the worst of humanity, this new production of The Kaiser of Atlantis features The Atlanta Opera Company Players in a chilling satire built for our time.

The filmed version brings the audience on stage with the performers. Close-ups and intimate vantage points that only cinema can provide will make you feel like you were there in the Big Tent, while you relax at home or on-the-go.

This entirely new production introduces innovative staging elements built for keeping the cast, crew and audience safe during a successful runoff 8 performances in October and November of this year.

Michael Mayes (Emperor Overall), Alek Shrader (Harlequin), Kevin Burdette (Death), Daniela Mack (The Drummer), Calvin Griffin (Loudspeaker), Jasmine Habersham (Girl) and Brian Vu (Soldier) star.

Performed in German with English supertitles
part of the 2020-21 Molly Blank Big Tent Series

Composer: Viktor Ullmann
Librettist: Petr Kien
Premiere Date: December 16, 1975, De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam