+ Information for Producers & Presenters

Scalia/Ginsburg is available for professional performance on a limited basis. To inquire about a license to produce Scalia/Ginsburg, visit the Contact page and complete the form “I want to produce ‘Scalia/Ginsburg’”.

The Perfect Show for Physical/Social Distancing

Scalia/Ginsburg is a one-hour English-language comic opera suitable for both mainstage and intimate venues, with a cast of three singers,* flexible scenic demands, and accompaniment by either chamber orchestra or 7-player† small ensemble.

* None of whom are required to be within six feet of any other.

† 1 percussionist, 1 pianist/keyboardist, and 5 string players, all of whom could wear masks while playing.

Written on a contemporary American topic, composed in a highly accessible musical language, and featuring numerous references to famous operas, Scalia/Ginsburg is intended to delight first-time and long-time opera- and theatergoers alike.

Suggested Pairings

Scalia/Ginsburg has been successfully produced as a stand-alone one-hour performance. If planning a longer program, however, consider the following:

For an interdisciplinary experience:

Precede or follow the performance with a panel discussion with guest speakers about law, justice, and the Supreme Court today. Previous productions have even included a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminar for lawyers.

For a full program of comedic English-language opera about the law:

Consider beginning the evening with Gilbert & Sullivan’s half-hour comedy Trial by Jury, which features not only compatible instrumentation but also opportunities for young artists (who can star in Trial by Jury, understudy/cover the principal roles in Scalia/Ginsburg, and/or optionally appear as supernumeraries in Scalia/Ginsburg).

“It’s close to divine inspiration to pair a Gilbert & Sullivan farce on the justice system with Scalia/Ginsburg, the sassy work on the Supreme Court’s unlikeliest friendship.”

—Naples Daily News

Specifications

Genre —Acts —Language —Duration —Cast —

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, soprano or high mezzo-soprano Soprano: (opt. G#3–) B3–C#6 (opt. D6, E6) Mezzo-soprano: G#3–B5

Justice Antonin Scalia, tenor (opt. Bb2–) C3–Bb4 (opt. C5)

The Commentator, bass-baritone (opt. D2–) Gb2–Eb4



Orchestra: