An Embarrassing Position

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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.

Contents

The play

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

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]

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References

  1. ↑ "Kate Chopin" Archived September 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine . Writers' History.
  2. 1 2 Emily Toth; Per Seyersted (22 October 1998). Kate Chopin's Private Papers. Indiana University Press. pp. 20–. ISBN   0-253-11593-0.
  3. ↑ Kate Chopin (1970). The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. LSU Press. ISBN   978-0-8071-4960-7.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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
  6. ↑ The Morning Call (March 5, 2011). "Allentown Native Wins Big Easy Award". Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Classical Arts Awards". Gambit: the Best of New Orleans.
  8. ↑ Coviello, Will (February 15, 2011). "Classical Arts Awards". Gambit Weekly. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Chamber Opera Competition". National Opera Association. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  10. ↑ Vella, Christina (November 12, 2010). "Xavier Opera Workshop and Shore". The St. Bernard Voice.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ "Theater year in review: N.O. audiences had much to applaud in banner season". New Orleans Times-Picayune.
  13. ↑ Coviello, Will. "Review: Blue Monday and An Embarrassing Position ". Gambit: The Best of New Orleans.
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