A Thousand Acres

About

The production is a world premiere opera commissioned for the Des Moines Metro Opera's 50th Anniversary Summer Festival. It is a family drama reimagining Shakespeare’s King Lear, transposed to an Iowa farm in the late 1970s. The staging explores themes of family conflict, patriarchy, legacy, and the strength and fragility of the ties that bind. Presented in the intimate 467-seat Pote Theatre, the production utilizes a rotating repertory format alongside other festival mainstage works. The artistic vision focuses on the dramatic reckoning of a family's history as their land is divided. The production features scenic and projection designs by Luke Cantarella and is accompanied by the Des Moines Metro Opera Festival Orchestra.