Written in 1643 and credited to the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi, this opera follows the Roman Emperor Nero’s descent into tyranny as he coronates his mistress. For centuries, stagings of Poppea have presented Nero as a power hungry villain — a contrast to the libretto, which offers a nuanced perspective. Leaning into this nuance, our production of Poppea complicates this narrative in a refreshing take on this historic tale. Our story has been removed from ancient Rome and reset in New York in the 1970’s. A time of political and social unrest and progress, the growing tension between the old and new guards evokes a time not unlike our own.

CAST & CREW
Direction by Karina Camile Parker & Christina Swanson
Produced by Killer Queen Opera Co.
Director of Photography Melina Valdez
Film & Audio Editor Efthimi Matsamakis
Associate Producer Carson Myntti
Digital Orchestra Creator Constantine Novotny
Post Production Supervisor Sophia Castuera
Gaffer Rob Bevis
PR Manager Catie Dewitt
Acid Visuals Claudio Monteverdi
Composer Claudio Monteverdi*
Librettist Giovanni Francesco Busenello
Credit Music Immortality! by The Sundots

SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Brooklyn Arts Council
Common Good Coffee
Fractured Atlas
Daily Press Coffee
The Brick theater
Brooklyn Public Parks

DONORS
Carolyn Alam
Avi Atkin
Laurie Beylik
Kayla Brignac
Kate Busatto
Kristen Cala
Kiran Pandit
Inney Prakash
Jennie Chasseur
Emma & Mike Baldisserotto
Paula DiAntonio
Max Roland Davidson
The Finn Family
Lily Marty
Ian Richard Marrissey
Vittorio Mura
Jackie & Bill Parker
Candice Shaughnessy
Alexis Stegar
Joanne Swanson
Andrea Walker


Note: This opera is accredited to the Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi. However, many historians believe that since Monteverdi wrote this opera at the end of his life, many other hands may have played a part in the opera’s composition.

Poppea is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).