In Summer 2026, National Sawdust will present a work-in-progress sing-through of Tamar-kali’s The Swann. This intimate chamber work is inspired by the life and times of William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved gender-bending resident of our nation’s capital. Swann was the first known person to dub themself a “queen of drag” and the first American on record to pursue legal and political action to defend the LGBTQIA community's right to gather.
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The Swann began as a digital aria commissioned by Catapult Opera and was subsequently featured in the PROTOTYPE Festival. Since then, the work has continued to evolve through a series of developmental opportunities, including presentations at Harlem Stage and a REACH Residency at the Kennedy Center. This spring, the project is also engaging in community-centered development through Town Hall conversations—first in Washington, DC with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in collaboration with Black in Space, and then in New York City with Mabou Mines.
Tamar-kali, composer
Carl Hancock Rux, librettist
Dan Schlosberg, music director
This is a seated event. If you require accessibility accommodations, please email boxoffice@nationalsawdust.org.