Harlem Stage is set to present excerpts from Tamar-kali and Carl Hancock Rux’s “The Swann” on May 3 and 4, 2024.

The opera tells the story of William Dorsey Swann, the first known person to identify as “queen of drag.” The opera stars Brian McQueen in the title role. He is joined by Daniel Moody, Tesia Kwarteng, Portia Johnson, Kenneth Alston Jr., and Brian Golub.

James Blaszko directs.

“‘The Swann’ was inspired in the heart of the pandemic to embark on the creation of this work,” Tamar-kali told OperaWire. “During this period, I was composing my first opera commission and had been doing a lot of musing around early 19th century Black Intellectual thought and the early Civil Rights movement. I drew the connection to William Dorsey Swann as part of a continuum. It was a natural progression and an irresistible opportunity to represent the spectrum of humanity present in Black life in America during this period. Shining a light on our forbearers is essential to honoring their resilience and continuing the traditions of innovation and subversion they so fearlessly exemplified.

The work was commissioned by Harlem Stage through its WaterWorks Established Artists Program.