"There Are NO Black Shakers" is a contemporary folk opera re-interpreting traditional Shaker hymns to tell the very true story of Prime Lane, a free Black man who joined the Shaker Society in Albany in 1802. He left the faith after nine years - but his daughters stayed and that prompted him to sue the Shakers, claiming that they were preventing him from access to not his daughters, but his property.
“There Are NO Black Shakers” is a debut opera written and directed by Jean-Marc Superville Sovak with Musical Direction by Gwen Laster. It will be performed at The Yard in Beacon, NY on Thursday, July 24 at 7 p. m.
Jean-Marc Superville Sovak is a multidisciplinary artist, curator and educator whose work explores stories absent from dominant historical narratives.
Gwen Laster is an award winning creative violin player and conceptual composer. Her devotion to exploring creative writings, readings, spirituality and current events inspire adventurous compositions rooted in the African Diaspora and other Global cultures.
"There Are NO Black Shakers" was awarded an Arts and Culture Projects Grant from Arts Mid-Hudson for a performance in Dutchess/Orange Counties.
