We all know Margaret Atwood can write novels. Now, one of Canada’s most beloved writers tackles a new genre. Pauline is Atwood’s first attempt at writing an opera. The opera, with music by world-renowned composer, Tobin Stokes, tells the tale of Canadian writer, poet and actress Pauline Johnson.
Born in 1861, Johnson was the child of a Mohawk Chief and an Englishwoman. She lived a hard life, torn between her two cultural identities, while striving to be an independent woman in a time when that was still an oxymoron.
She travelled across North America and England, performing and giving readings of her own work. But happiness eluded her.
The opera itself is set in Vancouver in 1913, as Johnson is dying from breast cancer. Forced to confront her past, her successes and failures, and her end, Johnson, along with her sister, tries to make sense of her life.
Atwood is known for tackling big themes in her writing: life, death, loss, recovery, redemption, and these should all be on fine display in Pauline. And Pauline Johnson’s tragic life seems tailor made for a chamber opera. With the skill of Atwood, the musical brilliance of Tobin Stokes, and the voice of mezzo soprano Rose-Ellen Nichols, Pauline is bound to be a powerful opera.
• World Premiere: May 23 at Vancouver’s York Theatre. Other performances: May 25, 27, 29, 31. Tickets went on sale Feb. 17, and are available in person, by phone, or online through the Cultch ($22, $40, $60). Go to
CityOperaVancouver.com for more details.
