10 Days in a Madhouse
Rene Orth & Hannah Moscovitch
Is she insane—or just pretending?
In this gripping psychological opera based on true events from 1887, trailblazing reporter Nellie Bly fakes madness to expose the truth from inside New York’s notorious Blackwell’s Asylum. What she discovers is a world where women are silenced, sanity is questioned, and power decides who is believed.
Don't miss this Canadian premiere from composer Rene Orth and librettist Hannah Moscovitch!
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Opera needs works like 10 Days.
Synopsis in a Minute
Trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly fakes madness to be admitted to Blackwell’s Asylum in 1887. Her goal: to uncover the truth about life inside. What she finds instead is a world built to break women—where grief, poverty, and trauma are mistaken for insanity, and where doctors decide who is sane enough to be heard.
Once inside, Nellie quickly drops her “mad act.” But no one notices. Surrounded by women who have been silenced and dismissed, she witnesses the violence of indifference—and begins to question how thin the line between sanity and madness really is.
Performance Information
- Performance time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, with no intermission
- Performance takes place at the Bluma Appel Theatre at 27 Front St. E
- Sung in English with English SURTITLES™
Cast
Mireille Asselin
Taylor-Alexis DuPont
Jorell Williams
Lauren Pearl
Creative
Rene Orth
Hannah Moscovitch
Joanna Settle
Sandra Horst
Andrew Lieberman
A Tapestry Opera production co-presented with Luminato Festival and the Canadian Opera Company
In association with TO Live
Generously supported by the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council
