"Once there was a Steppenwolf, and his is the tale of us all"

A Music Drama in Two Acts
*World Premiere*

Inspired by Steppenwolf, the timeless novel by the German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse, twenty-one year old Dutch composer/writer Jochem le Cointre has created an operatic adaptation with original script and score, in collaboration with artists of all ages and backgrounds from New York City. This ​senior thesis is a ​world premiere featuring a 15-piece chamber orchestra, jazz band, choreography and dancers from the Martha Graham Dance Company, and an ensemble cast of actors and singers.

Middle-aged author Harry Haller is lost, on the brink of suicide. An absurd encounter ignites a desperate journey of love, sex, and war, shared through music, dance, and humor. 

Challenging the status quo and revealing the individual's relationship to the self and the world, Hesse's themes resonate with minds that search for true meaning and freedom. This is not the story of an artist gone mad. It is "the tale of us all," a modern myth about the tragicomic forces of life.

You will witness this lonely Steppenwolf discover new paths to walk and doors to enter. You too will walk these paths. You too will enter. Come into our Magic Theater.

There is one condition: to gain access you must give up your personality. Are you ready?

May 11th, 7:00pm, Wednesday

May 12th, 7:00pm, Thursday

Writer and Composer Jochem le Cointre
Director Samantha Tella
Choreographer by Tadej Brdnik
Conductor Nell Flanders
Scenic Designer Giovanni Villari
Sound Designer Piotr Nowotnik
Audio Engineer Harrison Keithline
Lighting Designer Joyce Liao
Costume Designer Max Rongbiao Yang
Associate Costume Designer Stephanie Benjamin-Flores
Orchestra Manager Kaisha Murzamadiyeva
Production Stage Manager Kendall Allen
Production Assistant Prawit Siriwat
Producer Assistant Michael J. Williams
Producers Carly J. Bauer and Mark Brystowski

CAST
Alex Kidder, Alexis Di Gregorio, Alyssa McGuigan, Ayelet Porzecanski, Brandon Grimes, Charles Baran, Erin Miller, Janaki Gerard, Joe Robinson, Joseph Swaggerty, Lamin Leroy Gibba, Michael Williams, Molly Rose Heller, Rebecca Monk

DANCERS
Jacob Larsen, Cara McManus, Jessica Sgambelluri

This production has been made possible by the generous support of the New School of Jazz, Mannes College, Lang Student Union, and the University Student Senate and the Dutch Consulate.