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She took the world by storm so that everyone could sing.

Based on a true story

Play by Sandra Seaton / Original music by Carlos Simon / Text for original music by Sandra Seaton
In English with Projected English Titles
Composed 2021
New production from Glimmerglass Festival

She trained hundreds of African American youth to sing. She founded the longest-running, all-Black opera company. She organized opera guilds in the country’s biggest cities. Mary Cardwell Dawson’s dream to bring music to African American audiences came true—and it changed the future of opera.

The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson makes its highly anticipated mainstage premiere to celebrate the remarkable founder of the historic and groundbreaking National Negro Opera Company, established in 1941. Starring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in the title role, this play with music by Mark Twain Award-winning playwright Sandra Seaton includes selections from the repertory of the National Negro Opera Company and original music composed by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence and 2023 Grammy nominee Carlos Simon.

The story starts in Washington, D.C. in 1943, where the company is set to perform on a floating barge to evade racially-segregated venues. But when bad weather threatens—pushing the performance to a segregated performance hall—Mary Cardwell Dawson must find a way forward.

Explore artifacts and photographs with this free exhibit!

Building the Stage
Now thru Feb. 1 | Hall of States
Free and open to the public!

In partnership with the Denyce Graves Foundation, Building the Stage features photographs and artifacts from the Dawson estate and Heinz History Center that tell the story of Dawson’s life and the National Negro Opera Company.