Atlanta Opera - Dead Man Walking

One of the finest contemporary operas

An extraordinary experience, as told by Sister Helen Prejean, forms the basis for this powerful opera from Jake Heggie. As a spiritual advisor to two men on Death Row, Sister Prejean witnessed the raw emotion of the prisoners as they reached the end of their lives, leading to a compelling meditation on the nature of morality, capital punishment, and forgiveness.

First published as a memoir, then an Oscar-winning film, Dead Man Walking the opera has since become a contemporary classic, and one of the most performed 21st Century pieces since it premiered in 2000. Whilst not an easy story to tell, Heggie and Librettist Terrance McNally's collaboration is moving, heartbreaking and an example of how opera continues to be one of the most potent and arresting art forms.

Georgia native Jamie Barton will step into the habit as Sister Prejean, opposite Michael Mayes as Joseph de Rocher - the convicted murderer with whom she forms an unlikely bond.