1936 was the first year that all-female teams could compete in the grueling transcontinental Bendix Trophy Air Race. Aviation industry titans Olive Ann and Walter Beech tap crackerjack pilots Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes to win it in their revolutionary new plane.

Staggerwing takes off in Brooklyn and follows Louise and Blanche as they navigate extreme physical risk, sabotage, personal tragedies, and a male-dominated field. The pilots persevere beyond the Los Angeles finish line to shape the future of women in aviation.

Opera Kansas commissioned and premiered the original version of Staggerwing as winner of the company’s 2020 Zepick Modern Opera Competition. Composer Lisa DeSpain and librettist Rachel J. Peters developed this new, expanded version at Vanderbilt’s inaugural Opera Lab in 2023 for this year’s regional premiere.

Join us for the Vanderbilt Opera Theatre production of Staggerwing, Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, 8:00 p.m., in Ingram Hall. Link to live performance tickets below. If you cannot see us in person, you can join the livestream here!