desert in

Now streaming on operabox.tv and YouTube

Desert in is commissioned and produced by Boston Lyric Opera, as well as produced in association with Long Beach Opera.

The commission of Ellen Reid for desert in was funded, in part, by OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and the Fromm Music Foundation, with additional commissioning support from the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts.

Executive Production Sponsorship
Episode 1: Willa & Taylor Bodman

 
Lost souls are found, love is rekindled, and secrets are exposed at a mysterious motor lodge in the American West. Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid, playwright christopher oscar peña, and director James Darrah, desert in is a groundbreaking, new eight-part miniseries that reveals a supernatural story of love, loss, and the price of memories.

This series contains strong language, some nudity and strong sexual content.

 

 


FINALIST for Noteworthy Project

at the 2022 Opera America Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera

Episode 1

“This House is Now”

Cass and Sunny, innkeepers at a remote motor lodge called Desert Inn, are on the verge of a milestone anniversary. New guests Ion and Rufus are celebrating their honeymoon, but their love story is lined with tragedy. Ion must play by the innkeepers’ rules – and pay up — to continue seeing his husband.

Composer: Ellen Reid

Writer: Kirsten Greenidge

Episode 2

“Love is Like the Sea”

Dusk brings mandatory happy hour for all Desert Inn guests. The music and dancing celebrates all shapes of love — and the party goes way beyond curfew. It’s all great fun… until Rufus accuses Ion of forgetting their past. Tensions boil over before Federico comes to save the party.

Composer: Nathalie Joachim

Writer: Joy Kecken

Episode 3

“Someday you’ll know…they’re calling to you too”

Ion struggles to understand what’s really going on at the Inn. The motel guests attend a ritual of sacrifice, and the high cost of keeping memories alive is uncovered.

Composers: Ellen Reid, Vijay Iyer (Intercut)

Writer: A. Rey Pamatmat

Episode 4

“A Single Man”

After a guest’s mysterious disappearance, Ion and Federico are tasked with clearing out their room–and their memories. Ion discovers new feelings for Federico and learns how old memories are kept alive at the Inn. An after-hours swim forces Ion to remember a past trauma.

Composer: Emma O’Halloran

Writer: Ryan J. Haddad

Episode 5

“i miss you more than I remember you”

Federico, flush with new feelings, lies when Cass asks if Ion is a threat. The betrayal generates a powerful charge that shorts out the Desert Inn sign. Meanwhile, Sunny shows signs of forgetting people from her past.

Composer: Wang Lu

Writer: christopher oscar peña

Episode 6

“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter”

Sunny’s memories continue to fade, and Federico tries to remind her of their shared past. She refuses to believe until she dives into the roiling pool and emerges with disturbing new insights on her beloved Cass.

Composer: Shelley Washington

Writer: Quentin Nguyen-duy

Episode 7

“The Sun Also Rises”

Sunny confronts Cass for lying about the past and changing their future. Tension and anger build throughout the Desert Inn. Federico tells Ion the truth about why he’s there, and encourages him to leave for his own safety. Cass finds Sunny’s wedding ring in an unexpected place, and things begin to fall apart.

Composers: Nico Muhly

Writer: Jesse J. Sanchez

Episode 8

“Tell me how all this, and love too, will ruin us”

With Cass’s secrets revealed, and the Inn seemingly in collapse, Federico releases Ion and locks himself in a room. With a plan to free everyone, Ion tells Cass she can stop the destruction she caused and start over. Instead, Cass remains with her memories, determined to rebuild and carry on until Sunny returns.

Composer: Michael Abels

Writer: Roxie Perkins

The Reviews are In!

Lush and expansive…a highly original marriage of opera and series television”
Wall Street Journal

Spookily and consistently atmospheric…[its] visuals catch the imagination…with an arty style of its own.”
Financial Times

“a sexy mysterious streaming series assembled by a starry cast and crew”
NPR Morning Edition

“desert in hooks you immediately. Opera may never be the same!
Opera News

“Exactly what my life was missing: bingeable opera!
Which Sinfonia

“This stylish film-opera hybrid…is a sun-drenched melodrama”
New York Observer

For press images, please visit
desert in Media Kit

Ellen Reid

christopher oscar peña

James Darrah

Michael Abels

Composer

Vijay Iyer

Composer

Nathalie Joachim

Composer

Nico Muhly

Composer

Emma O’Halloran

Composer

Wang Lu

Composer

Shelley Washington

Composer

Kirsten Greenidge

Writer

Ryan J. Haddad

Writer

Joy Kecken

Deputy Lead Writer

Quentin Nguyen-duy

Writer

A. Rey Pamatmat

Writer

Roxie Perkins

Writer

Jesse J. Sanchez

Writer

David Angus

Music Director

Vimbayi Kaziboni

Music Supervisor

Zackary Drucker

Michael Elias Thomas

Director of Photography

Yuki Izumihara

Production Designer

Pablo Santiago

Lighting Designer/Gaffer

Molly Irelan

Costume Designer

Isabel Leonard

Cass

Talise Trevigne

Sunny

Justin Vivian Bond

The Lounge Singer

Edward Nelson

Ion

Jesus Garcia

Rufus

Alan Pingarrón

Federico

Davóne Tines

Old Man/Derek

Brianna J. Robinson

Vapor

Emma Sorenson

Vapor

Neal Ferreira

Vapor

Raviv Ullman

Ion

Actor

Alexander Jon Flores

Rufus

Actor

Anthony Michael Lopez

Federico

Actor

Ricco Ross

Old Man/Derek

Actor

Jon Orsini

Son

Actor

Carlis Shane Clark

The Stranger

Actor

Shauna Davis

Vapor

Actor

Jasmine Albuquerque

Vapor

Actor

Veronica Taylor

Vapor

Actor

Annie Rabbat

Violin/Concertmaster

Loewi Lin

Cello

Linda Toote

Flute/Alto Flute

Jan Halloran

Clarinet/Bass Clarinet

Richard Flanagan

Percussion

Craig McNutt

Percussion

Brett Hodgdon

Piano

Images:

  • Zackary Drukers: Danielle Levitt
  • TaliseTrevigne-2021: Photo by Kingmond Young
  • JustinVivianBond-2021: Photo by Bob Krasner
  • DavóneTines-2021: Photo by Bowie Verschuuren