Pensacola Opera Puts Local Veterans on Stage in “The Falling and the Rising”

Arts & Culture

Built from real soldiers’ stories, “The Falling and the Rising” features a chorus of area veterans and service members, and the opera wants your service photos by Saturday.

The day after Veterans Day, Pensacola Opera is reaching out to local veterans and service members. Its next production is called The Falling and the Rising. The opera is based on interviews with real soldiers. Additionally, the chorus features local veterans and active service members.

The show runs Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

The Story

The opera traces the imagined journey of a soldier in a coma following a roadside IED attack. In a coma-induced dreamscape, she crosses paths with fellow service members, each on their own path toward healing and home.

• Their stories of sacrifice and resilience unfold as the group moves toward clarity, comfort, consciousness, and what the company calls “communal hope during a time of adversity.”

“A deeply moving exploration of what it means to heal and the strength we find in one another.”

Why it matters here: Few communities in the country are as tied to the military as ours. Between NAS Pensacola, Whiting Field, Corry Station and Eglin, plus the thousands of retirees who chose to stay, this is a story many families in Northwest Florida have lived.

• Learn more about the production on Pensacola Opera’s website.

Your Photo Could Be Part of the Show

The production uses projections to honor service members in our community. Pensacola Opera is inviting active-duty service members and veterans to submit a photograph from their time in service to be included.

The Details

• What: The Falling and the Rising
• When: Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.
• Where: UWF Center for Fine and Performing Arts
• Tickets: $30; students $15
• Run time: 75 minutes, presented in English

Buy tickets here.