The Final Veil is a movement opera co-created by composer JL Marlor and dancer/director Cassandra Rosebeetle. Through music and dance, we tell the true story of Franceska Mann, a Polish-Jewish dancer who demonstrated resistance and strength amid the horrors of the Holocaust. When Mann was brought to Auschwitz, she and the other arrivals were sent to the gas chambers and told to remove their clothing. According to eyewitnesses, Franceska performed a distracting striptease, after which she managed to grab a gun, shoot, and fatally wound one SS Guard and injure a second, before her own subsequent death. Her actions in Auschwitz tell the story of a woman desperate to spare her life and others, using the tools she gathered as a ballerina in occupied Poland.

The Final Veil is produced by Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre and Cassandra Rosebeetle

Composed by JL Marlor

Directed by Cassandra Rosebeetle

Conducted by Micah Gleason

Additional Text and Dramaturgy by Kate Mulley

Choreographed by Katherine Crockett and Cassandra Rosebeetle

Assistant directed by Carly Dorman and Brian Reager

Dancers: Cassandra Rosebeetle, Hallie Chametzky, Lauren Pagano, Lauren Barette

Singers: Heather Michele, Katie Lipow, Abagael Cheng, Katherine Lerner Lee

Quartet: Connie Li, YoonJung Hwang, Camille Dietrich, Sean Flynn

Swing performers: Perri di Christina, Raychel Mareesa

Scenic Design by Dan Daly

Light Design by Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa

Sound Design by Matthew Yohn

Stage Manager Sarah Jones

Performances are July 14-31

Thursday thru Saturday 8pm and Sunday at 5pm

*COVID-19 Policy: Vaccination information, including booster shot info, will be screened at the door to ensure this performance meets safety regulations that match that of New York City's cultural establishments. All guests must wear masks unless actively eating or drinking.