The Copper Queen (Workshop)
Prelude
The lights fade up very slowly to reveal Room Number 315 of The Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, Arizona. The décor is garish and the energy not entirely inanimate.
Part I: 2010
Mr. Floyd, the present owner and concierge of The Copper Queen, shows a woman named Addison Moore into Number 315 for the night. Addison has come to the hotel after hearing about the spirit of Julia Lowell, who allegedly haunts the room. Addison and Mr. Floyd discuss both the authenticity of Julia’s portrait on the wall and the reports of paranormal happenings from other guests. Mr. Floyd relates how a century ago, Julia lived in the room and worked as a prostitute. Julia’s father was the original owner, and kept his daughter’s sordid business hidden from his other guests. When Mr. Floyd leaves Addison alone, she makes a peaceful attempt to communicate with the ghost, but receives no reply.
Parts II – III
* (In Parts II – III, the action alternates between 1910 where we meet Julia and some of her clients, and 2010 where Addison’s revelations of intimate details about Julia’s tragic life cause strange occurrences to manifest in the increasingly claustrophobic room.
Part IV: 1910
Before this aria begins, we are back in 1910 where one of Julia’s regular clients, named Peter, has just been caught trying to steal from her. When she confronts him, he severely beats her. Daddy Lowell enters, but rather than console her, he reminds Julia that she can never leave The Copper Queen until she has repaid her mother’s debt. Once Julia is alone, she takes her hand mirror and looks at her battered face.
The Copper Queen tells the gripping story of a haunting in the titular hotel, located in Bisbee, Arizona, once a prominent mining town for both copper and “Bisbee-blue” turquoise.
The Copper Queen was a sold out performance.
The Copper Queen was livestreamed on our Facebook page at facebook.com/azopera [1] begining at 3:00 p.m. pst.
In 1910, Julia Lowell, a "lady of the evening," uses Room 315 of The Copper Queen Hotel to service her clients. Following her untimely death, her spirit is unable to leave the room, and the legend of her ghostly exploits gains infamy. As the years past, ghost hunters and supernatural enthusiasts clamor to stay for a night in Room 315, desperate for a glimpse of the infamous Julia. However, while the men who stay at The Copper Queen experience little other than the faint scent of perfume or the echo of a lady's sigh, women who stay in the room run into trouble. In 2010, Addison Moore is one such woman. She comes to stay in Room 315 carrying much more than physical baggage.
Flickering lights, mysteriously broken objects, and an overwhelming atmosphere of menace aren’t the only things that await Addison during one of the most harrowing nights of her life – alone with the ghost of The Copper Queen.
Please note, this performance contains adult themes and suggestive dialogue, audience discretion is advised.
The Copper Queen is a workshop performance only. It was commissioned by Arizona Spark, a group founded in 2014 by enterprising patrons to encourage and support the development and proliferation of new operatic work that furthers the mission of Arizona Opera. Learn more about Arizona Spark. [2]