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Scalia/Ginsburg


Scalia SOLD OUT FOR ALL SHOWS!

Friday, July 18, 2025
7:30pm
Performance

Saturday, July 19, 2025
7:30pm
Performance

Sunday, July 20, 2025
2:30pm
Performance

Marquette Law School’s Lubar Center
1215 W Michigan St, Milwaukee, WI 53233

Performing in English with English supertitles

Run Time 60 minutes, no intermission

Rated PG

Tickets are General Admission

Show Events

Opening Night Dinner
July 18, 2025 at 5:30pm
The Wisconsin Club
900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233

(Shuttle available from the dinner to the performance)

Pre-Opera Talk

July 18 and 19, 2025 at 6:30pm and July 20, 2025 at 1:30pm


In this digital edition of Versed, stage director Doug Clemons gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Scalia/Ginsburg. He walks through the plot, shares insight into the real-life friendship between Justices Scalia and Ginsburg, and teases what kind of theatrical mayhem (and unexpected heart) you can expect. It’s your chance to get “versed” on the show—from the director’s chair.

This one’s for the opera nerds. In this Versed episode, conductor Robert Mollicone shares how he brings Derrick Wang’s score off the ink and into people’s ears. He talks about treating new works with the same reverence as the classics—shaping phrasing, pacing, and color with care. It’s a thoughtful look at how a modern opera gets the full maestro treatment.

In this Versed episode, the full cast of Scalia/Ginsburg—both RBGs, Justice Scalia, and the all-seeing Commentator—sit down to talk about the real-life friendship behind the opera, what it’s like to sing these larger-than-life roles, and what you can expect to hear when the gavel drops. Bonus trivia: both Justices actually saw this opera themselves. (No pressure.)

In this episode of Versed, principal coach and pianist Dr. Eric McEnaney takes us on a musical tour of Scalia/Ginsburg—from Handel to Puccini and so many more. Sitting at the piano, he breaks down the many musical influences woven into Derrick Wang’s score and plays examples of what you’ll hear in the show. If you’ve ever wondered what it sounds like when a Supreme Court opinion meets a Puccini aria, this is your moment.



Scalia/Ginsburg is a comic opera written by lawyer Derrick Wang that explores the lively, unexpected friendship between Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. When Scalia’s fiery dissents land him in a cosmic “prison,” his unlikely ally Ginsburg arrives to help him out (and, of course, debate along the way). Through musical sparring, legal philosophy, and wit, Scalia/Ginsburg celebrates two brilliant minds finding common ground—one opera aria at a time.


 

Artists & Casts

COMPOSED BY Derrick Wang
STAGE DIRECTED BY Doug Clemons
CONDUCTED BY Bob Mollicone
ENSEMBLE CURATED BY
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

 

Performers

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Kate Johnson +
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Grace Ryan +
Justice Antonin Scalia
Zach Taylor +
Commentator William Dopp
Dr. Eric McEnaney
Musical Preparation, Piano & Keyboard


Earlier Event: July 5
Florentine Opera at Summerfest
Later Event: August 6
Al Fresco: Justin Austin