EDGY OPERA ON FILM: “Black Lodge” by David T. Little is one of three productions to be locally screened in coming months.

The Princeton Garden Theatre is among five movie theaters to present screenings of productions by Opera Philadelphia in coming weeks. The operas are Soldier Songs, La voix humaine, and Black Lodge.

David T. Little’s Grammy-nominated Soldier Songs, which screens Saturday, November 12 at 1 p.m. at the Princeton Garden, “weaves opera, rock, and film into a stirring and innovative examination of trauma, exploitation, and the difficulty of expressing war’s painful truths,” according to a press release. It was filmed on location at the Brandywine Conservancy in Chester County, Pa., by the site of a significant Revolutionary War battle of 1777.

The feature film is accompanied by Opera Philadelphia’s 2021 short film TakTakShoo, composer Rene Orth’s fusion of opera and K-pop, marimba, electronics, and dance, that creates an eclectic sound and movement world. With a libretto by playwright Kanika Ambrose, the film stars mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi as an energizing life force inviting people to come into the world anew and is directed by Emmy Award-nominated director and choreographer Jeffrey L. Page.

La voix humaine by Francis Poulenc will be shown Saturday, December 3 at 1 p.m.

Described by the composer as “a musical confession,” the opera tells the story of one woman as she grapples with grief, denial, and anger in the face of unrequited love, all expressed through one side of a telephone call. The role of Elle, the lone character in the monodrama, is sung by soprano Patricia Racette. It was filmed at the Elkins Estate in Cheltenham Township, Pa.

The feature film is accompanied by Opera Philadelphia’s 2021 short film Save the Boys by composer Tyshawn Sorey. Inspired by an 1887 poem by abolitionist, writer, and Black women’s rights activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the music is performed by countertenor John Holiday and pianist Grant Loehnig.

Black Lodge by David T. Little, is screened on Saturday, January 21. Blending classical music with goth rock (and with a nod to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks), the opera is described as “a journey into magic, mystery, regret, and redemption.” Produced by Beth Morrison Projects, the bold film features a libretto by legendary poet Anne Waldman and story, screenplay, and direction by Michael Joseph McQuilken.

The film is accompanied by Opera Philadelphia’s 2021 short film We Need to Talk from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw and director Maureen Towey, starring soprano Ariadne Greif. For more information, visit operaphila.org.