Twelve Angry Maids

That’s all.”Margaret Atwood is confident in the work and excited about the progress, but opening nights are never easy experiences for her. “I was there the opening night of The Handmaid’s Tale opera in Denmark,” she says. “I had no idea what it was going to be like. There were a lot of iffy things. The guy who was singing the Commander had cancer and he actually died four months after that, but he was determined to go on. It was very fraught, very fraught. But it was, in fact, a triumphant opening night.” What does it mean to be out in the audience? Is there a certain amount of acting that she too must do? “Just keep smiling,” Atwood says. “Keep those old teeth gritted.”

During tech week, Kate Hennig’s blog features titles like “First day of tech. Yikes,” “Slow and Steady Wins The Race,” and “Long Day and Birthday,” but the final elements are knitting together. Lighting designer Bonnie Beecher’s artistry has been sweeping the stage. The maid’s voices are becoming clearer.

“I’m not striving for perfection,” says Bushell-Mingo. “We just need to uncover these maids. These maids you wouldn’t have even farted on before. Listen: you won’t forget them now.”