In biblical study as well as modern feminism the name Lilith conjures very specific, yet different images. Biblical scholars report that Adam's first companion, Lilith, is mentioned by name only once in the bible, as one of the beasts of prey and spirits who will appear on the day of vengeance. From this reference the legend of Lilith grew during the Greco-Roman era and throughout the Middle Ages, when she was said to roam the night, killing babies, seducing men and giving birth to their children.

In modern time, feminists have taken the legend of "Lilith" and extracted a sense of male anxiety about women who cannot be kept under patriarchal control. They view her independence and knowledge as representative of women seeking liberation from narrow gender roles. Examples include Lilith Fair, an annual summer women's music festival; Lilith Magazine, the first Jewish feminist periodical, established in 1976, and Lilith, the feminist bookstore in Berlin.

All of these images come together in Deborah Drattell's opera, "Lilith," playing at the Lincoln Center, November 11, 15 and 17. The performances are directed by Anne Bogart, associate professor of theatre arts, directing, at Columbia's Graduate School of the Arts.

This production of "Lilith" is an imagining of what would have occurred if Eve and Lilith had met. It opens with Eve and her family surrounding the grave of Adam. As strange apparitions appear around the grave, Eve reluctantly explains to her children that they are the product of Adam and Lilith's union.

The performance is dotted with images of the biblical Adam and Eve story—the Garden of Eden, the serpent and the apple. In this version, a seer reveals to Eve that in order to find faith and peace she must find Lilith and fall into her soul. Drattell poignantly depicts Eve's search for Lilith and her desperate attempt to bring their two souls together.

"The production features opera singers plus a chorus of sixteen as well as ten actors from the SITI Company, and it is a pleasure to work with such a dynamic mix," says Bogart.

In describing the balance between teaching and her own professional artistic career, Bogart says "teaching feeds the artistic work and vice versa. The students probably inspire me more than I inspire them."

In addition to her work at Columbia, Bogart founded The SITI Company with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki. Through SITI she has directed "bobrauschenbergamerica," "Room," "War of the Worlds," "Cabin Pressure," "Alice's Adventures," "Culture of Desire," "Going, Going, Gone," "Small Lives/Big Dreams," "The Medium," Noel Coward's "Private Lives," August Strindberg's "Miss Julie," and Charles Mee's "Orestes." She is the recipient of two Obie Awards, a Bessie Award, and a Guggenheim fellowship.

"Lilith," is not the only work Bogart is involved with this season. She is also directing: "The Radio Play," which is currently on a 12 city tour around the U.S.; "Hayfever," by Noel Coward, opening in at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, January 2; "Room," which was performed for two weeks in Seattle and will tour in L.A., Maryland, Chicago and San Francisco later this season; "Score" will open at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio in early March and travel to the Humana Festival; and "Bob" will be performed at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco in April.

"Room" will be performed in New York in April/May of 2002 at the Classic Stage Company and "Bobrauschenbergamerica" will run in the fall 2002 at the New York Theatre Workshop.

Additional information on "Lilith" is available through the New York City Opera.