Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Despite the times, impactful new opera and music theater continue to enrich PROTOTYPE

• By drediman
• January 14, 2021
• No Comments

Those of you who think opera is an antiquated art form with little relevancy should look no further than Prototype, the annual festival celebrating new opera and music theater, which has returned for its ninth season this January. As with Under the Radar (which I reviewed earlier this week) and other “experimental” performing arts festivals taking place this month, Prototype has had to go mostly digital this year, with a few notable exceptions. Nevertheless, I’m happy to report that this year’s edition of the festival (RECOMMENDED) – which once again has been assembled by Beth Morrison Projects and HERE Arts Center – continues to be enriched by a diverse array of exciting new works that exist in the seductive intersection between opera, theater, and even dance. Three of these presentations constitute adventurous world premieres, while the other three – no less impactful – were previously staged and captured on film (and are available on-demand). Collectively, they pack a visceral punch. Prototype 2021 continues through this Saturday, January 16.

MODULATION
Co-presented with Carolina Performing Arts, L.A. Opera, and Opera Omaha
On-demand

Perhaps the centerpiece of the festival is Modulation, an interactive online gallery of short but beautifully-produced pieces (each the product of a distinct creative team) that grapple with three themes that are especially pertinent today – fear, isolation, and identity. The sleekly designed interface allows audience members to peruse the works in a customized, non-linear fashion, which results in a more leisurely, less formal experience. Although each musical nugget only runs approximately five minutes a pop (Modulation takes at least an hour to explore and absorb in its entirety), they each represent a nuanced, fully-formed artistic point of view. Additionally, there’s surprisingly little musical and visual repetition among them, which makes the overall experience a consistently compelling one.

TIMES³ (TIMES x TIMES x TIMES)
IRL / On-demand

One of the more successful and ingenious trends during the pandemic has been the emergence of the “sonic walking tour”. Using New York’s breathtaking parks and cityscapes as their setting and subject, these audio experiences build upon the history and scale of the city to captivate the imagination. The latest in these endeavors is composer Pamela Z and theater-maker Geoff Sobelle’s Times³ (Times x Times x Times), which uses Times Square as its chosen setting. Mr. Sobelle is the mastermind behind another similar sonic experience – Hear Their There Here for St. Ann’s Warehouse. Just as that earlier work thoughtfully unpacks the history of Brooklyn Bridge Park in a dynamic, clear-eyed manner, Times³ beautifully does the same for the iconic Midtown destination, but with the added benefit of Pamela Z’s charged score and soundscapes as a bewitching backdrop for your exploration.

OCEAN BODY
IRL

The last of the trio of out-of-the-box world premieres is Ocean Body, Helga Davis and Shara Nova’s sensitive musical mediation on isolation and co-dependence. I applaud the festival’s organizers for championing experiences like Ocean Body and Times³ that encourage audiences to venture out of their homes to experience art (safely, of course). Indeed, it felt surreal to physically enter the doors of HERE Arts Center to take in a “performance” in the venue’s hollowed mainstage. Although there are no live performers involved in the 20-minute experience (Ms. Davis and Ms. Nova also appear in the work, a prerecorded film; both are exquisite), Ocean Body nonetheless feels uniquely theatrical. This might be because, aside from taking place in an actual performance space, the work’s creators have prioritized visual and aural immersion. The end result registers like an event, which is a rarity these days.

THE MURDER OF HALIT YOZGAT
Commissioned by Staatsoper Hannover
On-demand

THE PLANET: A LAMENT
Co-commissioned by Asia TOPA, Arts Centre Melbourne, Theater der Welt, and Holland Festival
On-demand

WIDE SLUMBER FOR LEPIDOPTERISTS
Produced by VaVaVoom Theatre and Bedroom Community
On-demand

The remaining three works presented by the festival – Ben Frost and Petter Ekmann’s The Murder of Halit Yozgat, Septina Rosalina Layan’s The Planet: A Lament, and Valgeir Sigurðsson’s Wide Slumber for Lepidopterists – represent some of the more exciting new operas mounted recently on international stages and have been made available by Prototype for in-demand viewing. All three exude attributes that have characterized some of Prototype’s most memorable past productions. Most notably, they each eschew conventional narrative in favor of a sort of ritualistic progression that atmospherically evokes themes and ideas. Musically, they’re uniquely arresting and effectively convey the essence of their respective subject matters — Mr. Frost and Mr. Ekmann’s work is relentless and tumultuous (as it reflects on the shooting of an immigrant), Mr. Sigurðsson’s composition is delicate and richly textured (as it ruminates on the dream state), while Ms. Layan’s pageant joyously evokes irrepressible vitality (as it chronicles the rejuvenation of nature). As a filmic composition, the most striking of the trio is The Murder of Halit Yozgat, which was poetically captured on film during the pandemic in an empty theater. As such, it serves the dual purpose of stylishly documenting both the opera, as well as the dire circumstances currently facing arts workers.