Impacts of alternative performance environment in the development of a new opera

Hover is a new chamber opera by UBC DMA candidate (music composition) Benton Roark and UBC MFA alumnus (creative writing) Lindsay Cuff that explores different types of seemingly impossible travails that human bodies go through and their ways of coping. The importance of water is made evident by the action that is set in, on top of, and around an indoor pool. Water is used both as a symbol – in transitions of time, space, and consciousness – and as a substance with dramatic meaning – in a swimming lesson, water torture, and an incredible circus act involving a water tank. Locating this “stage” so particularly thus aims to intensify audience experience through a unique acoustic environment and a strong emphasis on physicality. Tapestry is dedicated to the development of new works that aim to surprise, thrill, and move audiences through innovative productions, contemporary themes, and a general re-examining of the operatic genre. With Hover, Tapestry will further its goals both in terms of artistic expression, and through its contribution to the contemporary operatic repertory.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Dorothy Chang

Student:

Timothy Benton Roark

Partner:

Tapestry New Opera

Discipline:

Music

Sector:

Service industry

University:

University of British Columbia