Beth Morrison Projects and HERE Kick Off PROTOTYPE: OPERA/THEATRE/NOW, Now thru Jan 19

Beth MorrisON PROJECTS and HERE have announced the full lineup for the second annual PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now, running today, January 8-19, 2014 at five venues across New York City: Baruch Performing Arts Center, HERE, Joe's Pub, Roulette, and Trinity Wall Street.

Described by New York Magazine as "Contemporary mini music drama impresarios," Kristin Marting (of HERE), Beth Morrison (of BMP), and Kim Whitener (of HERE), follow up PROTOTYPE's smash inaugural success with seven fresh local, national and international presentations, providing further exciting evidence of "the rise of small-scale, more experimental presentations of opera." (NPR's Deceptive Cadence)

The 2014 Festival features a BMP and HERE co-production world premiere of vibrant composer Kamala Sankaram and acclaimed playwright/librettist Susan Yankowitz's new opera-theatre work, Thumbprint, presented at the Baruch Performing Arts Center; the American premiere of Operomanija's Have A Good Day!, a Lithuanian opera by composer Lina Lapelyté and librettist Vaiva Granyt, presented at HERE; the New York premiere of Urban Arias' production of Gregory Spears and Kathryn Walat's chamber opera Paul's Case, presented at HERE; the New York premiere of Beth Morrison Projects' production of Visitations: Theotokia and The War Reporter by composer/researcher Jonathan Berger and librettist/playwright Dan O'Brien, presented at Roulette; multimedia concerts from Sky-Pony, a Brooklyn-based theatrical rock band collaboration between singer Lauren Worsham and musician/writer Kyle Jarrow presented at HERE; a work-in-progress concert of Angel's Bone, a one-act chamber opera with music by Shanghai-born, New York-based composer Du Yun and libretto by librettist Royce Vavrek, presented in partnership with Trinity Wall Street; and a co-presentation with Joe's Pub of Elizaveta, an LA-based singer-song writer melding opera, pop, jazz, and soul.

The full Festival calendar, credits, personnel, synopses, libretti, images, videos, biographies, and more can be found at http://prototypefestival.org.

THE LINEUP

Box office and ticket information including "PROTO pack" Festival passes and group sales can be found at:
http://prototypefestival.org/about/tickets.

THUMBPRINT
(WORLD PREMIERE)

January 10 & 12 and 14-18 I 7:00 pm I January 11 at 4:00 pm
Tickets $25 ($16.30 & $15 through PROTO pack)

An illiterate woman is gang-raped as retribution for an 'honor crime' her brother allegedly committed. She doesn't surrender. She becomes the first woman in Pakistan to bring her attackers to justice. Her name is Mukhtar. With a score influenced by traditional Hindustani and Western classical music, Thumbprint, the contemporary opera-theatre work by composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Susan Yankowitz, follows Mukhtar's human rights crusade along a road she must walk and pave at the same time. Through acts of courage that astonish even her, Mukhtar is transformed, and so is the world that watches.

Composed by and featuring Kamala Sankaram; Libretto by Susan Yankowitz; Music Direction by Steven Osgood; Directed by Rachel Dickstein. World premiere co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects and HERE. Co-presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center. Baruch Performing Arts Center I 90 Minutes.

A Post-Show Conversation about International Human Rights with esteemed panelists will follow the January 11 show.

H A V E A G O O D D A Y !
(A M E R I C A N P R E M I E R E)

January 15-18 at 8:30 pm I January 19 at 4:00 pm
Tickets $25 ($16.30 & $15 through PROTO pack)

"Here we find the paradox of theatre - as well the power of it. This performance has to be seen more then once!" - Vaidas Jauniškis, Men? Fakt?ra

This opera by Lithuanian composer Lina Lapelyt? and librettist Vaiva Grainyt? is set around the inner lives of cashiers in a shopping center and looks at everything that lies behind the mechanical 'Good afternoon. Thank you. Have a good day!', followed by a smile. The faceless, robot-like shop workers found in everyday life are transformed into striking opera characters; their secret thoughts and biographies are turned into short, personal dramas. Have A Good Day! is a production of OPEROMANIJA from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Composed by Lina Lapelyt?; Libretto by Vaiva Grainyt?; Directed by Rugil? Bardziukait?. HERE Mainstage Theatre I 60 Minutes.

P A U L ' S C A S E
(N. Y. P R E M I E R E)

January 8, 9, & 11 at 8:30 pm I January 12-13 at 4:00 pm
Tickets $25 ($16.30 & $15 through PROTO pack)

"...composer Gregory Spears combines minimalism, baroque gestures, and extended vocal techniques into a distinctive and pungent musical language...the overall pacing is taut, the nine-piece orchestration vivid and the denouement appropriately wrenching." - The Wall Street Journal

Subsisting in grimy turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh, a misfit high school boy finds an escape. Swept up by dreams of a more glamorous world, his flight and ultimate dissolution are chronicled in Paul's Case. With music that draws on new and old styles-post-minimal and baroque-composer Gregory Spears and playwright Kathryn Walat's poignant chamber opera traces Paul's voyage from his repressive surroundings to New York City's lavish Waldorf Astoria Hotel. A timeless story with a gripping climax, Paul's Case reveals one young man's destructive blend of defiance and fragility. Paul's Case premiered at UrbanArias in Washington DC, and was developed by American Opera Projects. An opera in two acts, performed without intermission.

Composed by Gregory Spears; Libretto by Kathryn Walat and Gregory Spears based on the short story "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather; Music Direction by RoBert Wood; Directed by Kevin Newbury; Featuring the American Modern Ensemble. HERE Mainstage Theatre I 90 Minutes.

A Post-Show Conversation about Indie Opera vs. Large-Scale Opera will follow the January 12 show.

V I S I T A T I O N S:
'T H E O T O K I A' A N D 'T H E W A R R E P O R T E R'
(NY P R E M I E R E)

January 11-13 at 8:00 pm
Tickets $25 ($16.30 & $15 through PROTO pack)

"Jonathan Berger's lithe, evocative music...created two richly characterized scores that helped pull a listener into the world of each piece." - San Francisco Chronicle

Gradual and insidious, auditory hallucinations warp minds with "loud thoughts," that often deceive, derange, and force sufferers into a world of crippling paranoia. Visitations, the New York premiere of the double-bill, semi-staged multi-media concert of one-act chamber operas by composer Jonathan Berger and librettist Dan O'Brien unravels the phenomenon. In Theotokia, penetrate the consciousness of a man who, assailed by hallucinatory voices, is taunted and seduced by the mother of God. Uncover the true story of Pulitzer Prize-winning combat journalist Paul Watson in The War Reporter, where he seeks to stifle the haunting voice of an American soldier whose corpse he photographed in the streets of Mogadishu. Visitations was commissioned by and premiered at Stanford Live in April 2013 in a Beth Morrison Projects production.

Composed by Jonathan Berger; Libretto by Dan O'Brien; Music Direction by Christopher Rountree; Directed by Rinde Eckert. Co-presented by Roulette. Roulette I 80 Minutes.

A Post-Show Conversation will follow the January 12 show.

S K Y - P O N Y
(M U L T I M E D I A C O N C E R T)

January 10 & 11 at 11:00 pm I January 12 & 13 at 9:00 pm
Tickets $20 ($12 through PROTO 7)

"Brooklyn-based indie rock band Sky-Pony isn't your average group. They incorporate costumes, choreography and mixed media elements in their high-energy shows." - New York Daily News

Fresh new opera diva Lauren Worsham and noted song-writer Kyle Jarrow bring their Sky-Pony troupe to prototype late nights. Sky-Pony serves up lush, lyrical, often cheeky indie-pop with a healthy dose of theatrics. Their high-energy live show incorporate costumes, choreography and projections, blurring the line between rock concert, theatrical event, performance art, and burlesque.

Sky-Pony is: Lauren Worsham, Voice; Kyle Jarrow, Music and Composition; Kevin Wunderlich, Guitar; Eric Day, Bass; David Blasher, Cello; Perry Silver, Drums. HERE Dorothy B. Williams Theatre I 60 Minutes.

A N G E L ' S B O N E
(C O N C E R T R E A D I N G - N O T O P E N F O R R E V I E W)

January 12 at 5 pm I January 15 at 9:00 pm
Tickets $15 ($9.78 & $9 through PROTO pack)

"...cutting-edge... to whom the term 'young composer' could hardly do justice." - The New York Times on Du Yun

Angel's Bone follows the plight of two fallen angels whose nostalgia for earthly delights finds them far from heaven. They are found battered and bruised by a man and his wife, known only as Mr. and Mrs. X.E., who have longed for a better life than their modest middle-class status and bring them into their home and set out to nurse them back to health: they bathe them, wash the dirt from their nails ... then lock them in the root cellar and decide that this is their chance to be wealthy and legendary. The story is told through Du Yun's eclectic music: part chamber music, theatre, pop music, opera, cabaret, and involving visual arts and noise, forming a harmonious and moving piece. The first chamber version of the piece was commissioned by the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.

Composed by Du Yun; Libretto by Royce Vavrek; Music Direction by Julian Wachner; Featuring NOVUS NY and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Co-presented by Trinity Wall Street. Trinity Church I 70 Minutes.

A Post-Show Conversation about Perspectives on Human Trafficking will follow the January 12 show.

E L I Z A V E T A

January 17 at 9:30 pm
Tickets $15 ($9 through PROTO 7)

Elizaveta exudes a heady mixture of opera, pop, jazz, and soul. Stir in some beats, flawless live looping, and a live band to support her, and it's easy to understand why she acquired the '5th Element' moniker: it's a transporting experience as Elizaveta effortlessly shifts between styles, eras, and sounds in a successful bid to marry the 19th and 21st centuries via musical means.

Co-presentation by Joe's Pub. Joe's Pub I Approximately 60 Minutes.

A D D I T I O N A L P R O G R A M M I N G: "T H E L O U N G E"

This year, PROTOTYPE is partnering with Under the Radar, COIL, and the American Realness festivals to curate an eclectic mix of post-show music, cabaret performance, and late night revelry and conversation for audiences, festival artists, and professional colleagues. The detailed program will be available on prototypefestival.org, and will take place on the third floor of The Public Theater.

Creative producer Beth Morrison Projects identifies and supports the work of emerging and established composers and their collaborators through the commission, development, and production of their work, taking the form of opera-theatre, music-theatre, and multi-media concert works. Relying on the core values of collaboration, exploration, experimentation, artistry, and excellence, BMP provides a nurturing structure that allows artists to push the boundaries of their art form. Founded in 2006, BMP rapidly developed a reputation for "envisioning new possibilities and finding ways to facilitate their realization" (New York Times). In 6 years, BMP has commissioned, developed, and produced more than thirty operas and music-theatre pieces that have premiered or been performed in New York, across the country, and around the globe. The Wall Street Journal said, "Ms. Morrison may be immortalized one day as a 21st-century Diaghilev, known for her ability to assemble memorable collaborations among artists." BMP is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council for the Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs of New York City, Meet the Composer, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the ART NY/ JP Morgan Chase Fund for Small Theaters, The Map Fund, a program of creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. www.bethmorrisonprojects.org

Since 1993, HERE has been one of New York's premier arts organizations and a leader in producing and presenting new, hybrid performance work. Over 20 years, HERE has come to occupy a unique and essential place in the landscape of downtown live arts, and to be known as a home both for risk-taking artists in all disciplines, and for their adventurous audiences. HERE has served thousands of emerging to mid-career artists developing bold new hybrid performances, which are cross-disciplinary works that challenge existing boundaries among media and forms of expression. In the face of cookie-cutter art making, HERE has created a commissioning, development and production model that addresses many of the challenges faced by artists working in these hybrid forms. HERE makes it possible for artists to work at varied levels or scales, depending on what they individually need for their project, and to do it within a community of fellow artists who provide peer support and inspiration through the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP). One major focus is on hybrid music- theatre/opera works, often involving multi-media and other genres such as dance and film. Recent examples are Corey Dargel's Removable Parts (2007 & 2009), Christina Campanella & Stephanie Fleischmann's Red Fly/Blue Bottle (2009), Nick Brooke's Border Towns (2010), Yoav Gal's Mosheh (2011), Kamala Sankaram's Miranda (2012), Joe Diebes' Botch, and upcoming, Stephan Weisman & David Cote's The Scarlet Ibis, Hai-Ting Chinn's Science Fair, Bora Yoon's Sunken Cathedral, and Rob Roth & Lady Rizo's Soundstage. HERE is located at 145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013. http://here.org

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents programming that reflects the various interests of the college for both the college community and general public. BPAC and the Weissman School of Arts & Sciences support programming on an individual basis such as: the Joel Segall Great Works Readings, the Aaron Silberman Concert Series, the Alexander String Quartet Residency, the Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Series, and the Weissman Talks Onstage Dialogue Series via the Baruch Jewish Studies Center. BPAC programming is presented by professional musicians, theater and dance companies. BPAC is located at 55 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10010. http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac

Joe's Pub at The Public is one of New York City's most celebrated venues for emerging and established performance artists. Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. Joe's Pub is located at 425 Lafayette St New York, NY 10003. http://www.joespub.com

Roulette was founded in1978 by three young composers-Jim Staley, David Weinstein and Dan Senn-as Roulette Intermedium and began by presenting concerts of music, dance and intermedia art in a Tribeca loft. For the next three decades, Roulette Intermedium presented experimental music, dance and intermedia in small loft spaces in lower Manhattan, and gradually acquired an international reputation as an important center for experimental art. Thousands of artists have presented their work at Roulette, including world-renowned figures such as Maryanne Amacher, John Cage, Anthony Braxton, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, and John Zorn. In November 2011, Roulette moved from a 74-seat loft to a 400-seat theater with superb acoustics, and has quickly become an epicenter for Brooklyn and for the arts organizations of New York City. Roulette is located at 509 Atlantic Ave New York, NY 11217. http://roulette.org

Trinity Wall Street has a strong tradition of music and arts programming. The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, a Grammy-nominated professional ensemble, helps lead Sunday worship and performs concerts of early and contemporary music throughout the fall and spring. Many concerts are webcast on the Internet and are often heard on WQXR, New York's classical music station. The Choir performs with the Trinity Baroque Orchestra and NOVUS NY, the contemporary music ensemble. Trinity has several weekly music offerings including: Bach at One, featuring Bach's cantatas; Pipes at One, presenting professional organists in recital; and Concerts at One, with diverse music from a variety of artists. In addition, Trinity's Family Choir sings regularly on Sunday mornings. Trinity Church is located at 74 Trinity Pl, New York, NY, 10006. http://www.trinitywallstreet.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.