By Sophia Brous.
With Lara Thoms. Faye Driscoll and Samara Hersch
2021 Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) New Work In-Residence
“There is choreography: the unplanned weaving of unrelated bodies through the space. There is conflict and fear, and the navigation of rules laid down by society, government and architecture. And there is a soundtrack: human, machine and natural; voices, vehicles and the wind…” – The Sydney Morning Herald
“….the sounds of the public space feed to us through headphones, a voice directing where we should look. In a work that asks us to sit and observe this public space, we watch but are also watched…these moments are so precious.” – ABC Art Works
The Invisible Opera is a contemporary opera for public space.
Slip on a set of headphones and step into a world conducted by a disembodied libretto, narrating an omniscient vision of the micro dramas, private enterprise and influence of surveillance in a town square.
Created by Australian multidisciplinary performer Sophia Brous—working in collaboration with celebrated theatre makers Lara Thoms and Samara Hersch and US choreographer Faye Driscoll—The Invisible Opera is a kaleidoscopic trip through the micro and macro dynamics of public space.
As the everyday actions of a town square unfolds, a voice and an all-seeing eye seemingly choreograph and narrate the environment in real time, instantly bringing into question, what is real and who is watching.
THE INVISIBLE OPERA
Lead Artist, Writer, Composer & Performer – Sophia Brous
Co-Directors – Lara Thoms, Samara Hersch
Dramaturg – Faye Driscoll
Sound Design and Composition – Tilman Robinson
Additional Composition – John Also Bennett
Producer – Arktype New York – Tommy Kriegsmann and Sami Pyne
Sound Assistant – Guillaume Malaret
Company Manager – Cassandra Fumi
Production Manager – Richard Gorr
Created through the support of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Singapore International Arts Festival, Arts Centre Melbourne, RISING and the Australia Council of the Arts.