{"id":75323,"date":"2022-05-17T12:28:16","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T16:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=75323"},"modified":"2022-05-17T12:28:16","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T16:28:16","slug":"preview-opera-tech-explored-tapestry-opera-ocad-collaboration-r-u-r-torrent-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2022\/05\/17\/preview-opera-tech-explored-tapestry-opera-ocad-collaboration-r-u-r-torrent-light\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Opera & Tech Explored In Tapestry Opera\/OCAD Collaboration \u2018R.U.R. A Torrent of Light\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"R.U.R.
R.U.R. A Torrent of Light in rehearsal (Photo: Dahlia Katz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tapestry Opera and OCAD University, Canada\u2019s largest art, media and design university, have teamed up for an innovative opera experience enriched by clever technology. The world premiere of R.U.R. A Torrent of Light<\/em> will be performed in OCAD\u2019s Great Hall from May 24 to June 5, 2022.<\/p>\n

The production will blend dance, music from a 100-piece chamber orchestra, projections and other multimedia design elements, and opera of course, based on a Czech play from the 1920s.<\/p>\n

About the play<\/strong><\/h3>\n

R.U.R. stands for Rossumovi Univerz\u00e1ln\u00ed Roboti<\/em> or Rossum’s Universal Robots<\/em>, a science fiction play by Czech writer Karel \u010capek. The work, published in 1920 and first performed in 1921, is credited with introducing the word “robot” into the popular lexicon.<\/p>\n

A huge success in its day, the play was translated into 30 languages, and became enormously influential. Essentially, it’s a play about robots (or androids, as we now call artificial people), uprising against their human masters.<\/p>\n

R.U.R. A Torrent of Light takes the premise and gives it a feminist lens. It jumps ahead just a little to a near future where AI is even more inextricably intertwined with modern life.<\/p>\n

The new work was written by Governor General award-winner Nicolas Billon<\/strong>, and composed by Nicole Liz\u00e9e<\/strong> in her full-length operatic debut. The performances are directed by Tapestry\u2019s award-winning Artistic and General Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori<\/strong>. Wearable tech designed by OCAD\u2019s Social Body Lab enhances the story and the experience.<\/p>\n

About the cast:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szab\u00f3<\/strong> stars as Helena, a Steve Wozniak-level coder and designer;<\/li>\n
  • Newfoundland baritone Peter Barrett<\/strong> stars as Helena\u2019s husband and business partner Dom;<\/li>\n
  • Countertenor Scott Belluz<\/strong> plays [Alex], Helena and Dom\u2019s prototype human-form personal-assistance robot;<\/li>\n
  • Soprano Danielle Buonaiuto<\/strong>, Canadian-American baritone Micah Schroeder<\/strong>, and Canadian mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington<\/strong> are cast as human-form AI enabled robots;<\/li>\n
  • Sopranos Maeve Palmer<\/strong> and Anne-Marie Ramos<\/strong>, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Routhier<\/strong>, and dance artists Sofi Gudi\u00f1o<\/strong>, Katherine Semchuk<\/strong>, Emily Spearing<\/strong> and Brayden Jamil Cairns<\/strong> form the robot chorus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The creative team includes Dora-nominated music director and conductor Gregory Oh<\/strong> as Music Director, and award-winning choreographer Jaime Martino<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \"Dr.
    Dr. Adam Tindale in OCAD University’s Social Body Lab, demonstrating a cello bow that produces sounds when glided across any surface (Photo: Martin Iskander)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    What is wearable tech?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Tapestry Opera went to OCAD University\u2019s Social Body Lab to develop tech that singers and dancers could wear, that would also be intertwined with the performance. The Social Body\u2019s Lab has a mandate to explore the relationship between humans and technology; it seems like the perfect fit.<\/p>\n

    Digital Futures Associate Professor Dr. Adam Tindale<\/strong>, who is a drummer with a Masters of Music Technology from McGill University, and an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Music, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Victoria has worked on the project.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThey were looking for some unusual folks to collaborate with them,\u201d Dr. Tindale notes. \u201cI got invited to one of the early meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n

    What he saw in the early stages was a bit of the music and a sketch of the scene, \u201cand a whole lot of enthusiasm\u201d. It was enough to get him involved. The full score came later in the process. \u201cI was originally classically trained in percussion,\u201d he notes. \u201cThat was my undergrad.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tindale and his team worked on about 30 pieces of wearable tech. \u201cThere are a couple of different pieces of technology that we\u2019ve been developing in the Social Body Lab,\u201d he says, noting that development has been ongoing for the better part of a year.<\/p>\n