THE BLIND
Written by Maurice Maeterlinck, adapted by Mia Rovegno and Jeanette Yew
Music and lyrics by Alaina Ferris
These three chorales were written for Mia Rovegno and Jeanette'e Yew's audio/visual adaptation of Maurice Maeterlinck's 19th century play, The Blind. It virtually premiered at HERE Arts Center on December 4th, 2020, during their #stillhere programming. It is available to watch through Feb 4th, 2021. here.org/shows/the-blind/
All three demos were recorded at home in closet setups during the pandemic.
Mezzo-Soprano, Angel Lin
Alto, Alaina Ferris
Contralto, Aviva Jaye
Bassoon & Mixing by Leah Shaw
Special thanks to Julien Frei, Kevin St. John, and Pierre-Étienne Fiquet for your help with the French translation, and to HERE Arts Center for providing us all with this opportunity!
PRODUCTION DESCRIPTION
The Blind is an immersive audio/visual meditation journey adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck’s 19th century symbolist play Les Aveugles.
A community of sightless people who reside in a monastery are on a daily walk with their priest when they discover he has passed away as they are in the deep forest. Reaching through darkness to find their way home, they struggle to assert their autonomy when faced with the paradox of uncertainty and agency.
This dream allegory of a leaderless people grappling with fears of a rapidly changing environment and an unknown future holds a timely mirror to our current economic and environmental crises amplified by a global pandemic.
Wearing headphones, audiences are immersed in a journey through the senses as a hypnotic and disorienting landscape of sound, object, light, animation, and shadow puppetry invokes an intimate meditation on our current human condition. For optimal viewing, wear headphones in a darkened room.
PERFORMANCES
HERE
December 4th, 2020-February 4th, 2021
CREDITS
Conceived and Co-Created by Mia Rovegno and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew
Text adapted from The Blind by Maurice Maeterlinck
Composed and Music Directed by Alaina Ferris
Sound Design by Jane Shaw
Production Design Consulting by Gabriel Evansohn
Music Mixing by Leah Shaw
Featuring: Andrew Garman (First Man Born Blind) Chad Goodridge (Second Man Born Blind) Matt Korahais (Third Man Born Blind) Tony Torn (The Oldest Blind Man) Aviva Jaye (The Oldest Blind Woman / Vocalist) Angel Lin (The Young Blind Girl / Vocalist) Alaina Ferris (Prologue Voice / Madwoman Vocalist)
Special Thanks to Catwalk, Pierre-Étienne Fiquet, Julien Frei, and Maurice