RAT oops

[Ed and Chris <cjeffries@seanet.com>]

Sorry, I meant twenty-FIRST century opera is already here, etc.

Subject:     Re: RAT what is forward thinking now...
Sent:        1/18/99 3:56 PM
Received:    1/18/99 4:00 PM
From:        Ed and Chris, cjeffries@seanet.com
Reply-To:    rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
To:          rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com

>I am beginning to wonder about Opera. Twenty first century opera. Ruth
>Margraff and the Opera Project at HERE and Erik Ehn with Tenderloin.Is anyone
>listening to poetic drama? Maybe song and music will wake their other senses
>and get reception out from the audiences' eyes.
>Mitchell

The secret's out, Mitch: twentieth-century opera is already here and it's 
being made all over the place.  And it doesn't look like what commonly 
comes to mind at the word "opera."

But don't think I'm saying that to denigrate "opera."  Twentieth-century 
opera in particular is often far more interesting than the bulk of 
"theatre" produced around the same time (as if the two are different 
species, which they really aren't).  The first few decades in particular 
saw some wild and ravishing pieces of music theatre which completely 
turned upside down everyone's notion of what theatre is and what opera 
is.  It is a very, very potent place to look for inspiration for new and 
unhackneyed theatre.  It takes some digging, but so does all treasure.
cheers, Chris