DOUBLE BILL
Olegas: Staged Excerpts
by Constantine Koukias, libretto by Natasha Cica
and
As if Electronically Controlled
Composed and directed by Christopher Williams
by Constantine Koukias, libretto by Natasha Cica
and
As if Electronically Controlled
Composed and directed by Christopher Williams
Date: 27-28 September 2007
Time: 8.00 pm
Venue: Playhouse Theatre
Tickets: $27.50 $21.50 concession
Bookings TSO Box office: 1800 001 190 or TSO On line
Time: 8.00 pm
Venue: Playhouse Theatre
Tickets: $27.50 $21.50 concession
Bookings TSO Box office: 1800 001 190 or TSO On line
Olegas celebrates the extraordinary
life of the eminant wilderness photographer and explorer Olegas Truchanas
(1923-1972) who emigrated from Lithuania to Tasmania in 1948. The themes
of OLEGAS are powerful and contemporary: Truchanas' fight to save Lake Pedder
in Tasmania's remote Southwest was arguably the genesis of the now global
conservation movement.
These special staged excerpts will give audiences a special opportunity to have a preview of the full opera in development. More...
If you would like to support the further development of this work please click Here
In As if Electronically Controlled the IHOS Music Theatre Laboratory will perform texts by Heiner Muller*, William Shakespeare, Christopher Barnett and Ulrike Meinhof. The texts are inter-related by several common themes: the fragmentation and loss of authentic identity; the refusal to play a prescribed role; imprisonment - physical/metaphysical/psycological; madness; dream; political; revolt; surveillance; murder; the mediation of reality.
As If Electrically Controlled brings together electronically- enhanced vocal performance and visual projections to create a disturbing meditation on identity lost and madness inspired by Hamlet, Hamlet-Machine* and Ulrike Meinhof Sings.
Warning - Strong language and adult themes
About Christopher Williams
Christopher conducted post-graduate research into Contemporary Improvised Music at the University of Sydney between 1994 and 1999. He was awarded an honours degree in Drama from the University of New South Wales (1980); and trained as a director at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA, 1983); the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (1984-85); and at The Australian Opera (1985-86. Between 1982 and 1993, Christopher worked as a Freelance Director. Christopher has produced many text-based works for ABC Audio Arts including My Poor Room, broadcast on The Listening Room, the ABC's Acoustic Arts programme; A Radio Faust and Paradise Lost (both nominated for the Prix Marulic); The Glass Cage and Checklist for an Armed Robber (both nominated for the Prix Italia); X-Ray (Bronze Medal, New York Festival Awards); Vanishing Points a bi-lingual co-production with Klaus Buhlert of Bayerischer Rundfunk (nominated for the Karl-Sczuka Preis); and Rita's Lullaby for which production Christopher won the Prix Italia.
He has created original music for ABC productions A Radio Faust, Self-Accusation (Soundstage); Erebus; The Luckless Angel; Seeking Same; In Dark Times, Paradise Lost (PoeticA); and The Pool , To Fly in the Night Air, and Explosion of a Memory (Airplay). He commissioned and produced Testimony composed by Sandy Evans with poems commissioned from Pulitzer Prize-winner Yusef Komunyakaa and performed by the Australian Art Orchestra (Soundstage 1999; Sydney Festival 2002, Melbourne Festival 2002, and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2004).
He composed music for the 50th Anniversary of the Blake Prize Retrospective exhibition opening (Brisbane) and the opening of the 2002 Blake Prize exhibition (Brisbane) with texts written and performed by Linda Neill (violinist with Ed Kuepper). Between 2003 and 2004, Christopher worked with Niall Brown of the Australian String Quartet to explore the interaction between instrumentalist and synthesist. Improvisation on Bach's Cello Suite No.2 Sarabande; and Work for Cello and Drone.
In 2006, Christopher formed Revolution 9, an electro-acoustic ensemble with Hilary Kleinig (Zephyr String Quartet) on cello and signal processors, Stuart Day (composer) on electric violin, guitar and pedals, and Haig Burnell on bass clarinet and signal processors. Christopher performs with a modular synth, a Moog Voyager, tenor saxophone and signal processors. Revolution 9 has appeared at COMA and the 2006 Australian Computer Music Conference.
* pending permission
These special staged excerpts will give audiences a special opportunity to have a preview of the full opera in development. More...
If you would like to support the further development of this work please click Here
In As if Electronically Controlled the IHOS Music Theatre Laboratory will perform texts by Heiner Muller*, William Shakespeare, Christopher Barnett and Ulrike Meinhof. The texts are inter-related by several common themes: the fragmentation and loss of authentic identity; the refusal to play a prescribed role; imprisonment - physical/metaphysical/psycological; madness; dream; political; revolt; surveillance; murder; the mediation of reality.
As If Electrically Controlled brings together electronically- enhanced vocal performance and visual projections to create a disturbing meditation on identity lost and madness inspired by Hamlet, Hamlet-Machine* and Ulrike Meinhof Sings.
Warning - Strong language and adult themes
About Christopher Williams
Christopher conducted post-graduate research into Contemporary Improvised Music at the University of Sydney between 1994 and 1999. He was awarded an honours degree in Drama from the University of New South Wales (1980); and trained as a director at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA, 1983); the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (1984-85); and at The Australian Opera (1985-86. Between 1982 and 1993, Christopher worked as a Freelance Director. Christopher has produced many text-based works for ABC Audio Arts including My Poor Room, broadcast on The Listening Room, the ABC's Acoustic Arts programme; A Radio Faust and Paradise Lost (both nominated for the Prix Marulic); The Glass Cage and Checklist for an Armed Robber (both nominated for the Prix Italia); X-Ray (Bronze Medal, New York Festival Awards); Vanishing Points a bi-lingual co-production with Klaus Buhlert of Bayerischer Rundfunk (nominated for the Karl-Sczuka Preis); and Rita's Lullaby for which production Christopher won the Prix Italia.
He has created original music for ABC productions A Radio Faust, Self-Accusation (Soundstage); Erebus; The Luckless Angel; Seeking Same; In Dark Times, Paradise Lost (PoeticA); and The Pool , To Fly in the Night Air, and Explosion of a Memory (Airplay). He commissioned and produced Testimony composed by Sandy Evans with poems commissioned from Pulitzer Prize-winner Yusef Komunyakaa and performed by the Australian Art Orchestra (Soundstage 1999; Sydney Festival 2002, Melbourne Festival 2002, and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2004).
He composed music for the 50th Anniversary of the Blake Prize Retrospective exhibition opening (Brisbane) and the opening of the 2002 Blake Prize exhibition (Brisbane) with texts written and performed by Linda Neill (violinist with Ed Kuepper). Between 2003 and 2004, Christopher worked with Niall Brown of the Australian String Quartet to explore the interaction between instrumentalist and synthesist. Improvisation on Bach's Cello Suite No.2 Sarabande; and Work for Cello and Drone.
In 2006, Christopher formed Revolution 9, an electro-acoustic ensemble with Hilary Kleinig (Zephyr String Quartet) on cello and signal processors, Stuart Day (composer) on electric violin, guitar and pedals, and Haig Burnell on bass clarinet and signal processors. Christopher performs with a modular synth, a Moog Voyager, tenor saxophone and signal processors. Revolution 9 has appeared at COMA and the 2006 Australian Computer Music Conference.
* pending permission
