MuPATh: Host_Opera
Host_Opera is a unique and complex short program containing workshops and lecture type educational and creative events as well as a rehearsal and performance phase of a participatory, documentary based music-theater performance. An eye-level partnership of an international performing group, several professional instrumental ensembles and diverse communities of the hosting countries.
Host_Opera is a collective experience in order to create a better understanding and reflection on topics of freedom, democracy, migration, solidarity, inclusion and community engagement of small and large scale.
Host_Opera performance is revealing a historic event that happened 50 years ago in a
totalitarian state in Europe, in the times of the so called soft-dictatorship. An event that shows us the importance of individual actions, and their relationship to the community. The processing of the historic event, as well as the theatric structure of the adaptation of these, serves as a model, that can mirror and optimize our communities ́ cooperation.
Project is presented by MuPATh - music, performance, art, theater, an Viennese association supporting inter- and multidisciplinary musictheater collaborations.
Host_Opera is based on the music-theater performance Hostage-Opera (2022, Music Theater Days Vienna) in the sense, that the documentary material as well as the structure and inovative multidisciplinary technolgy of the closing performance is this production. This makes possible a time- and cost-efficient way of creative processes, as well as a furthe development of a unique initiative in the field of music theater both in artistic and technica sense.
For the performance we are using only portable cameras, some equipment and props, that fit easily to an average size suitcase, so all necessary traveling of the international team can be done on any low-emission way.
You can find more information about the original production here.
Host_Opera has participants on more level (it is only a structural hierarchy, with creation, communication, etc we all do our best to keep everything on same eye-level and transparent).
A, Local communities.
regular audience who come to see the performance at the end of the working period. They are participating as well, since it is a participatory performance, but of course it is not obligatory. They get a very brief introductory workshop in about 20 minutes.
B, Local Performers.
Group of participants of the hosting community who can engage time in order to be part of the performance and learn several skills. They get of course paid for their contribution. They are participating 4x3 hours of creative workshops, 4 hours of rehearsal, 2x6 discussions and lectures (most of these online). They can be an existing diverse group of non-professionals of the local community of any age. Since inclusion is an important topic of the project, it is important for us to collaborate with a diverse group of participants who might meet for the first time, in this case they are reached through several local partner ́ channels. The number of participants in this group can be approximately 10-25 people.
C, Local or experts.
In every country two introductory discussion is organised for the
participants in the workshop phase on the main topics of the project and the local aspects of these.
D, Instrumental Ensembles.
A group of professional musicians capable of individual
contribution (improvisation based on given framework or collectively developed scenes. prefereably four instrumentalists (originally Vl, Vc, Sax, E-Git). They have at least three intense rehearsals to develop all the materials and learn the conducting handsigns of the soundpainting language used in the performance. Two of these rehearsals can be held already together with the loccal “choir”.
E, Core-group of the performance.
The four vocal performers, director-video artist, sound artists, composer-conductor. They are present at each location for shorter or longer peroiods, depending on their role in the workshop phase.
Structure of the project:
I. Workshop phase 2 days
II. Rehearsal phase 1,5 days
III. Performance 1 evening