The 13-year-old girl stands in front of the mirror in her underwear. Lisa is in anguish, starving and hanging on to her humanity by a thread about to snap.
"Hello there, hello there, skin stretched around a bony frame. Angles, shapes and corners revealed under baby fat…the face I've always wanted, with cheekbones jutting like boulders from a white, sad face, " Lisa cries out in her climatic aria during a revolutionary operatic performance.
Presented by Fort Worth Opera's 2015 Spring Festival, show times are April 24, 26, 28-29, and May 1-2 at Fort Worth Community Arts Center's Scott Theatre.
Lauren Worsham, nominated for a Tony Award in 2014, plays the protagonist, Lisa, for Opera Unbound, a Fort Worth Opera program that showcases and produces 21st century works. However, this year the Fort Worth Opera is breaking its own rules.
"Usually I like to put my stamp on it, but I wanted to keep it exactly as it is," Fort Worth Opera General Director and Producer Darren K. Woods said.
And the entire team from New York City will travel to Cowtown for the spring festival season-another first for the Fort Worth Opera.
The collaborative effort of renowned composer David T. Little, librettist Royce Vavrek and producer Beth Morrison, "Dog Days" doesn't fit any musical or theatrical category, and the storyline is wild.
The plot is a future war scenario where the country is running out of food. America is losing. Most people have moved to the coast, but Lisa's family has decided to stay behind. Their neighbors start to vanish, having either fled to the coast or starved to death. The roads, schools, and local businesses are closed. Even the animals have disappeared, except for one key character-Prince, the dog.
Although this short story, written by Judy Budnitz, is based in the future, the family is reminiscent of a 1950s household. The wife is submissive, the father is the hunter and gatherer, and the children are to be quiet when their father comes back from gathering food in the woods close to their home.
Then a man dressed in a dog costume comes to Lisa's house begging for scraps. They name him Prince, but he doesn't speak. Angry and drunk half the time, Lisa's father calls him "retarded." The man-dog infuriates her father, but maybe it is because he sees his own desperation in the eyes of this unlikely animal. Or is it a man?
"Where lies the line between animal and human, and at what point must we give in to our animal instincts merely to survive?" the press sheet said.
Vavrek and Little agree the dog has seen how humanity has dealt with this dire situation and hence ultimately rejected humanity to become a "dog." This makes him a more likely beggar. Lisa befriends Prince in her compassion. She also seems to be the only family member willing to look in the mirror and maintaining some shard of grace while the rest slowly lose their minds.
This dark plot and innovative musical accompaniment are Little and Vavrek's promising attempt to keep opera relevant. Little said it may be a grittier storyline than most, but it isn't by any means absurdist. It is a close look at what happens to humanity when pushed to its limits.
"It is more of a psychological study of the human person," Little said.
Little has wild curly hair and a pointy beard. He looks rock and roll, and plays the part well as drummer in Newspeak. Kind and humble, this composer has become quite huge in the operatic and symphonic music world. What makes him unique is his inspiration, which comes from a concatenation of music like Megadeth's album Rust in Piece, and Nine Inch Nails" album Downward Spiral, and musical theatre because of his upbringing. His parents met in college while doing a production of West Side Story. His mother was in the cast, and his father played the drums in the pit.
"Growing up, I went to a lot of musicals, both on Broadway and in smaller regional houses…In high school, I performed in lots of classic musicals," Little said.
A combination of his classical music tradition and growing up in the 1990s alternative rock era brings the audience Little's infamous dramatic sound.
But he said his sound is not to be confused with "rock opera" like The Who's "Tommy."
"[Dog Days] incorporates my musical DNA. Some arias will have industrial and noise music. It is really organic," Little said.
An electric guitar, percussions and a synthesizer-instruments not usually associated with classical music-are incorporated into an ensemble with more traditional instruments like a clarinet and violin.
For this reason, Woods said "Dog Days" represents a real turning point in opera. He called Little as soon as he saw the world premiere and told him he wanted them at his spring opera festival. After the premiere was over, Woods sat in the audience in silence. He couldn't even applaud.
"Artistically, it was perfect," Woods said.
"The Wall Street Journal said this could be the next change and the beginning of an evolution in opera in aggressive storytelling and theater," Woods said.
He said the music is what makes this opera unique from all others. Unlike most operas, the singers have microphones hidden in headsets, and they utilize audio and video. When Lisa looks in her mirror, the audience will see her distressed face up close in a large screen overhead.
"It is a stroke of genius that she is singing into the mirror… I think [this aria] is a real comment on what we [as a country] think is beautiful," Woods said.
Morrison with Beth Morrison Projects in Brooklyn, New York is the creative producer behind "Dog Days." She started her company to bring innovative operas like this one to life, and what makes her company unique is the touring aspect.
"I started my own company to change the way opera was being produced. I wanted to focus exclusively on new works and on highly theatrical and multi-media production. I also wanted to focus on young artists and young talent," Morrison said. "There was no company that would hire me to do this, so I had to start my own."
Which is what makes her, Woods and Little a perfect marriage. Woods is known for bringing innovative, thought-provoking and tear-jerking performances to Fort Worth audiences.
He will never forget the audience's reaction to his production of "Angels in America," about homosexuality and AIDS. He was terrified to bring that subject to Fort Worth, but when he looked out at the audience after the first performance, everyone was standing and clapping with tears running down their faces. He hopes "Dog Days" will do the same.
"Anything we do [we] want people to sort of think about human existence [and say]: "Wow, I can see myself in that character. If this were happening to me, what would I do?" I may think about that cashier that can't afford her own groceries with compassion. There are people suffering this greatly in our country," Woods said.
Maybe some of the people society thinks behave like animals are simply surviving deep human suffering, which has pushed them to lose their humanity and act on animal instincts. It is something to think about next time we stick our noses up at someone who has been to prison for theft or robbery. Maybe they were starving, either physically or emotionally.
Top Dog "Dog Days" Producer Beth Morrison tells all.
What is your role as producer? The way that I work as a producer is both creatively and managerially. I work directly with the lead artists to come up with the idea of the basic overall concept of the production. My staff and I work together to realize that vision. We facilitate the production staffing and casting. We determine our venue partners and create the financial picture of the production including fundraising the expense budget. We contract all of the artists and work with the venues with marketing efforts to bring in an audience. We build press packets and video trailers once the production has premiered. Then we use those materials to pitch to venue directors and other presenters to extend the life of the work.
How many people working for you? We have three full-time people now.
Why opera? It has the ability to synthesize all of the arts…it is theatre, it can be dance, it is obviously music, and for my stuff, it is almost always a multi-media presentation as well. Telling stories through music and singing is how I want to tell stories. Opera offers an opportunity that the other art forms rarely can-a complete fusion of media and all art forms. When it works, there is nothing better.
How do you decide which projects to invest in and expand on? It starts with the music for me. If I don't absolutely fall in love with the music and the composer's voice, I don't do it.
Why did you decide to produce "Dog Days"? I decided to produce "Dog Days" in collaboration with Montclair Peak Performances because I have worked with David T. Little and Royce Vavrek for many years, and they are core artists of my company. I believe in them wholeheartedly and knew they would create something spectacular. It was a joy and a privilege to create the work with them.
Why did you decide to start your own company? I started my own company to change the way opera was being produced. I wanted to focus exclusively on new works and highly theatrical and multi-media production. I also wanted to focus on young artists and young talent. There was no company that would hire me to do this, so I had to start my own.
What sets Beth Morrison Projects apart from other opera companies? Most opera companies don't tour, but if their productions move elsewhere, the other company would make the production their own. We actually tour our full shows. It is the same staging cast, band…it is taking the show premiere and moving it in its entirety.
Why did you decide to work with Fort Worth Opera, and what are you looking forward to about this collaboration? I am utterly thrilled to be working with FWOpera. Darren Woods is a visionary, and I have the highest respect for what he is doing in Fort Worth and hope "Dog Days" is just one of many collaborations together. I'm also happy to call him my friend.
