Carmen #YesAllWomen

Production details

Description

A contemporary new opera scrutinizing the normalization of harassment that women face everyday. In Carmen #YesAllWomen, Loose Tea strives to give the opportunity for Carmen's story to be told through her eyes, as a strong independent woman striving and achieving within a patriarchal society and the dangers that she faces simply for doing that. This piece is based on Bizet’s Carmen with a new libretto and score for two cellos and Sound Artist. Director/Creator’s note: 'Carmen is not my favorite opera. I have always been frustrated by it: the way Carmen and Michaela are treated, the devil versus angel female characters as if we cannot be anything in between, the casual harassment and assault on stage that is treated as “funny” or tragic. It’s neither of these. It’s awful and it happens every day to women you know. This is an epidemic. I have been searching for a way to show this opera for what it is: a perpetuation of misogynistic values. The idea has been evolving for several years and I’m sure as I move through life the idea will continue to grow. This is where the idea is now with the resources I have available to me today. We need to question what values the operatic cannon is espousing. Yes, the music is wonderful, but perhaps we need to be reframing these works that reflect the values we want to see in our communities. I’ve had enough of women and people of colour (POC) being treated poorly on stage, and off. The ideas we put on stage permeate into the real world. It legitimizes the assault that women and POC face in the workplace, on the street, or just going about our daily lives. Art can change that. We need to recognize where this perspective comes from and work to change it.  I hope that in this version on Carmen, you can glimpse what it might feel like to be her or recognize yourself and people you love in her. Because we all are Carmen, in some way.'

Creative Team

• Scott Christian, Music Director
• Alaina Viau, Director & Production Design
• SlowPitchSound, Sound Design/DJ
• Stephen Bell & Ryan Harper, Videographers
• Maureen Russell, Costume Design
• Laura Krause, Stage Management

Performers

• Erica Iris, Carmen
• Keith Klassen, John
• Beth Hagerman, Michaela
• Bradley Christensen, Maximillian
• Keenan Viau, Zander and Carmen’s Friend
• Erin Stone, Franky
• Zoe Clark, Mercedes
• Brock Johnson, Drunk Guy
• Ramona Carmelly, Lilly Preston
• Carl Lyons & Partrick Scanlon, Other Bar People
• Joanna Diindiisikwe Simmons, Land Acknowledgement
• Samuel Bisson and Amahl Arulanandam, Cellos