Avner Dorman's 'Boundless' | The Start of a Serial Web Opera
26th April 2018
Houston Grand Opera's HGOco division made history on 20 April 2018 in launching Star-Cross'd, a 'serial web opera'. The first episode, Boundless, features original music by Avner Dorman and a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, after an original story by Aryana Rose. Starring mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte as Alma, this 20-minute pilot also features tenor Mark Thomas and soprano Alexandra Smither.
Synopsis:
Alma seeks personal fulfillment at a crossroads in her life, and begins a relationship with an artistic soul 16 years her junior. When a shadow looms over their happy ending, Alma guides her lover Luc to his destiny.
Watch Boundless.
All of the Star-Cross'd episodes will be thematically linked to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and the premiere of Boundless coincided with HGO's Bernstein-centennial production of West Side Story, the archetypal adaptation of Shakespeare's iconic play. Based on personal experiences, the project shares international stories and will ultimately be produced into a standalone, operatic short film. In each episode, Bard aficionados will be able to catch a line direct from the Shakespeare text.
(Does your love story relate to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? Or were you witness to a story like it? Tell HGOco. Record your story, including a line from the play, upload it to YouTube or SoundCloud, and send the link to starcrossd@hgo.org or tag #HGOStarCrossd.)
Boundless is the second operatic work by Avner Dorman, following 2016's Wahnfried, which has been remounted at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe for three performances this Spring after a sensational premiere last season; the final performance of the revival is 8 May 2018.
