600 Square Feet
A Micro-Opera
Music by Nkeiru Okoye
Libretto by David Cote
and
We’ve Got Our Eye On You
A Chamber Opera
Music and story by Nkeiru Okoye
Libretto by David Cote
Conducted by Nathan De’Shon Myers and Brian DeMaris
Directed by Kelli Shill and Stephanie Sadownik
ASU is pleased to present the Arizona premiere of two new operatic comedies.
In "600 Square Feet," a young couple, Alexandra and Lance, share a small but cozy apartment. They have hit a rocky patch in their relationship. In fact, they just broke up. But rather than move out, they break up the apartment. Alexandra takes the bedroom, Lance stays in the living room. The reason for their fight: Lance saw Alexandra having coffee with a mutual friend and assumed they were having an affair. Meanwhile, Alexandra demands to know what Lance was doing downtown, not at his office. Both refuse to explain, yet each badly misses the other — in the next room. Can ex-lovers cohabitate in only 600 square feet without total honesty? See if love or stubbornness will triumph in this operatic romantic comedy about trust, boundaries and real estate.
"We’ve Got Our Eye On You" is a 60-minute opera loosely based on Ancient Greek myth, made famous in the “Stygian Witches” episode from 1981 fantasy classic Clash of the Titans. Inspired by that work and a dizzying range of influences—Gilbert and Sullivan, the Gershwins, Monty Python, Stephen Sondheim and Aretha Franklin—the opera uses broad laughs and keen, unexpected pathos to explore the unleashed desires of three highly unusual sisters torn between dignity and desire. The story takes place in Ancient Greece, in and around a cave inhabited by the Graeae, or Gray Sisters—Enyo, Pemphredo and Deino— eyeless siblings who share an external eyeball. A Chorus of Greeks introduces the sisters, who are cooking a man in their cauldron as they prepare for a visit from Pythia, the Oracle at Delphi. Pythia arrives and soon has a vision that the ladies will be “known” by the hero Perseus, who is on the hunt for Medusa. Inflamed by the ideas of a strange man, but honor-bound to protect their half-sister, the sisters vow not to tell. Inwardly, however, they fantasize about knowing him. Will romantic impetuosity ruin all? Is Perseus hunter or prey? Mixing broad feminist comedy with elegant, witty songwriting, the opera explores and critiques notions of heroism, chastity and the phenomenon of “hooking up.”
"600 Square Feet" was commissioned by Baldwin Wallace University Voice Performance in Collaboration with Cleveland Opera Theater and On Site Opera.
The development of "We’ve Got Our Eye On You" was made possible in part by an OPERA America Discovery Grant for Women Composers program through the generosity of The Virginia B.Toulmin Foundation.
Suitable for audiences age 12 and up.
Licensing information: "600 Square Feet" and "We've Got Our Eye on You" are presented by arrangement with Nkeiru Okoye. www.nkeiruokoye.com
All attendees are required to agree to adhere to ASU policies that are consistent with CDC guidelines for colleges and universities. Face coverings are required in School of Music, Dance and Theatre indoor performance spaces. Please review full event policies at the ticket link below.
University COVID-19 information may be found at https://eoss.asu.edu/health/announcements/coronavirus.
At this time, all ticket sales are ONLINE ONLY. There will be no in-person sales at the event. Please purchase tickets in advance. Guests who do not have a ticket at the door will be directed to purchase them online.
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