"Life Cycle of a Fever Dream" marks the opening act of the upcoming Fall/Winter series 2024 presented by the Heidi Duckler Dance company.
Created in collaboration with sound innovator Julia Edith Rigby, this unique and interactive performance will unfold atop the iconic Bendix Building in Los Angeles on the evening of Saturday, November 16, per DT News.
Commencing at 4 p.m., guests will be treated to a delightful wine and appetizer reception before immersing themselves in the opera at 5 p.m.
The show promises a one-of-a-kind experience, mixing a blend of conventional musical tools like singers and string instruments with unique elements such as animal sounds and engaging with the crowd.
Rigby's vision is to turn the rooftop setting into a musical entity, inviting the audience to participate actively in the performance.
"We're going to take that same technology, put it on a roof so that (audiences) can hear their footsteps interacting with the building, so the percussive elements come from the (audience) themselves. The audience becomes a performer."
Central to her message is the importance of understanding our actions and how they resonate with the world.
Going into the depths of climate sorrow and unease, the opera will go into Rigby's intimate encounters with persistent COVID symptoms and the wide-reaching effects of climate change on society.
"There are some anxiety-inducing moments in the music."
"That's just me working through my own emotional landscape. There's always an environmental justice component to environmental catastrophe — it's so preventable. There's this maddening aspect of it. That's the fever component."
Rigby said she aims to intertwine elegance and optimism amid turmoil, centering on the recurring patterns of decay and renewal.
"I'm really interested in these cycles of degeneration and chaos and then regeneration and rewording and possibility."
"There is a place for hope and there is a place for action. That comes through reimagining what a future world could look like."
The sound expert weaves together ancient creature recordings and environmental elements to deepen the bond with the wonders of the natural world.
The upcoming show will also feature the talents of guest artists such as the Liminal Voices and Orchestra and 8TPS Music, known for their community-centric and identity-driven musical endeavors.
"Life Cycle of a Fever Dream" guarantees an operatic adventure, encouraging viewers to explore the concepts of climate change and introspection from a new perspective.
