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Bird of the Inner Eye

Arcata Playhouse

Dell’Arte International and the Arcata Playhouse are proud to present the first workshop performances of “Bird of the Inner Eye,” an original chamber opera based on the letters of painter Morris Graves.With music by Gina Leishman and libretto by Joan Schirle, this work has been in development for three years and will have its fledgling flight at the Arcata Playhouse, August 27 and 28th at 8 PM and August 29 at 2 PM.

The libretto focuses on Graves’ years as a conscientious objector and the women who supported him. Graves’ struggles— against war, against the degradation of the natural world, against the corrupting influence of fame— never caused him to lose hope or give up the work of art-making.

“These struggles seem to us connected to our own and many contemporary artists’ lives,” said librettist and DAI’s Founding Artistic Director, Joan Schirle. “If we believe art is not neutral, how and what can we artists create in this chaotic time?”

“Bird is a true ‘theatre of place’ event,” Schirle says, “something Dell’Arte has pioneered. Graves, who had enormous love and respect for the land, spent the last 35 years of his life in Loleta, CA. In the cast are local singers David Belton Powell, Alexandra Blouin, and musicians Nancy Correll and Garrick Woods. Local puppeteer James Hildebrandt and a bird puppet will perform an instrumental section based on the “Wounded Gull” paintings. Composer Leishman has collaborated on several previous DAI productions, including Slapstick and The Weave.“ Both of us have had residencies at Graves’ estate, now an artist retreat. So Bird of the Inner Eye is very much a work of this place!”

A chamber opera is meant for intimate spaces, with fewer singers and musicians than traditional opera. For this work-in-development, performances will be concert style, with 5 singers, 3 musicians, 1 puppeteer, and with projections courtesy of the Morris Graves Foundation. “Bird” is scored for piano, piano harp, glass armonica, cello/bass, and accordion, with the composer herself playing glass and accordion. The development of Bird of the Inner Eye received funding support from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, as well as many generous donors.

TICKETS AND CONTACTS

TICKETS: Ticket purchases can be made at dellarte.com/product/bird-of-the-inner-eye/ or by calling (707) 668-5663. Performances will be at The Arcata Playhouse (707) 822-1575 www.arcataplayhouse.org Vaccinations and masks are required. Masks will be at the door for those who forget to bring one. Social distancing is not required. Estimated run time 90 minutes, plus possible Q&A. Tickets: August 27 Opening Night is reserved for Inner Eye Circle Donors; there are a limited number of opening night tickets available to the general public at $50 each, and include admittance to the pre-show Donor Gala. Tickets: August 28 at 8:00 PM, and August 29 matinee at 2:00 PM: $20 general admission.

DATES/TIMES

WHERE

• Arcata Playhouse

PRICE

• $20
• $50 Opening night/gala.