A theater experience you have to hear
In the world premiere by Yvette Janine Jackson, the boundaries between radio drama, live performance, electroacoustic music and theater dissolve into an immersive world of sound.
For Jackson, "radio opera brings together the sonic languages I love: radio drama, electroacoustic music, composed and improvised chamber ensembles.” Drawing on her background as a sound designer for theater and her early work at the Columbia Computer Music Center, where she learned tape splicing, Jackson creates intricate soundscapes from voices, Foley, field recordings, effects and music.
“I imagined arranging dialogue, acoustic music, synthesis, sound effects and field recordings into a composition while exploring how darkness, light and visuals activate the imagination,” Jackson said, envisioning a world that she and other artists can build together on stage to highlight their talents. Collaborating with Radio Opera Workshop artists Mattie Barbier, Dawn Norfleet, Jessica Shand and Ava Porter, Jackson describes the results as “a living composition” — one with enough freedom for the artists to take unexpected journeys.
That sense of discovery extends to the audience. “Listeners can stay at the surface or let go and become immersed in the journey,” Jackson says.
For theater lovers looking for an experience beyond the traditional stage, Jackson offers something rare: a performance that asks you to listen, imagine and participate in creating the world unfolding around you. Arrive early for sound installations in the lobby and stay after for a post-show conversation led by Tiffany E. Barber, Assistant Professor of African American Art at UCLA.