FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Cathy Lang Ho
Email: NewtownOdysseyOpera@gmail.com
Newtown Odyssey: A Groundbreaking Waterway Opera Premieres September 9 & 10 on Newtown Creek
New York, NY — Three years in the making, Newtown Odyssey, a floating opera set in Newtown Creek, will make its world premiere in Fall 2023. This ambitious project was developed by a trio of critically acclaimed, award-winning artists—novelist Dana Spiotta, visual artist Marie Lorenz, and composer Kurt Rohde. Supported by grants from Creative Capital, Puffin Foundation, UC Davis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Newtown Odyssey fuses art, music, and environmental awareness through imaginative storytelling and community engagement to create an original work for, about, and on an industrial waterway.
The libretto, written by National Book Award finalist Dana Spiotta, is a satirical depiction of characters whose lives or interests are entwined with the creek’s past and present. In the end, the creek itself becomes a character at the heart of the story. Marie Lorenz is known for her work which examines waterways as public spaces. In Newtown Odyssey, Lorenz designed and fabricated a unique mise-en-scène that incorporates sculptural instruments crafted from found detritus along the creek, and sets that ingeniously support the narrative’s eccentric cast. Music composed by Kurt Rohde, Artistic Director of the Composers Conference and recipient of the Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, combines improvisation, field recordings, electronic media, and live music to create an ever-shifting tapestry of evocative soundscapes.
The Newtown Creek Alliance has been a vital collaborator in the development of Newtown Odyssey. This community-based environmental organization, dedicated to restoring and revitalizing the waterway, worked with the artists to organize creative workshops on-site over the past two years, which were combined with volunteer clean-up days and educational programs. These initiatives aim to raise awareness about the site's history, its current state, and future prospects.
Newtown Odyssey is a one-of-a-kind experience. Performing artists Lorenzo Levy, Charlotte Mundy, Sharon Harms, Kyra Sims, Laura Cocks, and Joshua Perry will sing and play instruments from the banks of the creek and floating stages, while the audience moves past along the shore and in boats. Additionally, on September 8th, the Amant Foundation in Brooklyn is thrilled to present an event featuring Newtown Odyssey, including a panel discussion with the Newtown Creek Alliance, as well as indoor performances of the opera.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Marie Lorenz is a Brooklyn-based artist who has been exploring and documenting urban waterways for many years. Her notable project, Tide and Current Taxi, is a relational performance art piece that uses the tide to navigate New York City. Recent solo exhibitions of her work include the Albright Knox Museum (Buffalo), Everson Museum (Syracuse), and Jack Hanley Gallery (New York).
Dana Spiotta is an award-winning novelist whose books include Innocents and Others (2016), Stone Arabia (2011), Eat the Document (2006), and Lightning Field (2002), all published by Scribner. She has received prestigious awards such as a Guggenheim Fellowship and the John Updike Prize from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. She teaches at Syracuse University.
Kurt Rohde is a Bay Area–based composer and musician based in the Bay Area. He is Artistic Advisor of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble and Artistic Director of the Composers Conference. He has received fellowships from the Radcliffe-Harvard Institute, and Guggenheim Foundation, and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Barlow, Fromm, Hanson, and Koussevitzky foundations.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
When:
6:00 pm, Saturday, September 9, 2023 - Maspeth, NY
6:00 pm, Sunday, September 10, 2023 - Maspeth, NY
WHERE:
Plank Road Public Shoreline 4801 58th Rd, Queens, NY 11378
TICKETS:
Sales Open August 1
See our TICKET PAGE for more information
