Aria Da Capo, by Edna St. Vincent Millay, is a little absurd as a straight play, it holds a looping narrative and a play within a play. First published in 1920, this centennial presentation refers obliquely to Maine’s bicentennial, national elections, as well as other current events. We extend the extant absurdity in a manner which may actually clarify the contained stories and might be smiled on by ESVM's ghost.
We transcribed the script of Aria from an heirloom first edition into a digital text edit file, then one night recorded the script onto a phone, our two voices reading the five parts. At one point we switch who is playing one of the characters. Thanks to a bit of technological serendipity in the transfer from phone to computer, the recording emerged from speakers on top of itself with a 20 second lag, a digital improvisation that delighted, confounded, and intrigued us both.
Then we developed a movement pattern to perform to this score, cradling the looping text and honoring the original work while updating it. Thanks to initial support from Opera House Arts we have expanded on our original material, and created a performance method that results in a discrete video made from off-the-shelf computer programs and continue to be delighted by the capacity of our low tech equipment.
February 2020: Residency in Deer Isle thanks to space at 6 Main St., Deer Isle, ME.
May 2020: Harbor Residency ‘at’ Opera House Arts, Deer Isle, ME.
We are ready to work on a full production. Please get in touch if you would like to present/support it!