An adaptation of a traditional Ming Dynasty opera. 

In order to tell the story in a way that was meaningful to our modern multicultural cast, crew, and audience, the world of the show was not rooted in Chinese aesthetics. Using a mix of extant music and original composition, I drew from a wide variety of inspiration–from the clangy atmospheres of the Baschet brothers and experimental rock to the Balinese suling and ambient pads.  The result was a strange, dreamy sonic landscape–sometimes menacing, sometimes deteriorating, always larger than life.

The story takes place in 3 realms: the human world, the temple, and an underground kingdom of ants.  Using speakers above and below the audience, I carefully spatialized the sound to both locate the action in space and envelope the audience in the fantasy.