Retreat to our Harbor

There's no better place for inspiration than this quiet, working coast.

The Harbor Residency at Opera House Arts provides artists with two of the most integral resources for the creation of new work: time and space.

Located in beautiful Stonington, Maine on Deer Isle, a retreat for artists, makers, poets, and writers for generations, the Opera House is an escape from the demands of day-to-day life, gifting residents room to be inspired and a chance to fully immerse themselves in the development of new work, all while enriching the community around them.

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Kreilkamp Nicoll

ARIA DA CAPO XL 20:20 VISION HINDSIGHT

May 3-9

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Laura K. Nicoll and Rufus Morgan Kreilkamp Nicoll were “in residence” to develop their production of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Aria Da Capo.

This was the first virtual residency that Opera House Arts is supporting during the COVID-19 public health crisis. The original proposal was submitted on February 22 and accepted on March 6, 2020 and after a conversation, both OHA and the artists decided to move forward and experiment with how this might work with Rufus in Deer Isle, ME and Laura in Brooklyn, NY and no travel or gatherings allowed.

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Work in progress showings: Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9

FROM THE ARTISTS:

Aria Da Capo is a little absurd as a straight play, holding a looping narrative and a play within a play. First published in 1920, this centennial presentation will refer obliquely to Maine’s bicentennial and national elections as well as other current events. We are interested in extending 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, delighting, confounding, and intriguing 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.

During this residency we would like to continue to develop the movement patterns and develop visual elements of sets and costumes in a low-tech way that feels high-tech, doing some experiments with an overhead projector and some laptops, or other monitors. We are hoping to premiere this show in the fall of 2020.

photo: Arthur Fink