Update on this Summer's Collaborative Rock Opera: The Poet's Shadow

PHAME Director of Arts & Education, Matthew Gailey, conducts the iPad Ensemble. The iPad Ensemble will serve as the orchestra for the production, and will be joined by a string quartet comprised of students from Metropolitan Youth Symphony.

The rock opera project is speeding along, and we’re excited to begin rehearsals in June! Casting is underway, and while some roles require an audition, any PHAME student will be able to join the choir. We’ll have seven performances the last two weeks of August, and tickets go on sale mid-June.

Titled The Poet’s Shadow, the rock opera is a story about the power of creativity and the intensity of human emotion. Written by PHAME students in collaboration with Alexis Hamilton from Portland Opera, the story follows a young poet named Elizabeth. Following a devastating breakup, Elizabeth turns to poetry to ease her sorrow. But when her poems take on a dark life of their own, she must face a series of challenges in order to save everything she holds dear.

In addition to performing in the production, PHAME students are also playing important roles in many other aspects of the production. They have already drafted the costume designs, made drawings for the set, and composed each character’s musical themes, and this term Graphic Design students are designing the show’s poster and program.

But one of the most exciting things about this production is how partnerships and collaborations between PHAME and local organizations and artists are connecting PHAME students with the greater arts community. Portland’s acclaimed dance duo Wobbly Dance will serve as the production’s choreographers and will work closely with the production’s movement chorus throughout the summer. PHAME’s iPad Ensemble, which will serve as the orchestra for the production, will be joined by a string quartet comprised of students from Metropolitan Youth Symphony. And of course, the production is the culmination of an 18-month collaboration with Portland Opera. As well as teaching classes, Portland Opera is generously lending us their Hampton Opera Center stage for the performances, and we’re thrilled to be able to share this show with their audiences and theatre lovers throughout Portland.

This project is supported in part by the following organizations:
Oregon Arts Commission
Regional Arts & Culture Council
City of Portland, Oregon
Multnomah County Cultural Coalition
Oregon Cultural Trust
James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
Starseed Foundation
HMF Beaudoin Foundation