UNSPEAKABLE

"Unspeakable" unfolds as a narrative spanning ten scenes of everyday life within a city neighborhood. The characters are friends, neighbors, and strangers who interact in activities like having dinner with family, going to the emergency room, or picking up a towed car in an impound lot. Some characters are living their best Instagrammable lives while others are barely holding on. As an audience, we hear both the characters’ public words and private thoughts. The opera delves into the delicate balance between what should be said and what remains unsaid—unraveling the consequences of emotions that can no longer be restrained.

Throughout "Unspeakable", a storm is coming—literally. We begin with a faint mist mentioned in passing by the characters. As the show progresses, we hear or see evidence of the precipitation building: a sprinkle, a drizzle, rain, showers. There are other gradual evolutions with our characters across scenes as well. For example, we follow Tom, a young man whose initial likability morphs into a mental health crisis amidst an unreliable social circle and a deteriorating healthcare system. The downpour acts as the catharsis for the building tension throughout the show and once it hits, we have to see the characters re-ground themselves, mill around, and some of them ultimately work together to restore order. Our opera does not propose the ultimate solution to heal our divided world but suggests that there is value in coming together with friends, strangers, and foes to work for a common good, even a small one. At the end of Unspeakable, we see a few of our characters briefly live the immortal message of Frederick Douglass’s quote ““I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.”

The opera will be an immersive sound experience with singers, a live ensemble, electronics and spatial audio. There will be an ensemble of strings, electric piano/controller and percussion/controller. The selection of instrumentation allows for the augmentation of the acoustic ensemble using sampled sounds. The controllers in the ensemble allow the musicians to cue the exact timing of pre-recorded audio and extend the piano and percussion to electronic based sounds. Rather than assigning musical motifs or themes to characters, there are motives that can be transferred to anyone based on what they are feeling, be it rage, tenderness, officiousness, posturing or boredom. For example, we hear Christina’s rage at getting her car towed early in the opera and this rage theme bubbles up again at a town meeting as the longtime residents are pitted against the new residents who think they know the neighborhood. 

To create the immersive spatial audio, the audience will be surrounded by speakers and it will serve two purposes. First, we will use the sonic environments of each scene so the audience can place new locations for each scene and also feel as if they are a part of the drama. For example, when the characters are outside, the spatial audio immerses the audience in the sounds of the city with people talking, the passing of cars and an overhead jet plane. Secondly, it extends the reach of singers and ensemble, allowing for interior voices to be heard, resonances to be extended, and a low rumble to build gradually, culminating in the final scene's explosive climax.

The sound design, tightly aligned with projections and video, ensures the clarity of each scene's location. Some sounds traverse space, coordinated with video design, guiding the audience's attention across the stage. This innovative approach combines the auditory and visual elements, enhancing the immersive experience and heightening the impact of the opera's overarching themes.

"Unspeakable" is more than an opera; it is an exploration of human connections, societal divisions, and the challenges of coexistence. Through immersive sound and visual design, this project aspires to engage audiences in a thought-provoking and visceral experience, prompting reflection on our shared humanity and the possibilities for reconnection in an increasingly fragmented world.