Contemporary Communication
Contemporary Opera communicated through sound, singing and signing.
17.2.23
Learning to Listen. Miscommunication. Being Heard.
In Opera we associate communication with hearing and feeling. We sing in many different languages yet there is an incredible sense of receiving the story through acting and expression. As an audience, we add another dimension to this; while we perceive what a character is going through, we add our own experiences. We relate and show empathy so we can understand the story at a deeper level. We use surtitles to try to clarify what’s happening on stage and avoid miscommunication but even with this effort, it sometimes loses nuanced moments that don’t quite translate.
There are many ways to communicate: verbal, written, harmony and non-verbal such as movement. The most common form of communication is verbal, and English is the most spoken language in the world. If this is your primary way to converse, chances are you have experienced things like music, theatre, conversations and TV with the privilege of hearing and understanding. There aren’t many incentives to have to learn anything else.
What happens if you take away the words completely and focus on just the harmony? What happens if you focus on a nonverbal expression such as signing? How do we empathise, understand and connect with stories and characters? Contemporary Communication invites all ‘voices’ to be equally received by the audience and welcomes the human right to participate.
This event has now ended.
Reviews
“Signing takes equal billing with singing in this unique production, delivering an enthralling and moving piece of theatre… one that will remain and resonate. ”
- Seesaw Magazine
“I don’t think I am the only one to find the combination of Brown’s sensitive playing and Levitzke-Gray’s animated and anguished pleas extremely moving.”
- Seesaw Magazine
“Marslen launches into an animated Hello! Oh Margaret, it’s You from Menotti’s The Telephone, showing off her excellent musicality and acting talents.”
- Seesaw Magazine
“From Stravinsky to Miller-Heidke, Contemporary Communication was not just a masterful performance. It challenged audiences to reconsider what an operatic performance means, and captured my imagination.
The cast was vulnerable, inviting us into the vision they have for the world and the art of opera. Their chemistry was also evident, and it was impossible not to enjoy and be awed by them when you could see that same feeling echoing through each of them to one another. ”
- Isolated Nation
“Jenna Robertson was exceptional. She may have been shoeless to feel connected with the earth, but she soared as she sang.”
- Isolated Nation
