Ms.
DellaRovere's inspiration to compare the Gulf oil disaster with the ravages
of PTSD sprung from her personal experience:
At the same time (as troops were coming home with PTSD), the BP oil spill on the coast of Louisiana was destroying ecosystems, killing pelicans and dolphins, poisoning marine life, and dislodging entire communities that lived off the fruits of the sea.
I intertwined these two themes because I saw a connection between the shattering of the soul of the veterans caused by the war and the ravaging of the environment caused by the oil spill. Both of these issues are larger than life, and opera--through the passionate intensity of music and the grand spectacle of theater--lends itself perfectly as a medium of expression and transformation.
Now, I am not a fan of opera. In fact, I could say with some chagrin than I have not been to the opera since a Junior High cultural expedition with my music teacher. Thus, like many of the working class I have had neither the money, exposure, nor inclination to familiarize myself with this art form. However, even with this lack of exposure, I can see that The Canticle is very different from opera as I have known (assumed) it to be. It tells a story of critical personal and social importance -- in English!
The Canticle of the Black Madonna was produced by a new opera company, Anima Mundi Productions/ It premiered in Portland, Oregon on September 5 and 6, 2014. In conjunction, Anima Mundi offered numerous services for veterans with PTSD--art sessions, live events, psychological services, organizational partnerships, and opportunities to give feedback and appear as supernumeraries (non-singing extras) in the show.
The company is top flight in operatic experience and performance with award-winning vocalists, and Stage Director Kristine McIntyre formerly of the Metropolitan Opera, and stunning costumes by Susan Bonde. (Click here for full cast and production crew.)
From my observations of performances - and my communications with various members of the troupe - everyone is dedicated to the healing power of art and of love. In this case, they are dedicated to those lives which have been destroyed by man-made war and a man-made environmental catastrophe. They are also clearly dedicated to taking opera in a different direction in order to make it more accessible, and pertinent to contemporary issues.
Via The Canticle of the Black Madonna, Anima Mundi Productions has also broken new opera ground in that it is joining with other projects and services in its outreach to veterans and their loved ones. Sean Davis, an author and retired Oregon Army National Guardsman and Purple Heart recipient, is the veteran coordinator working with Anima Mundi Productions in including veterans in all aspects of the The Canticle, from support, to stage crew, to casting supernumeraries, including outreach to veterans thorugh the opera.
Because The Canticle deals squarely with the reintegration issues that vets may have (including PTSD) there was a special performance specifically reserved for veterans. This event included a debrief session afterwards with a psychologist.
I was impressed by the breath-taking sweep of what Anima Mundi Productions is doing with The Canticle of the Black Madonna. It is clear that the aim here is healing, and that for all involved there is a deep sincerity in the loving approach they are taking, and their commitment to art as a vehicle of healing. Indeed, one feels that loving commitment in the performance, and each of the people who are involved (at least for those I have had the honor to meet and communicate with).
When I asked The Canticle composer and Anima Mundi Productions Executive Director, Ethan Gans-Morse, about where Anima Mundi was headed after the premiere of The Canticle, he responded:
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