I went to see Interdisciplinary Art Collective’s operetta titled, Unidentified Subject. The show was rescheduled and at a new venue due to Covid. When the cast entered the stage all masked it was clear that they are boldly adapting to our current situation.
I thought I was going to a dance performance but it was an operetta. A form that lends itself to brevity and light heartedness. The program gives clues to what the operetta is about. Textual and musical excerpts are given — referring to others who have investigated the Ancient Greek myth of Electra.
When studying Greek mythology, it becomes apparent that these stories give insight to a different era and culture — one that cannot be understood in the present mindset. Perhaps we need a cultural paradigm shift to understand our present state. The story of Electra is so far from our reality that it becomes a conceptual piece.
Photo by Sara Caldiero.
The chorus is dressed in draped white dresses. The two main characters in suits of paper pieces. The chorus forms human hallways that the soloists walk through. The main characters skip through like children. When they find each other they begin a dance of following one another. Divided then dispersed into a modern hoedown they commence some funny line dancing.
All the lines are lost.
The soloist jams out and the chorus gathers around, creating form from the chaos. They enter a new realm — rising and falling — catching each other as they drop down. A whole body is lifted and carried as duets begin to form.
The stage is taped with a long corridor with a door on one end and an octagon on the other end. The soloist crawls backwards and backstrokes as they move creating a flow back and forth across the stage. The two main characters meet at the door. What appears as a door is a mirror where they reflect each other’s movement.
A new duet forms.
There are brown rectangular pieces of butcher paper hung in the wall. The first one is taken off and laid on the floor. The soloist lies and their body is traced with white chalk. The chorus manipulates their body and props up their limbs with little boxes. Little boxes in various sizes help accomplish the held position. They are picked up and carried away to a new piece of butcher paper. The first piece of butcher paper with the body outline is displayed in front of the stage.
The chorus enchants operatic tones — as if each position is making a sound.
Repeatedly they are moved, traced and repositioned. They hold each position uttering melodic songs full of emotion. The chorus voices join to harmonize. One person whispers in the mic and the ambient singing mixes together.
They all become objects.
They build a half wall around the soloist and sing, “Ring the bones coins in her hand.” It becomes dark and small dots of light turn on as an angelic chorus begins. They are the creatures trying to figure it out — what is the unidentifiable subject?
In all this human brilliance little lights shine.
Sara Caldiero is a writer, book artist, folk dancer, and creative arts instructor. Her proximity to wilderness has inspired her to teach, write, and perform. She enjoys bringing poetry to people in classrooms, on desert adventures, and to drifters on the street. She is in a MFA program for creative writing and completed a BA in English from the University of Utah. She is the creator and director of Hunger for the Arts, an art program that provides workshops and food for homeless teens in Salt Lake City.
Her work has been made public through chapbooks, a broadside by Dreamgarden Press, literary anthologies, and performance. Book art publications include: Hotels, Snatch ‘N’ Sniff, and The Headless Housewife: A book of Anarchy and Imaginary Solutions. Some notable performances as a featured poet are: Utah Arts Festival, Utah Humanities Great Salt Lake Book Festival, and the City Art poetry series.