Introducing the 5th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera showcase winner Rain Nox, creator of the micro-opera The Stranger, in its World Premiere. You may remember Rain’s short opera Problems (2017) from the 2nd Annual FSOO.
FSOO 2020 admission and info here.
Performing and producing new works by living composers and librettists offers artists the opportunity for real-time communication. After spending time with the scores and their characters, cast members Cristina Flores, Andy Fleming, Dana Lewis, and Jake Jacobsen had these questions for the creator:
Delilah seems to be torn between wanting Melanie to be happy and thinking her new beau is a douchebag. Is this because she and Frampton think Melanie has an unhealthy pattern of prioritizing mediocre guys she dates, or because Frampton is possessive of Melanie and Delilah is easily manipulated because of her people pleasing nature? Is it more that Guy is mediocre or that the pets have a jealousy complex? I feel like they are going to try and terrorize anyone who might threaten to take away Melanie’s attention.
Rain Nox (RN): I’d like to leave the interpretation up to the audience and performers, but I will say Delilah is the more naïve of the two, so when faced with the negative outcomes Frampton suggests that makes her rethink her position. I have an awesome cat named Chance, and although he’s not quite a Frampton, he can be possessive, but I like to think he wants me to be happy. Even though he never wants me to work on music…
Melanie is written as such a three dimensional character. We get to know her so well within a short period of time. What is your process for creating and developing such vivid and rich characters?
RN: I’m glad you feel that way! I always just knew who Melanie was from the very beginning of the project. I knew she was confident, caring, intelligent, and comfortable with her sexuality, but also struggling with societal expectations of not “having it all” because she doesn’t have a spouse and kids. I tried to use multiple methods of revealing her to the audience (having the animals talk about her, having her talk about herself, and allowing the audience to observe her interactions with the animals and Guy).
The act of taking an idea and following through to create a finished product is no easy task, especially with such a brilliant finished product like this micro opera! How do you stay committed and motivated to take action and write until you complete an entire piece like The Stranger
RN: Since I actually came up with the idea about a year and a half ago but didn’t write it until just before the submittal due date I’m probably not the best person to talk about this. I would say I am very deadline motivated. But there is a certain amount of in the background preparation that happens between when I come up with an idea and when I actually put pen to paper that is indispensable so I try to not be too hard on myself and accept that it is part of my process. Also, an opportunity for a performance by such a great group as One Ounce Opera is highly motivating!
The Stranger is written in movements, 6 in total. They seamlessly weave from one into the other to tell the story, yet each is its own moment. Why did you choose to write this micro opera in movements and how did composing and writing this way inform your creative process?
RN: This probably comes from my musical theatre influence, where there tends to be discrete songs with dialogue in between, only in opera the would be dialogue is part of the songs. For The Stranger, I thought a lot about how much stage time each character should have- for instance Guy has the least amount because he’s just “some guy”. I also thought about making the voice combinations (solo, duet, trio, quartet) varied to make it more interesting for the audience.
Watch this preview with the cast of The Stranger!