You Us We All is a contemporary spin on the classical court masques of the 16th and 17th century. Court masques were a combination of music, drama, dance, and extravagant sets and costumes. These masques were mainly performed for the high nobles and aristocrats in the 16th and 17th centuries throughout Western Europe. This opera is classified as an allegory. According to the Carolina Performing Arts Website, an allegory is defined as a “literary device that conveys often abstract ideas beyond the narrative itself. Often associated with symbolism, the term encompasses a long tradition from Plato to Augustine to George Orwell.” The characters in the opera are portrayed as abstract ideas, such as Death, Love, Virtue, Hope, and Time. Each character
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The opera is designed to start with elaborate costumes for each character. As the play progresses, the characters begin to strip off layers of their complex costume, which symbolizes humanity. The removal of all the intricate costumes allows the audience to see the contradictions and woes of humanity. Ondrejcak also designed the backdrop of the opera. Based on the BAM website, Ondrejcak based the backdrop on the famous architect Inigo Jones. Inigo Jones was famous for his sets and costumes he designed for masques written by Ben Jonson. Ondrejcak pays homage to Jones by creating a digital backdrop that is similar to the intense and elaborate scenery in the sets that Jones created for the masque. Due to the long hours devoted in creating the elaborate masque sets, Ondrejcak decided to keep the cursor on the screen as he changes the flashy backdrops of the opera. Not concealing the cursor mimics the labor-intensive work put into Jones’ masque sets. Also, Ondrejcak also wrote the libretto of the opera. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, libretto is defined as “the text of a work (as an opera) for the musical theater.” Thus, Ondrejcak was a major part in the opera by designing the costumes, set, libretto, and direction of the
The opera is designed to start with elaborate costumes for each character. As the play progresses, the characters begin to strip off layers of their complex costume, which symbolizes humanity. The removal of all the intricate costumes allows the audience to see the contradictions and woes of humanity. Ondrejcak also designed the backdrop of the opera. Based on the BAM website, Ondrejcak based the backdrop on the famous architect Inigo Jones. Inigo Jones was famous for his sets and costumes he designed for masques written by Ben Jonson. Ondrejcak pays homage to Jones by creating a digital backdrop that is similar to the intense and elaborate scenery in the sets that Jones created for the masque. Due to the long hours devoted in creating the elaborate masque sets, Ondrejcak decided to keep the cursor on the screen as he changes the flashy backdrops of the opera. Not concealing the cursor mimics the labor-intensive work put into Jones’ masque sets. Also, Ondrejcak also wrote the libretto of the opera. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, libretto is defined as “the text of a work (as an opera) for the musical theater.” Thus, Ondrejcak was a major part in the opera by designing the costumes, set, libretto, and direction of the