Alchemical Opera Project's goal is the creation of new, more vulnerable forms of opera theatre - intimate aural and visual spectacles developed through the alchemical reaction of operatic vocalism with poetry, movement, and design. One path is a progression towards smaller scale works, a clear consequence of economics but also of people's desire for close connection in their culture. In the pursui
t of a unique performer-audience relationship, Alchemical Opera Project creates work using both essentialized forces and content. Alchemical Opera Project's works are conceived for solo vocal performer with instrumental accompaniment. This reduction to the vital allows for an exploration of what is opera's fundamental essence: the ability of the voice to express with immediacy the depth of human experience. Alchemical Opera Project believes in the autonomy of musical artists to dialogue with canonized musical material, to break its structure, and transform it. Music is used as source material in movement based improvisation, the cornerstone of Alchemical Opera Project's creative process; as a result, the music is metamorphosed in it's developing relationships to action and story. Text and melodies appear in works both in their original and enhanced forms. In the final stages of development, musical collaborators then work together with initial creators to create accompaniment and musical form. Space and landscape are critical to the design of Alchemical Opera Project's work. Productions develop in each of their iterations to fit the space in which they are performed. The environment affects design, but also narrative and content. The portability and mutability of the works is critical, as it adds to the complexity of the works themselves in their long-term development.
