THIS TIME ONLY,
ONCE AGAIN
(IN THREE PARTS)
THIS TIME ONLY, ONCE AGAIN (IN THREE PARTS) was an epic operatic cycle of three new performance artworks for female voices tuned to the inherited injustice of womanhood. A victim of the pandemic, it has never been produced in whole.
It is a personal, experimental ritual drawn from the lifestories of three women from successive generations. These lives are merged with Japanese noh conventions and the Way of the Cross Chronicle to create a durational event, with the final form intended as 12 hours of continuous performance. THIS TIME ONLY was going to be a ceremonial, communal experience celebrating inter-generational transformation.
GIOVANNALA
The Suffering of God's Great Gift
Written by Erik Ehn.
An Italian immigrant, devout to her role in the eyes of the church and her culture, loses her three boys to war. Her fourth child, a girl, is no substitute.
A pattern is willingly forged.
MARIANNE
The Suffering of Traveling Star in a Strange Land
Written by Ryan Hill.
Defined by a spirit of resistance, a woman fights through society's expectations and limitations. Focused on battle, she repeats the mistakes of her mother.
A pattern is unwittingly reinforced.
IODAME
The Suffering of Dark Happy Stone
Written by Katie Pearl.
A child, weary of the persistent injustices of womanhood, returns home to care for her mother. The struggle is mutual, but only one has the power to forgive.
A pattern is lovingly broken.
Images from the initial presentation at the Fury Factory Festival of Ensemble Theatre, 2018.
