Now Accepting Applications for 

Original Vision 2024!

Call for Proposals of New Opera-Theater Works

Apply here!

• About  Original Vision

Overtone Industries is pleased to announce a call for proposals of New Opera-Theater Works as part of our Original Vision development workshop and presentation in the Fall and Winter of 2024. We are looking for new stories of mythic proportion.

Hailed as “an unparalleled creative, contemporary success” and “Beautifully experimental, the [pieces]...perfectly translate for modern ears, ideals, and sensibilities. They are dark, full-bodied, delicious, and potent” (Broadway World), Original Vision is an opportunity for Overtone Industries to support creative voices as they develop interdisciplinary work in the vein of Overtone’s mythic storytelling model. 

The project includes a 4-week libretto development period, followed by a 6 week music development period, all with mentorship from Overtone’s artistic leadership. The project culiminates in three composer/librettist teams presenting new scenes performed and directed by Overtone’s creative team.

• About Mythic Storytelling

Some people define Myth as less than fact; we see it as more than fact - A Myth is a way to communicate on many levels at the same time; to see our human experience as the anchor and evidence of ancient impulses, current understanding, and cosmic laws we can only glimpse. Creating new myths requires people who can feel a narrative from all those perspectives and tell their story through a vivid personal lens. Magic, mystery and the extraordinary as part of our everyday lives are welcome!

Guidelines and Submission Process

• There is no submission fee for this call for proposals.
• This opportunity is open to artists in any location who can participate via zoom, however we are prioritizing applications from local (Southern California) artists who can attend the workshops in-person.
• Attendance is expected for the performance and encouraged for the rehearsal process and workshops. 
• At this time, we are only considering new works based on original stories rather than adaptations or retellings of existing myths.

Submission Requirements

• Scores and recordings (no midi realizations please) of two musical samples, one must show writing for the voice.
• One writing sample of poetry, lyrics, or dialogue
• 250 word (max) proposal of your work including major themes and how it relates to the notion of Mythic Storytelling as defined above. 
  • Please describe relevant characters and imagined forces necessary for the production (number of singers, types of instrumentation, etc.), and which section you want to develop as part of Original Vision.
• Please include a short statement about why you are interested in the type of work Overtone creates and what you hope to receive from the mentorship process.
• 100 word bio for each collaborating artist.
• Websites for collaborating artists (applicants must have a website).
• Please do not email attachments. Rather, include links to all work samples and other information directly in the application form. Please make all such links active through the end of July, 2024.

Timeline

• July 15th - Deadline for Application
• July 25nd - Participants are selected and informed of acceptance
• Sept 1st to 30th - libretto workshops
• October 1 to November 12th - music workshops
• Nov 12th - Rehearsal begin
• Dec. 7th - Performance weekend

Scene Parameters

Each scene will be 10-15 minutes in length and will include up to four singers (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) and up to four instrumentalists (Piano, Violin, ‘Cello, Percussion). Live electronics, including keyboard, triggered percussion, or tape, are also welcome. 

Apply here!

Previous Original Vision Productions

Previous scenes from past Original Vision productions can be seen on our YouTube Page Here 

Original Vision: Leveling 2023

Overtone Industries is pleased to introduce the third cohort of composer-librettist teams as part of the Original Vision development workshop. This year we are working with an award-winning, accomplished cohort including classical composers, folk musicians, playwrights, and electronic musicians, all of whom are creating new Mythic worlds that will be brought to life through Opera.

This year's scenes include:

RANSOM PLACE by Daniel Hass & Jameel Martin

In a neighborhood marked for demolition, two companions, Mr. K and Gerald, hold an abandoned building hostage. An invisible force, the Stagehand, perceived only by Mr. K, picks apart what’s left of the place. A ghost of the past barges in: a delirious, zombie-like woman, recounting her sad tale to no-one in particular. In this eerie landscape, Mr. K and Gerald struggle to shed their illusions and face the unsettling reality of their situation.

THE JOINING by Aiden Feltkamp & Isaac Io Schankler

The Joining tells the story of two cultures, one who lives on the surface and another that lives below it, interacting for the first time in recorded history. The workshop scene features Frem, the Undergrounder sent to deal with the Overlanders, demonstrating their personal golem. The golem are automaton-like inventions who commonly serve as assistants in the Underground. During Frem's presentation to stakeholders in a major Overland company, the new prototype golem begins to show more individuality than any of them expected.

FAY AT BEGONIA by Maesa Pullman

Wayward and out of work, Fay wanders the gardens of Begonia, a utopian colony built into the hills by a group of mystic philosophers. She is swallowed by the mind-bending clutches of the colony, and under the influence of the group’s leader, Anne. When Begonia begins to crumble, Anne’s ego flares and the underbelly of truth rises up. In a fit of disillusionment, by the light of a full moon, Fay runs away from Begonia through winding canyon roads. She comes to a fruit orchard where she eats a glowing peach, begins to sing, and experiences something divine.

*This performance was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.*

Original Vision: Milagros 2021-22

A warm welcome to this year's librettist/composer teams!

We are thrilled to announce this season's participants for Original Vision! This is our second year of the program and we are looking forward to mentoring these artists in the creation of new mythic works.

Our participants come from an astonishing variety of backgrounds – from established artists to those at the beginning of their careers. This year we will be working with an award-winning cohort including classical composers, rock musicians, playwrights, and fashion designers, all of whom are creating new and exciting worlds that will be brought to life on stage.

This year's scenes include:

MARROW, by Gillian Rae Perry and Socks Whitmore

What if the Tooth Fairy was a bone-magic witch who fed on the theft of your innocence? In this dark spin on a familiar mythology, meet Marrow: a grown-up who relieves children of tiny pieces of themselves that lose their usefulness as they age.

PALO SECO, by Tim Holt and Jessica Figueroa

Taking place during the Yaqui Wars, a little-known campaign of enslavement and genocide perpetrated by the Mexican government against the Yaqui tribe, this piece follows a father and son on a journey home as they realize they are no longer safe in their ancestral lands.

INSULT, by John Ballinger

The true, personal story of a husband and wife dealing with a sudden ruptured brain aneurysm. is an exploration of the events, process, and necessity for personal and spiritual transformation in the face of seemingly insurmountable and constant physical pain, disease, and suffering.

*This performance was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.*

Original Vision: Maiden Voyage 2020-21

Untitled Aunt Jemima Opera, by Jason Barabba and June Caryl

This scene explores the origins of the fictional character Aunt Jemima as shew as revealed the Chicago World's Fair, and the historical figure of Nancy Green who originally depicted her.

Hysteria, by Molly Pease and Divya Maus

Inspired by 'treatments' for hysteria from the late 19th Century and the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" from the same era, this scene tells the story of a woman's struggle against her family and doctor as they seek to 'cure' her ailments.

Azure's Hands, by Livia Reiner and Lily Min Ren

A mythical story of young woman with cursed hands that break anything they touch and her journey to find healing as she contends with the history and spectres that reside in her subconscious to find freedom. 

*This film was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.*