Speaking to the Galway Advertiser, Tom Creed promises that Galway has never before seen what he and composer Jennifer Walshe have cooked up for the Galway International Arts Festival.
A major challenge, he says, has been the second act of this opera, MARS, which - of course - is set on the planet Mars. All the musical instruments had to be altered to sound like they are playing in space. This should immerse the audience and launch them on an adventure into the solar system while remaining safely within Leisureland, from July 25, to July 27.
Tom described the process of making it feel believable for the audience: "Mars has gravity, which is 38 per cent of Earth's gravity, and to give a sense of that, a double bass player attaches a helium balloon to the bowl of the double bass and tries to play on Mars. The percussion players are playing all kinds of unconventional instruments. They're lighting sparklers, they're spraying air canisters, they're shaking boxes of rubbish. So the sound world that Jennifer is creating is completely unique.?It's surprising. It's exciting. And we're having a brilliant time."
Taking opera where no opera has gone before, audiences are urged to have an open mind during the production. Seasoned opera goers will experience something like never before, and those new to the art form will have a mind-opening, hilarious and unforgettable experience.
Using the Leisureland stage as the basis for MARS has taken some creativity to get right from everybody on the team. NASA archives and historical imaginings of what space travel might look like, and old cinema and pop video references, will be the backdrop to the astronautical exploration. The production has music, it has drama, it has visuals, it has storytelling; all of those things are brought together in this contemporary opera.
Tom continues: "If you're making a piece about Mars, you're making a piece about all of the things that concern us right now: about the climate emergency; about the rise of tech billionaires; about the current political system, and an uncertain future.
"We're hearing a lot now about the idea that Mars is the next frontier, and with the climate emergency that we need to be working on how to get off the planet.
"To get humans to Mars, it will, of course, be an enormous collective effort. And so there's something about this opera: it feels like we're working a bit like a space mission. Everyone is going a little bit outside their comfort zone, and everyone is trying to do things that they've never done before. It is proving enjoyable for us and challenging in the best possible way. I hope all of this will transfer into what the audience experiences."
Strap in and get ready to blast off from July 25.
Tickets cost €40 www.giaf.ie
