White Snake Projects Presents
FRACTURED
MOSAICS
A Virtual Opera that asks what it means to be Asian American
March 30-April 3, 2023, Live in Cyberspace
Fractured Mosaics
“Banana Ketchup”
Composer, Nilo Alcala | Librettist, Deepali Gupta
“Norfolk”
Composer, Randall Eng | Librettist, Monique Truong
“Music Box Bird”
Composer, Ben Kono | Librettist, Cerise Lim Jacobs
”We Meet At The Water
Composer, Liliya Ugay | Librettist, Sokunthary Svay
INTERLUDES
Writer and Performer, Jason Chu
Composer, Randall Eng
Commissioned by White Snake Projects
Run Time: Approx. 80 minutes without intermission; Performed in English with subtitles
March 30-April 3, 2023
Live in Cyberspace
SYNOPSIS
An operatic response to the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, Fractured Mosaics explores the kaleidoscope of cultures and politics of the 20 different ethnic groups that are encompassed under the insufficient umbrella term of “Asian American.” In this live digital opera, four composer-librettist teams create operatic vignettes of Asian Americans establishing themselves in the United States.
Fractured Mosaics is White Snake Projects’ latest live virtual opera, created using the software plug-in Tutti Remote which was developed by White Snake Projects to make live, synchronous performances from remote locations possible.
“Banana Ketchup”
When Simon, a young medical student of Filipino descent meets his biological mother for the first time, they bond over her home-made bottle of banana ketchup, the quintessential Filipino condiment.
“Norfolk”
Eighty-nine-year-old Dr. Sing is transported from present-day Norfolk, Virginia, back to 1947 and to the Oriental Chop Suey Café, where he is once again a teenager, learning the harsher realities of being Chinese American in the American South and the power of dreaming.
“Music Box Bird”
Through the metaphor of two songbirds, an Asian American woman discovers her inner power to overcome her restrictive upbringing and free herself.
”We Meet At The Water
A daughter in NYC speaks with her mother in Cambodia through the water that separates them, and which will soon overcome Mother’s village. A moving music-theatre piece exploring the impact of climate change on families around the world.
Teaser Trailer
The Inspiration
We are often fractured, but when we come together, we form beautiful mosaics.
Fractured Mosaics responds to the surge in Asian American hate. The term “Asian American” is a social and political construct which groups together 20 different ethnic groups originating from more than half the earth’s land mass. Though loosely bound by the color of our skin, we are not a monolith. Our different cultural and political histories are deeply embedded in our origin memories. We struggle to explain what it means to live in a yellow skin – a skin which is not dark enough to deserve protection from violence or discrimination; a skin which is not white enough to be accorded the privileges of whiteness. How do we explain the insidiousness of “yellow racism”? These five scenes by five Asian American composer/writer teams bound together by musical interludes say what words can only say, inadequately. They show what we dream of, what we struggle with and how we triumph. We are often fractured; but when we come together, the fractured mosaics form something beautiful.
— Librettist CERISE LIM JACOBS
CAST
COMPOSERS
LIBRETTISTS
CREATIVES
TECHNICAL & PRODUCTION
SUPPORT
White Snake Projects’ 2023-2024 programming is supported by a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation. Our programming is also supported the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mass Cultural Council, the Boston Cultural Council, Reopen Creative Boston Fund, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and the Ditson Fund.
