Graphic Design: Jay Afrisando. Original Photo: kinsum. Image descriptions/alt-text: A white glowing text that says, “[cheerfully] Hi, I’m captions!” appears on a red-orangey cinema screen.

A white glowing text that says, “[cheerfully] Hi, I’m captions!” appears on a red-orangey cinema screen. Graphic design: Jay Afrisando, with original photo by kinsum.

[opera captions]

captions as actors

in collaboration with thingNY

CAPTIONS [firm voice]:
For a long time,
I’ve been in the background.
Now it’s time for me to show up.

What if captions ‘step up,’ ‘speak,’ and ‘tell’ their stories?

“[opera captions]” focuses on captions bringing together accessibility, inner-imagined voices, and creativity. The music-theater-film-translation-poetry performance “[opera captions]” reimagines what captions as an “actor” can do beyond functioning as a communication conveyor and sound interpreter in audiovisual media while interacting with and personified by humans: New York composer-performers collective thingNY and viewer-audiences. “[opera captions]” invites you to celebrate the lives of captions that have been both cherished and hated.

Work details

Year created: 2023

Format: multifaceted performance with digital projection, live captioning, live scoring, improvisation, and audience participation

Duration: ±60 minutes

Accessibility

  • Captions are the main performance elements. They are also audible, acting as audio descriptions.

  • Regardless of the use of sound amplification, the overall loudness is moderate.

  • A very small part of the performance features profanity.

​

Cast

Concept, Director, Writer, Composer, and Graphic Designer: Jay Afrisando

Performers: thingNY
Gelsey Bell – narrator, captioner, vocalist, & pianist
Andrew Livingston – narrator, captioner, & cellist
Erin Rogers – narrator, captioner, & tenor saxophonist
Dave Ruder – narrator, captioner, & clarinetist
Jeffrey Young – narrator, captioner, & violinist

Lighting Designer: Christina Tang

Project Manager: Terry Perdanawati

Original Photo for the Main Image: kinsum

thingNY is a collective of composer-performers who fuse electronic and acoustic chamber music with new opera, improvisation, theater, text, song and installation. Founded in 2006, thingNY performs experimental works created by the core ensemble – alejandro t. acierto, Gelsey Bell, Isabel Castellvi, Andrew Livingston, Paul Pinto, Erin Rogers, Dave Ruder, and Jeffrey Young – and by adventurous composers such as Jennifer Walshe, Robert Ashley, Rick Burkhardt, Pauline Oliveros, Joseph White, and Julius Eastman. Past works by thingNY include: SubtracTTTTTTTTT, This Takes Place Close By, Time: A Complete Explanation in Three Parts (with Panoply Performance Lab), Dear Nancine, and ADDDDDDDDD. Recently thingNY released the album Passover on Innova Recordings. www.thingNY.com

[opera captions] is made possible by the support of The MAP Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, and Mellon Foundation. https://mapfund.org/ 

This production is a part of SubletSeries@HERE: a curated rental program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as a technical liaison.

Performance

Indexical, Santa Cruz, CA, US, 24 February 2024.

HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave, New York, NY, US on 26 May 2023.

A left-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The on-screen captions read, “NowPlaying [celebratory sound effect]” and “Supppp!!!” with a big emoji smiling face wearing sunglasses. On the screen’s left side, front to back, G

A left-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The on-screen captions read, “NowPlaying [celebratory sound effect]” and “Supppp!!!” with a big emoji smiling face wearing sunglasses. On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell plays piano while shouting facing the audience, and Jeffrey Young holds violin while shouting facing the audience. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder holds a wireless typing keyboard while shouting facing the stage center, Erin Rogers plays saxophone, and Andrew Livingston plays cello. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows many buildings and digital billboards that read, “I’m not alone” and a street covered with captions, “But some people still see me as a threat.” On the screen’s

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows many buildings and digital billboards that read, “I’m not alone” and a street covered with captions, “But some people still see me as a threat.” On the screen’s left side, Jeffrey Young shouts while holding violin. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder, Erin Rogers, and Andrew Livingston read the script on music stands in front of them. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A front-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows a film still that reads, “That night, there occurred the first of a series of mysterious crimes.” Captions, superimposed on the middle right, read, “intertitles

A front-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows a film still that reads, “That night, there occurred the first of a series of mysterious crimes.” Captions, superimposed on the middle right, read, “intertitles.” On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell faces the audience narrating the captions, and Jeffrey Young operates a laptop while holding his violin. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder, Erin Rogers, and Andrew Livingston sit facing the center of the stage. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A left-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows captions that read, ”[SOUND OF POLITICAL TURMOIL]” on a grey background. On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell bangs a piano while her hair swing

A left-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows captions that read, ”[SOUND OF POLITICAL TURMOIL]” on a grey background. On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell bangs a piano while her hair swings like a fire, and Jeffrey Young plays violin. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Erin Rogers plays saxophone, and Andrew Livingston plays a cello. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder stands with both arms half-raised while holding a wireless keyboard, Erin Rogers plays a saxophone while facing the screen,

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder stands with both arms half-raised while holding a wireless keyboard, Erin Rogers plays a saxophone while facing the screen, and Andrew Livingston plays a cello while facing the stage. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A left-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows a male sitting and looking down—in front of him is a white screen with captions that read, “Some people think I’m distracting, alienating and detaching” ended wi

A left-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows a male sitting and looking down—in front of him is a white screen with captions that read, “Some people think I’m distracting, alienating and detaching” ended with a comma. On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell sits facing the stage center, and so does Jeffrey Young while holding a violin. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder, Erin Rogers, and Andrew Livingston sit. The spotlight focuses on Erin. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. On the screen’s left side is a blurred shot of Jeffrey Young playing violin. On the screen’s right side is a focused shot of Andrew Livingston typing a keyboard on a music stand

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. On the screen’s left side is a blurred shot of Jeffrey Young playing violin. On the screen’s right side is a focused shot of Andrew Livingston typing a keyboard on a music stand while sitting with a slightly-bent gesture embracing his cello. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A front-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows captions that read, “What if I have a say? What if humans follow what I say? What if I lead humans and they interpret what I say?” On the screen’s left side is

A front-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows captions that read, “What if I have a say? What if humans follow what I say? What if I lead humans and they interpret what I say?” On the screen’s left side is Jeffrey Young narrating the captions while holding his violin. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A front-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows an image of a bee perching on a small white flower plant with captions that read, “[achoo!!].” On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell seems like

A front-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows an image of a bee perching on a small white flower plant with captions that read, “[achoo!!].” On the screen’s left side, front to back, Gelsey Bell seems like sneezing, and so does Jeffrey Young while playing violin. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A right-angled camera shot of the audience members. They’re opening their phone app as they’re preparing to participate in the performance. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A right-angled camera shot of the audience members. They’re opening their phone app as they’re preparing to participate in the performance. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows a list of captions generated by the audience. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder types on his phone, Erin Rogers types on a wireless keyboard

A right-angled camera shot. thingNY is on stage with captions on screen. The screen shows a list of captions generated by the audience. On the screen’s right side, front to back, Dave Ruder types on his phone, Erin Rogers types on a wireless keyboard, and Andrew Livingston types on his phone. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

A left-angled camera shot from the front seating. thingNY is on stage. Dave Ruder, Erin Rogers, and Andrew Livingston, along with the audience members seated in the front, do flappy applause. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at H

A left-angled camera shot from the front seating. thingNY is on stage. Dave Ruder, Erin Rogers, and Andrew Livingston, along with the audience members seated in the front, do flappy applause. Photo credit: Reuben Radding. Event: [opera captions] at HERE Arts Center (2023).

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