IMPACT at New Opera Days Ostrava
An evolution of Amir Shpilman and Shiran Eliaserov’s performative installation Inversion of a Future, IMPACT is the first act of their opera that redefines the operatic stage by integrating orchestral music with live stunt performance. Following its showcase at Tanzhalle Berlin in February 2023, the piece premiered on 28 June 2024 at New Opera Days Ostrava.
Photo © Johan Planefeldt
The work is the result of extensive research supported by DockART, the Berlin Senate, and Fonds Darstellende Künste. It reimagines the gestures of heroic cinema and exposes the fragility, fear, and vulnerability hidden within them. To achieve this, the creative team brought together artists who could move between the worlds of music, sound, and motion.
Presented on a 360° stage, the cast included soprano Katsiaryna Zhynhiarouskaya, stuntwoman Helga Wretman, and rigging specialists Alexander Kusmak and Marten Baum. Their performances interacted directly with Shpilman’s score, which combined orchestration, foley work, and sound design to create an immersive sonic and physical environment.
Trapped within the boundaries of the stage, these performers merged into an indivisible organism, embodying both intensity and fragility in a way that blurred the line between opera and cinematic stunt.
All photos © Johan Planefeldt
Credits
Artistic conception & stage direction: Amir Shpilman & Shiran Eliaserov
Composition: Amir Shpilman
Choreography: Shiran Eliaserov
Dramaturgy: Louis Geisler
Soprano: Katsiaryna Zhynhiarouskaya
Stuntwoman: Helga Wretman
Stunt/rigging: Alexander Kusmak, Marten Baum
Sound artists: Anton Kondratov & Egor Ananko
Production management: Cultopia
Score engraving, orchestral parts, and preparation of the performance materials were realized by ZSCORE.studio.
Article Information
- Published
- July 1, 2024
- Category
- Performance
- Tags
- AnnouncementPerformanceCollaborationOstarava
