Blind Sculpture & Oracle Theatre

Last week I was able to travel to Chicago and work with Mary Swander on the music for a new play: The Blind Sculpture Project, which focuses on the way blindness affects and is perceived by our culture. I was working in the basement at Oracle Theatre while Matt Foss was helping facilitate another play by Mary, called Map of my Kingdom, on the main floor. For three of the days, I wrote music in the basement, taking breaks occasionally to run errands to buy props. It was actually a really incredible opportunity to pick up props and materials from around Chicago. I really imagine Chicago as a prospective city to live and work, and running those errands gave me a much more holistic idea of how the city is organized. By the end of last week, I was much more capable of navigating the intersecting streets. The last few days, however, I was given a break from composing in order to help Jason Fassl, lighting designer for The Jungle, hang lights and focus. This week, I must finalize some of my music drafts to send to Mary, as well as make a recording of The Blind Sculpture Project being read aloud in order to better understand how music fits into the play. Exciting traveling and exciting composing! I am looking forward to see how this project develops.