Millicent Young
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work > Penelope and the Geese: an opera (ongoing)

In August 2020, I was invited to become scenic designer for a new opera Penelope and the Geese by librettist Cheri Magid and composer Milica Paranosic. The opera is a feminist reweaving of The Odyssey's Penelope story, giving voice to Penelope, as well as Circe and Calypso, as they consider sexual agency and fidelity. Scheduled to have premiered in Mexico City in May 2020, the creative team pivoted in response to the pandemic closures and audio/video recorded the opera. My studio was one site for filming using extant work as a ready made set in August of 2020.

In June of 2022, my prototype of the new set design based on Penelope's loom was used in a workshop performance at White Feather Farm, Saugerties NY.

Penelope's Loom (horse hair, wood, cable; 66 x 65 x 12)


Workshop performance with Hai Ting Chinn


with Hai Ting Chinn, mezzo soprano soloist


with Hai Ting Chinn, mezzo soprano soloist


with Hai Ting Chinn, mezzo soprano soloist


with Hai Ting Chinn, mezzo soprano and Lara St John, videographer


with Milica Paranosic, composer and Cheri Magid, librettist


with Milica Paranosic, composer Cheri Magid, librettist Lara St John, videographer