Music composed by Dorothy Chang, Benton Roark, Jennifer Butler, and Farshid Samandari. Libretto by Daphne Marlatt.
Using elements of Japanese Noh theatre under the direction of Colleen Lanki, and with music direction by Marguerite Witvoet, Shadow Catch recounts the dreams of a young runaway newly arrived in the city.
As the night progresses, he is visited in turn by the spirits of four troubled souls who once inhabited the area: the spirit of an old maple tree whose grove was decimated by loggers, a member of the brilliant Asahi baseball team whose players were sent off to Japanese internment camps, the madame of a 1920's brothel who is haunted by her tragic past, and a roughneck policeman from the 1930's who fell to corruption.
This is a story not only about characters from Vancouver's historical and cultural background, but about the journey and transformation that must take place in order to confront one's greatest fears and regrets.
As part of Vancouver Pro Musica's Further East Further West Series and the City of Vancouver's 125th Anniversary Celebration, Shadow Catch premieres December 2nd at the Firehall Arts Centre (mere blocks from where the events of the opera take place) and runs until December 4th.