Locust: The Opera

Additional Information

“Locust: The Opera,” a one-hour chamber opera, will be performed at the Gryphon Theater on Saturday, October 5th, at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased through the Gryphon Theater (https://www.gryphontheatre.org/) for $15 (general public) or $7 (students and seniors). The opera is being supported by the UW office of the president and the Wyoming Humanities Council.

The opera premiered in Jackson last year to rave reviews and was performed this spring in Morocco. Wyoming doesn’t often—or maybe ever—host the world premiere of an opera. But then, not many operas have been written by Wyoming artists for Wyoming audiences. Add to that the fact that the libretto (lyrics), music, costumes and scenery all come from Wyoming artists and attendees will be treated to a rare, perhaps unprecedented, theatrical performance.

What can the audience expect from this novel event? “The opera is an environmental murder mystery,” says Lockwood, a professor of natural sciences and humanities, who wrote the lyrics. “It is the story of the Rocky Mountain locust, an iconic species that blackened the skies in the 1800s with huge swarms but suddenly disappeared forever at the turn of the twentieth century.” As an entomologist-turned-writer and philosopher, Lockwood maintains that telling stories through music is one of the best ways to promote scientific literacy and reveal the history of the West.

He might be right, given the resurgence of musical theater in America. “Hamilton” won eleven Tony Awards and continues to play to packed houses across the country with audiences surpassing half a million. And the film musical “La La Land” grossed $340 million and scored six Academy Awards. According to Dr. Anne Guzzo, the composer and a professor of music, “Jeff’s lyrics are potent, but music provides the emotional lens for me—and perhaps the audience—to truly understand the story and to be moved by its message of caring for the natural world.”

Not to give away the plot, but in the opera the ghost of the Rocky Mountain locust compels a scientist to figure out how a creature that once numbered in the trillions survives only in stories such as Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie.” The opera is based on Lockwood’s book, “Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier”, which the Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Proulx described as, “Gripping…fascinating…an entomological thriller.”

But will there really be an acclaimed soprano playing the role of a locust? Absolutely, and one of the highlights of the staging is her costume, which is being designed by Ashley Hope Carlisle,
a professor of sculpture in the UW Art and Art History Department. “My ideal for the costume,” she says, “is to morph the images of locust, woman, and ghost in an ethereal presence so that when she moves you see an insect but when she sings you experience humanity.” What does a professional opera singer think about the role of an insect? According to Cristin Colvin, “I am thrilled to perform a role in which I am not purely human but a dream figure that allows me to explore other aspects of the ‘self’ in philosophical, psychological, even spiritual terms.”

Colvin will be joined by Todd Teske, a tenor singing the role of the scientist, and Thomas Erik Angerhofer, a baritone singing the role of the rancher. The Colorado Chamber Orchestra will combine with faculty from UW to provide the instrumental music—along with yet another innovation. The audience will perform the role of a locust swarm, using sheets of tissue paper coordinated with a brief and fun-filled rehearsal with the conductor, Thomas Blomster, just before the performance begins. Blomster values the opportunity to work with new music, “In a long career, you find yourself doing the same pieces repeatedly. I’m excited to find new works and doubly so with Anne’s creativity, talent, and reputation as a composer.” As for what his role, “I want to be honest to the musical score. Too often classical musicians seek to interpret a work, and I want to realize the composer’s intentions for the audience.”

So what comes next for this opera? The creative team of Carlisle, Guzzo and Lockwood are working with the organizing committee of the World Conservation Congress with an eye to a performance in France next summer. And after that? Perhaps the opera will take the world by storm, just like the locusts whose story it tells.