Short Summary
WHO WE ARE:
The company, Fifth Wall Performing Arts is confronting: calling into question the institutions of performative art-making by dismantling the suspension of disbelief and by creating work that is personal, intimate, and unabashed. As an interdisciplinary performance collective, Fifth Wall produces works of opera, theatre, and music that call into question the nature of what it means to perform both “in character” and as oneself, and by what means— what vessel, what landscape— stories, histories, and mythologies are shared.
WHAT THIS IS:
Our inaugural production, Michigan Trees: A Guide to the Trees of Michigan and the Great Lakes Region, is a new opera for folk and classical singers that follows the journey of Orna, a trans-woman, as she grapples with self-acceptance. She travels to the north of Michigan, guided by the Mother of Trees, and transforms into the white pine that sits upon Chapel Rock, on the edge of Lake Superior, overlooking it all.
What We Need & What You Get
If this work excites you and you’d like to see new and groundbreaking art by up-and-coming artists, we’d love to have some help in making this establishing project happen!
WHERE THE MONEY GOES: We need help purchasing our props, compensating our performers, renting the Ypsilanti Freighthouse space, documenting the performance, and funding our transportation to NYC. Additional funds go towards building our website, audio equipment, and printing a chapbook of the libretto!
We've already received an EXCEL Grant from the University of Michigan in collaboration with Converge New Music, and are raising what we need to fill in the gaps.
The Impact
- Our work bridges the gap between contemporary music and folk-style singing, as well as intimate and abstract works of theater.
- After our previous production of Einstein in the HOUSE (our adaptation of Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein on the Beach for an Ann Arbor living room), we want to start bringing original works by our team into production!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute, but want to help:
- Ask folks to get the word out and make some noise about our campaign!
- Come see either the performance in Ypsilanti Michigan on Aug 28-29 or in New York City on Oct 12!