January 1, 2006

Beyond 2006

by Nick Montfort · , 11:32 pm

Happy 2006, all! In the interests of being future-looking, I’ll start off the new year by looking right on ahead to 2007. In the fall of next year the incredible-sounding opera Death and the Powers will go on, with music by Tod Machover (of the MIT Media Lab; The Brain Opera, Resurrection), libretto by Robert Pinsky (Mindwheel, The Figured Wheel, Jersey Rain, The Favorite Poem Project), robotics engineering by Cynthia Breazael (MIT Media Lab), and production design by Alex McDowell (Minority Report, Fight Club, The Crow) – see the page for full credits and a link to a seven-page PDF description. The production will feature incredible-looking sets, autonomous robots, and hyperinstrumental music. The main character is Simon Powers, an aged inventor whose attempt at a seemingly extropian transformation is at the heart of the piece.

Death and the Powers set

But I’m sure there will be plenty of incredible work to enjoy in this new year, too. And, on behalf of all of us here at Grand Text Auto, have a great one.

5 Responses to “Beyond 2006”


  1. Patrick Dugan Says:

    Thats an opera I might actually be interested in seeing.

    2006 is going to be a big year for the games industry, just the right confluence of bold people going indie with innovatice ideas will make this the year remembered as when the tide turned and interactivity grew up.

  2. networked_performance Says:

    Death and the Powers

    Hyperinstruments, Sonitronics, and Musical Propulsion “…In the fall of next year the incredible-sounding opera Death and the Powers will go on, with music by Tod Machover (of the MIT Media Lab; The Brain Opera, Resurrection), libretto by Robert Pins…

  3. Snarkmarket Says:

    But Will It Be Staged With LEGOs?

    Hey, speaking of robots… Coming in 2006: Death and the Powers, a robot opera. It’s a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab, poet Robert Pinsky, and the production designer behind Minority Report. To which I say: COOL. (GTA-tastic.)…

  4. nick Says:

    Death and the Powers is now set to premiere in Monte Carlo in November 2008 and go on a worldwide tour from there. There is a video introduction to the project that is now available, which I found linked from this page about the project. The page offers several other video clips and images and further information.

  5. Post Position » Death and the Powers Arrives Says:

    […] reach the stage. Death and the Powers has been in the works for about a decade, I wrote about it as we rang in the new year (2006) at Grand Text Auto, and I was very pleased to hear the workshop performance of the opera at A.R.T., here in Cambirdge. […]

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