Performance of Atlantis: A Puppet Opera

Ethos and The VORTEX in Austin, Texas presented Atlantis: A Puppet Opera—a mythic tale of powerful warring religious zealots who are obsessed with world domination and non-renewable energy, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 16 September at 9 p.m. EDT (New York) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles). Share your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram with #howlround.

In Atlantis, Queen Solstra and Prince Helios, with their mighty battleship Invinctus, seek world domination through a war with Lemuria and its powerful Dragon Air Ship. They must harvest the Red Eye of the last Kracken for the Red Energy, but their greed and thirst for revenge will lead to the inevitable destruction of civilization. A cautionary environmental tale with Chad Salvata’s dynamic original score offers a magical realm with fantastical puppets, magnificent production designs, seductive Mermaids, a monstrous Kracken, and majestic Oceans.

The production team of Atlantis: A Puppet Opera is packed full of award-winning creators, directors, and designers. Director Bonnie Cullum (VORTEX Producing Artistic Director) has teamed up with Connor Hopkins (Trouble Puppet Artistic Director) and Caroline Reck (Glass Half Full Theatre Artistic Director) and award-winning VORTEX designers Ann Marie Gordon and Melissa Vogt to bring the puppets and scenery of Atlantis: A Puppet Opera to life. Jason Amato returns to Austin to contribute his stunning lighting design to the world of Atlantis. Roy Taylor engineers the sound design for Salvata’s score with vocal arrangements by Anderson Dear. VORTEX Resident Stage Manager Tamara L. Farley manages the production. Photography by Errich Petersen.

The powerhouse vocalists of the stellar cast include award-winning VORTEX Company members Michelle Haché, Justin LaVergne, Anderson Dear, Melissa Vogt, and Jonathan Itchon, with Rachel Pallante and Jeremy Moran. The cast also includes the multi-talented performances and puppeteering of VORTEX Company members Emerald Mystiek, Eryn Gettys, Gabriel Maldonado, Annie Kim Hedrick, and Patricia Wappner, with Abigail Lucas, Ciera Ramirez, Marliza Mendez, and Whitney “Starlight” Carpenter.

While Atlantis: A Puppet Opera is intended for adults and contains some puppet violence and puppet nudity, older children may attend.

About The VORTEX
We conjure and navigate the storm of imagination with urgent, unashamed art that dares to dream the world in which we want to live. This magic emanates from our cultural harbor, embraces diverse communities, breaks down barriers, and opens channels for vital exchange.

Widely-recognized as the pioneering leader in Austin’s alternative theatre scene, The VORTEX has produced over 300 productions, including more than 100 world premieres. Artistic work includes operas, musicals, plays, ritual theatre, experimental collaborative, and devised projects. The VORTEX venue is artist-owned and operated and was the first theatre to make a home for the arts in 1994 in Austin’s historically-underserved Eastside, now a blossoming arts district. A key player in the Austin New Works Community and one of Austin’s major theatrical forces, The VORTEX has received more than 100 major local awards and hundreds of nominations for artistic excellence. The VORTEX has always engaged in gender- and color-fluid, non-traditional casting. The VORTEX has offered its free, award-winning Summer Youth Theatre since 1991. Internationally renowned as a haven for alternative performance, The VORTEX has presented work by dozens of famous cutting-edge artists. The VORTEX owns and operates The Butterfly Bar. With a liquor license, free WiFi, a huge Yard and deck, and regular nightly hours, The VORTEX thrives as a community destination and leader in the growth of arts and economic stability in Austin.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.