It’s surprising how Stumped interweaves the operatic narrative of myths with an argumentative essay. An online forum discussion about deforestation is interspersed with operatic singing that enacts ancient myths related to deforestation. With a live orchestra facilitating the conversation, this performance offers an informative and immersive exploration of the human relationship with forests, past and present.
The set is simple: a screen showing the process of deforestation is surrounded by two users of the online forum and a small orchestra. As the discussion escalates, more references to forest destruction in history and mythology emerge, inviting opera passages to fuse with everyday speech.
The composition presents these ancient stories in a magnificent yet disturbing way, revealing the often-overlooked violence behind the grandeur of gods, emperors, and philosophers. Forests were cut, fires were set, and the inhabitants of forests fled but rarely escaped a miserable fate. The music gives a heart-wrenching, tragic tone to the unbearably detailed descriptions of how various creatures died in such events.
Gradually, the boundaries between music and conversation blur, as the intensity of re-creating the loss influences the discussion. Words in the dialogue and libretto repeat and respond to one another, vividly bringing the mythological world into the present inquiry.
Deforestation is not only to be discussed and argued about, but also to be felt, even suffered through. Faced with doubts regarding whether deforestation is really an issue, Stumped answers not only through delivering facts but also through unfolding the myth.
Near the end of the show, the actors finish assembling a wooden frame to emphasize the screen, drawing our attention to the video of deforestation. Stumped makes a strong point through its intriguing musical storytelling: hurting the forest is hurting ourselves, and if you can’t feel it, let’s feel it together, right here, right now.
