A topic that is especially prevalent today that I think would make a good opera is the refugee crisis. I think that the opera would be a radical medium to look at this issue through because the people who attend the opera tend to be wealthy and have the power to use their money to help refugees. In the same way that Mozart’s The Magic Flute had a message of embracing reason based thought and ideas of the enlightenment, my opera would have a message of a call for morality towards refugees.
My first scene would show a young girl named Ranim who lives a normal life in Syria. Happy, flute heavy music plays. The costumes consist of normal clothes that Syrian people wear. The stage is bright, to portray a sunny day. Ranim would be seen going to school, her mom handing her a packed lunch and giving her a kiss goodbye for the day. She goes to school and learns in class. She is a smart girl and has a lot of potential. She is handed back her math test and she has gotten a high mark, her teacher shoots her a wide grin- she is proud of her. Ranim goes to recess with her friends and they play in the schoolyard. Their favorite game is four square and they bounce the ball to each others, laughing and having a good time. Ranim is smart, happy, and has a lot of potential. The scene fades out.
The second scene shows Ranim a few years later. She is older now and wears a hijab. She looks visibly weathered and a her disposition seems saddened. The music is forlorn, heavy violin. The lighting is darker and there is some smoke across the stage to show how everything is very dusty and broken. She is seen taking care of her younger siblings, rather than going to school. They are dirty and have torn clothes. The set is altered, buildings in the background are crumbling and everything appears to be in a general setting of disrest.
a painting I did of how I want Ranim to look in scene 2
The third scene shows Ranim and her siblings at night, they are clamoring onto a life raft that is appears to already be at capacity. The music is frantic and high pitched, the stage is dark. It is raining and the set will have a moving background to show the large waves and stormy weather.
The fourth scene shows Ranim and her siblings at a refugee camp. She meets other kids her age and plays cards with them. She is wearing mismatched clothing that was given to her. The music is hopeful and upbeat, there is a fire pit on the stage, but otherwise it is dark with a single spotlight on Ranim. She has a tinge of a smile on her face. She is hopeful that things will get better.
