‘TESLA’ Opera Seeking Finishing Funds

By Katharine Baran

SoBe Arts, in collaboration with the Colony Theatre in Miami, has started work on “Tesla” a Multidisciplinary opera about the life, innovations, and explorations of Nikola Tesla.  Ideally, by September, the production will be recorded, videotaped, and edited for worldwide distribution. To finish this project, they have started a Kickstarter campaign page titled “TESLA, a Multidisciplinary Opera.”

So far they have four backers and are hoping to reach the goal of $5,000 within the next 18 days.  If they do not reach their goal by June the project will not be able to go out in September and, regarding the grants that they were awarded, most of the funding would have to be given back.  With just a little extra help, by giving a secure tax-deductible donation of any size, the production can become a reality and the long awaited world premiere can happen.

Bringing Tesla’s vision of an environmentally clean future, the partnership has told the story through music, unique set designs and costumes, digital animations, mechanical electrical stage devices, and poetic storytelling.  By showing and spreading the sad life of Tesla, the partnership is on its last leg of creating the production, which aims to make people more aware of the problems in living unsustainably, as Tesla predicted over a 100 years ago.

The production is focusing on two main goals, one bringing attention to humanity, culture, and environmental stability to the forefront of people’s minds, and also showing how Tesla’s radical visions of scientific and capitalism reform led him to his rise and demise.  The performance is supposedly going to emotionally immerse the audience and show how Tesla’s work led to the foundation for modern-day wireless energy transfer, wireless communications, laser beams, neon and fluorescent lighting, radio transmission, remote control and robotics.

Thomas Babe is the co-librettist for the performance, who was one of the 70’s US playwrights that laid the groundwork that likely influenced people like of Quentin Tarantino and Aaron Sorkin.  His writing tends to feature somewhat crazy but innovative and intelligent characters. Babe has worked with well-known actors and actresses for almost all of his works since he started writing in the 70’s.

The composer and co-librettist of the production is Carson Kievman, whose international work has been performed from different stages, concerts, dances, and museum settings.  His previous works have been broadcasted from the BBC, NPR, Radio France, and more.  He works mainly on blending new music sounds with theatrical, visual and literary arts. Kievman has created 23 multimedia music-theater works, including seven full-length stage works, such as California Mystery Park, Hamlet, Tesla and Intelligent Systems.

Jefferey Marc Buchman is the stage director for the production and has worked on productions of “Madama Butterfly” and created a critically acclaimed production of “La Bohème.”  He most recently worked on a new production of “Don Giovanni” for the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and more.

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