Studio M.A.R.S. Presents World Premiere of Wen Liu’s ‘YUM!’
By Afton Markay(Photo credit: Jeff McLane)
Studio M.A.R.S. is set to give the world premiere of “YUM!,” a new experimental XR music theatre production by Wen Liu.
Sopranos Johanna Rusanen and Emmi Kauppinen, along with tenor Adrian Autard, baritone Henry Neill and the Ensemble Studio Dan perform in this new work that blends opera, performance art, and extended reality. “YUM!” explores the climate catastrophe, food insecurity, and collapsing social systems. Carmen C. Kruse is the stage director. Stage and costumes are by Lisa Horvath, Flavia Mazzanti is the XR-Design Consultation, and Sarah Théry serves as dramaturgy.
In a press release Liu said, “’YUM!’ is made of many layers, and many challenges: music theatre, technology, audience participation, control, and the loss of control. At its heart are the technologies shaping our lives and some of today’s most urgent questions: AI, social media, and virtual worlds. We kept asking: When does the virtual lose its connection to reality? What is fake, and what is real?”
“YUM!” was awarded the FEDORA Digital Prize 2025. The prize recognises productions that reimagine opera through digital innovation, exploring new forms of storytelling and audience engagement.
Taking place in part of the 80th Bregenzer Festspiele, “YUM!” is scheduled to open on Aug. 20. Another performance is slated for Aug. 22.
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