Film mashup of Aesop’s Fables? Modesto arts group created it in response to COVID
A Modesto arts company created a mashup movie of Aesop’s Fables, filmed in the Central Valley.
Opera Modesto’s “The Race” is its next Festival@Home production, available to view online through April 30. It was filmed during the coronavirus pandemic in October and November.
“The Race” was inspired in part by the musical “Into the Woods” and is a mashup of five Aesop’s Fables, according to a press release from Opera Modesto. “The Tortoise and the Hare” provides the story’s backbone and intersects with “The Bear and the Bees,” “The Hares and the Frogs,” “The Fox and the Grapes” and “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.”
“The Race” was rehearsed almost entirely on Zoom and filmed outdoors “on location in Central Valley orchards, fields, vineyards and by the Tuolumne River and features 19 diverse youth artists, 11-19 years old,” according to the release.
It was commissioned by Opera Modesto from composer Deborah Kavasch and librettist/lyricist Linda Bunney-Sarhad as a flexible training opera for its Summer Opera Institute for teens, the release said.
“What a thrill to be commissioned by Opera Modesto to write an opera for young singers based on Aesop’s Fables with their ageless appeal to all audiences,” Kavasch said in the release. “The brilliant libretto by Linda Bunney-Sarhad got my creative juices and laughter flowing immediately.”
Opera Modesto partnered with Michael Everett of filmmaking studio The Creation Lab in Turlock. Chamber orchestra and vocals were recorded in the studio and the movie was filmed with RED cameras in 6K, and with drones and GoPros on location at the Dankemeyer Farm, Blom Family Farms and the Couchman Dairy, west of Modesto.
Co-Producers Roy Stevens, Opera Modesto’s general director, and Annalisa Winberg, Opera Modesto artistic consultant, partnered with filmmakers, cast the youth artists, hired the crew and orchestra and arranged locations for the shoot, the release said.
The film has “won more than 50 awards (laurels) in international film festivals around the world.” according to the press release.
“Youthful joy” part of film
“Though the Aesop’s Fables are often thought of as children’s tales in America, they began as moral guides for adults,” the release said. Director Carolina Stevens, 24, “imagined a creative and mature conception of the fables, while retaining youthful joy.”
“Directing ‘The Race’ was a wild experience — this was a very new challenge for everyone since most of us had never done a film, and those who had never worked on an opera,” Stevens said in the release. “We had to stay extremely flexible and come up with creative solutions to the many problems posed not only by the pandemic but also unpredictable weather, wildfires, and flooding.
“But we kept just figuring it out as we went along, and the end result is pretty remarkable — neither a traditional opera nor a traditional film, ‘The Race’ is something totally unique and enjoyable for all ages.”
The release said the movie will be subtitled in English, captioned in 20 languages, have ASL interpretation, be accompanied by a multilingual graphic novel and made available as a tool for ESL/literacy to teachers and schools locally and internationally.
Liisa Dávila served as conductor and Los Angeles-based Keilani Gleave designed costumes.
“’The Race’ is an unexpected gift from COVID-19. Opera Modesto would never have considered making a movie, let alone a youth opera movie, without the theater closings caused by the pandemic,” Stevens said in the release. “The process has become an amazing opportunity to touch the lives of area youth artists, and through them, to create an ESL/literacy tool that will have value for years to come ...”
Tickets are $35, though there are student and senior discounts and a “pay what you want” option as low as $5. Ticket holders will have unlimited views through April 30. Extra features include behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the creative team. For information and tickets, go to www.OperaModesto.org.
