Incredible initiative by this national treasure M3F
Synopsis
In this intergenerational work about filial love, dementia, and radical compassion, the new opera “Vanishing Point” delicately explores complex human relationships and plunges us into a moment of rare intensity.
Vanishing Point is a 30-minute opera for soprano and mezzo-soprano that I co-created in with composer Parisa Sabet.
In 2024, the film version premiered, starring Frédéricka Petit-Homme and Ruth Acheampong.
I directed the initial stage performance and the film version.
We took elements from our shared history as Iranian immigrants to craft a challenging piece of complex and nuanced emotional shifts, a whiplash of tenderness and bitterness, and a sober question of whether we can reframe a crisis into an opportunity to show up fully present for someone we love even as we watch them slip away. Densely crafted around themes of loss, migration, and unresolved trauma, it asks audiences to bring their attention, patience, and empathy to an emotional canvas that is perhaps uncommon in traditional opera.
We have designed this piece as a vehicle for BIPOC performers.