MUSIC
Liberty libretto NEW ORIGINAL OPERA NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE CONFRONTS AND EMPATHIZES WITH THE TRAUMATIC MARGINS OF POLICE VIOLENCE WITH FORTHCOMING WORLD PREMIERE. By Evan Jarvicks
The phrase “no justice, no peace” has become such a commonplace ca ll-and-response chant in Oklahoma City protest marches over the past few years that it has become as shorthanded as “Boomer Sooner” in some circles. Though not a new saying, it carries the baggage of polarized present-day discourse due to its renewed popularization alongside the Black Lives Matter movement. For some, “no justice, no peace” is just bumper sticker rhetoric that only functions to stereotype its speaker as purely progressive and therefore anti-conservative. However, while politics is often abbreviated as a two-party game, people are more than dots on a field, and that is what the new opera No Justice, No Peace aims to convey by rediscovering the de ep er, t h r e e- d i men sion a l meaning of its titular phrase. “No Justice, No Peace engages with the effects of police violence in ways that are oftentimes neglected,” Chris Prather, music composer, librettist, and producer, said. “What was the family’s life like before and after one of these tragic situations? We get so caught up in the politicization of this issue we fail to see the humanity that is lost, the families that are changed forever, and the lives that are taken away.” Composed as a one-act work with an approximate 90-minute runtime, No Justice, No Peace takes place in Oklahoma and follows the fictional Benson family. While the production has been tight-lipped about plot developments, it has announced that the six-character opera centers around the father and son grieving the loss of their matriarch, some of which is expressed through therapy sessions. How exactly the police become involved will not be revealed until the opera’s world premiere run of performances. Without any major sponsors, No Justice, No Peace is a collaborative grassroots effort hoping to break even through fundraising and ticket sales. It has partnered
with OKC’s chapter of Opera on Tap, an international nonprofit dedicated to making opera more accessible, for professional assistance in the production. While the association has helped the project come to life, the art form’s repu- Lorenzo Butler and Kayla Marshall perform No Justice, No Peace at the 2022 Festival of the Arts. Photo provided. tation for being elitist and out-of-touch has still kept and it doesn’t stop there. It prompolarized discourse. Some may grassroots resources scarce. ises to carry a unique sonic finread this opera as leftist by its “Opera is marginalized in the gerprint thanks to composer premise alone, and others may states and can often seem culturChris Prather’s striking myriad read it as centrist for not claiming ally irrelevant to the average of influences. to be leftist. However, No Justice, American,” Danielle Harrington, “Musically, this opera takes No Peace ultimately wants to be founder of Opera on Tap OKC, said. inspiration from classical music, heard and seen not for any politi“We hope this incredibly relevant blues, and commercial music from cal agenda but for a more authentopic of No Justice, No Peace, and film/video games, including tic representation of human lives. its local perspective will show a r tist s li ke Ni na Si mone, “Writing this opera has been opera is being reimagined.” Benjamin Britten, Billie Holiday, quite the balancing act,” Prather For a historically Eurocentric Yo s h i h i s a H i r a n o , I g o r said. “We wanted to create a story art form whose past is tainted Stravinisky, John Williams, Jake and characters that feel very real with figures like Richard Wagner, Heggie, and this super obscure so that every line that is sung or a groundbreaking composer who JRPG game from my childhood spoken feels like it is coming was also a notorious racist, this that no one will know by composfrom that character instead of it is no small task, but the producers Takeo Miratsu and Dennis coming across like a character is tion believes in the challenge. At Martin,” Prather said. spouting the writer’s beliefs and every stage, it has made strides to The opera also includes spoken opinions. I find that heavy-handdiversify its voice and democradialogue which goes against the ed moments like that take you tize its concept. stereotypical sing-speak of clasout of the story when what you “From top to bottom there has sical operatic works. W hile want to feel is immersed.” been collaboration with everyHarrington noted that this is an While the stakes are higher, thing in this production,” libretovergeneralization — only tradioperas like No Justice, No Peace tist Kenneth R. Woods said. “We tional Italian opera strictly have more to offer for the extra care wanted everybody involved to be adheres to singing — the decision taken in their development. They comfortable with every decision to write and perform natural have the potential to take conscious that was made, every idea we had, speech is essential to No Justice, observation or even verbalization and be able to express themselves No Peace. It not only gives the to a higher level of empathy. Where when they had ideas. story a more approachable strucstreet protesters often chant in “Also there was a lot of commuture to general audiences, but it honor of victims to say their names, nity involvement. We conducted also extends its expressive range. opera offers the invaluable ability interviews with individuals, and “We felt that having spoken to feel their experiences. last August, we did a workshop words versus sung-through added No Justice, No Peace runs June where we invited the community to the drama and realism of the 24-26, at The Yale Theater in OKC’s to come watch a performance of story,” Prather said. “This is esCapitol Hill District. General adthe opera for free, and afterwards, pecially present during the scene mission is $30 with a $10 discount we had a talkback and took feedinvolving an officer encounter. for students. Reserved front-row back from the audience which We wanted that scene to be as reseating with a pre-show meet and helped us in our revision process.” alistic as possible which led us to greet is $40. No Justice, No Peace also having spoken dialogue there and sounds far more contemporary eventually throughout the opera.” than the average opera. By includWhen creating a fictional naring 20th-century music cultures rative focused on controversial like blues and gospel, it reaches national events, that realism is well beyond the classical world, important to avoid the pitfalls of MUSIC OKGA Z ET TE .COM | J U N E 1 5 , 2 0 2 2 25
