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Aspen, CO (April 2, 2024): The Wheeler Opera House is honored to bring the Italian theatre company Compagnia TPO back this April for +ERBA: A Forest in the City, a specially commissioned Aspen interactive environmental piece adapted to the valley’s character, monuments, and ecosystem. Last May, the company studied the landscapes and architecture of the Roaring Fork Valley and subsequently held a movement workshop mimicking the cycle of butterflies at the Riverview School in Glenwood Springs. Their pioneering, multi-disciplinary performances meld music, dance, art, sculpture, digital media, lighting, and sound into a one-of-a-kind, immersive experience.

Before the public performance on Friday, April 19 at 6 PM, the company will present two performances with local schools on Friday morning and then an invitation-only sensory-friendly performance on Saturday, April 20 at 11 AM. The interactive nature of the performances is most appropriate for children ages 4-10 years old and the audience will be seated on the stage with the performers.

Tickets for the Friday, April 19, 6 PM show are $15 and on sale Wednesday, April 3 at noon at the Wheeler Opera House Box Office (970.920.5770/ aspenshowtix.com). The Wheeler Opera House is located at 320 E. Hyman Ave., Aspen, CO.

The performance +ERBA: A Forest in the City features two dancers who together with children create an imaginary urban landscape. One dancer acts as the architect, sketching out houses and streets, while the other dancer focuses on nature, drawing grass and trees onto two large projector screens. The architect creates houses full of color and light, while the other dancer enhances them with greenery, evoking a room of creativity and wonder. Here their ideas, innovation, and imagination, gradually shape the landscape with contributions from each of their perspectives. As the city evolves, children contribute by coloring and populating it, while insects emerge, seasons change, and complexity increases. However, a growing factory threatens the city’s ecosystem and inhabitants. In response, the dancers, alongside the children, envision a new space where nature thrives, culminating in a ‘tree concert’ symbolizing their shared dream of a more harmonious and sustainable future.

High-resolution images here.

Compagnia TPO performed +ERBA: A Forest in the City

Friday, April 19 | 6 PM

Tickets: $15

The affordability of Wheeler Opera House tickets is made possible through the support of the City of Aspen Real Estate Transfer Tax, ensuring accessible entertainment for all.

For more information about this and other upcoming events at the Wheeler, visit  www.wheeleroperahouse.com

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If you are interested in interviewing the artist, please contact:
Nicole Levesque
Wheeler Opera House, City of Aspen
nicole.levesque@aspen.gov

 

Wheeler Vision: At the Wheeler Opera House, we set the stage for connections that create memories for our audiences, artists, and the greater Aspen community.

About the Wheeler Opera House: Since 1889, the Wheeler Opera House has been Aspen’s favorite year-round performance venue and has become the Roaring Fork Valley’s premiere site for concerts, films, festivals, lectures, community events, and more. The Wheeler takes extraordinary pride in being a part of Aspen’s history as a gathering place and space for artistic expression in our community. The Wheeler Opera House is a department of the City of Aspen.

About Compagnia TPO: Based in Prato, Italy, Compagnia TPO uses interactive, digital scenery to enhance theatrical dance performances that engage young audiences. Using their bodies to “paint” and “play music” with the ever-changing visuals onstage, the performers gently invite children in the audience to join them in their creative movement. Images and sounds interface with the bodies onstage, transforming live gestures and virtual landscapes into a charming interactive gallery. The company’s work has received awards for innovation and artistry in China, Poland, Italy, the United States, and Spain.