Colorado Sky: A New Opera

Colorado Sky was an exciting three-year project that Katy had the pleasure of working on. The show is a new original opera inspired by the vote to reintroduce wolves to Colorado. It follows the story of Sky and Luna, two wolves who have returned to their ancestral lands and the prejudice they face from humans. It featured three opera singers, a string ensebmle, adn two puppeteers. Katy was invited to design and fabricate the shadow puppets in collaboration with Melanie Bindon, and also served as the lead puppeteer and director of the production.

The piece was first workshopped during an artist residency through Opera Colorado and the University of Colorado. It was later performed multiple times and was accompanied by a shadow puppet workshop for families.

In an interview with Colorado Public Radio: “Because opera is already so rich in its storytelling, the shadow puppetry seemed like the best way to accentuate what was already happening without taking away anything, which was awesome,” Williams said. “I also love shadow puppetry as a way to tell stories with music because I think that through the lighting and through the way that you move, it creates this really cinematic feel.”

https://www.sohapensemble.com/coloradosky

https://www.cpr.org/2023/06/02/this-group-is-reintroducing-wolves-to-colorado-on-stage-with-puppets/