>>> ARBOR OPERA THEATER IN
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, USES OPERA

TO COMBAT THE STIGMA OF
DEPRESSION AND OTHER ILLNESSES.

RECENTLY, THE GROUP DECIDED TO
PERFORM AN ADAPTATION OF

LA TRAVIATA TO INCREASE
AWARENESS OF THESE ISSUES.

[ MUSIC ]
>> ARBOR OPERA THEATER WAS

FOUNDED IN 1999 BY THREE SINGERS
WHO HAD FINISHED THEIR SCHOOLING

AND WERE LOOKING FOR
PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL PERFORMANCE

OPPORTUNITIES.
THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION

WAS TO HELP THE EMERGING
PROFESSIONAL ARTIST TO BRIDGE

THE GAP BETWEEN THE ACADEMIC
WORLD AND THE PROFESSIONAL

WORLD.
>> FOR THE FIRST, OH, I'D SAY

SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS THAT THE
COMPANY EXISTED, THAT WAS REALLY

THE FOCUS, JUST HOW CAN WE
PROVIDE THESE EXPERIENCES FOR

SINGERS AND I THINK ALSO TO
PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH AN

EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING ARTS
PROGRAMMING.

>> WE INCORPORATED AND PRODUCED
OUR FIRST OPERA, LUCIA DI

LAMMERMOOR, IN 2000 AND HAVE
TYPICALLY DONE AN OPERA EACH

JUNE ALONG WITH CHAMBER OPERAS,
RECITALS, AND CABARETS

THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE YEAR.
>> AOT DECIDED TO DO THIS

PARTICULAR ADAPTATION OF
LA TRAVIATA TO DRAW AWARENESS TO

THE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL ILLNESS
THAT OFTEN RESULTS IN SUICIDES.

AND WE WERE INFLUENCED BY THE
DEATH OF ROBIN WILLIAMS AND ALSO

SOME OF US HAD EXPERIENCED
SUICIDE IN OUR OWN FAMILIES.

[ MUSIC ]
>> SO THE STORY HAS BEEN AROUND

FOR A LONG TIME.
AND WHEN I LOOKED AT THIS STORY

AND I DECIDED THAT WE WERE GOING
TO BE DOING THIS PRODUCTION, I

REALLY WANTED TO BREAK IT DOWN
AND SAY, WHY IS THIS STORY SO

RELEVANT 163 YEARS LATER?
WHY DO AUDIENCES STILL LIKE IT?

IT HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL MUSIC,
BUT THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN JUST

THE MUSIC.
SO WHEN I REALLY BROKE DOWN THE

CHARACTERS AND LOOKED AT SORT OF
THE ARCHETYPES OF VIOLETTA AS

THE VICTIM AND ALFREDO AS THE
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR AND THE

FATHER REPRESENTING SOCIETY AND
THE FORCES THAT TRY TO KEEP THEM

APART, I REALIZED THAT THE STORY
WASN'T SO MUCH ABOUT A COURTESAN

AND TUBERCULOSIS AND DEATH BUT
MORE ABOUT THE SOCIETAL STIGMA.

SO AS I UPDATED THE STORY,
I REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON WHAT

WOULD BE A SOCIETAL STIGMA IN
OUR CURRENT TIME.

AND AS I SORT OF QUERIED WITH
PEOPLE AND ASKED THEM WHAT THEY

THOUGHT THAT WAS, MANY IDEAS
CAME UP, BUT THE THEME OF MENTAL

ILLNESS KEPT COMING UP OVER AND
OVER AGAIN.

>> TO TELL THE STORY IN THIS WAY
ABOUT SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS SO

MANY PEOPLE -- DEPRESSION,
ANXIETY, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST

BIPOLAR DISORDER BUT ANY SORT OF
MENTAL ILLNESS -- IT'S A

PROFOUND THING TO HAVE SOMEONE
IN YOUR LIFE WHO IS AFFECTED BY

THOSE OR TO BE AFFECTED BY THOSE
THINGS AND TO SHARE THAT STORY

THROUGH THIS INCREDIBLE MUSIC,
SO BEAUTIFUL, BUT TO SHARE THIS

IN A WAY, I THINK IT'S GOING TO
TOUCH A LOT OF PEOPLE AND BE A

REALLY CATHARTIC EXPERIENCE FOR
BOTH THOSE OF US IN IT AND THE

AUDIENCE.

>> I THINK THE ATTRACTION OF
LA TRAVIATA IS NOT ONLY IS IT

ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED OPERAS
OF ALL TIME, BUT ALSO IT HAS

THEMES THAT ARE READILY
TRANSFERABLE.

SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT A
SPECIFIC HISTORICAL EVENT OR

SPECIFIC HISTORICAL FIGURES OR
SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING ON IN

HISTORY.
IT'S ABOUT SPECIFIC THEMES.

THEMES ARE MORE EASILY ADAPTED
TO DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS.

>> I ACTUALLY KNEW THE
LA TRAVIATA STORY.

I KNEW ABOUT ITS THEME.
I KNEW ABOUT THE TURMOIL.

I KNEW ABOUT VIOLETTA'S DEATH,
THE STIGMA THAT KIND OF LED TO

THE PROBLEMS THAT SHE HAD HAD
WITH FAMILY MEMBERS OF SOMEONE

SHE LOVED.
AND WE NEEDED TO ADAPT IT TO THE

CURRENT DAY AND AGE TO CHANGE
THE STORY.

SO THAT WAS DONE WITH THE GOAL
OF MAKING IT RELEVANT TO WHAT

THE NATIONAL NETWORK OF
DEPRESSION CENTERS DOES,

WHICH IS TO ATTACK DEPRESSIONS
AND BIPOLAR ILLNESSES.

SO IN THIS RENDITION,
THIS ADAPTATION, SHE HAS BIPOLAR

ILLNESS, AND WE'RE USING THE
BRINGING TOGETHER OF ART, MUSIC,

AND SCIENCE TO REALLY MOVE US
FORWARD.

[ MUSIC ]
>> THE REALLY INTERESTING THING

THAT I FOUND OUT IN WORKING WITH
SOME OF THE CAST MEMBERS IS HOW

MANY OF THEM HAVE IN THEIR
FAMILIES OR PERSONALLY

THEMSELVES HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS.
AND IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO

HEAR WHAT THEY SAID.
ONE OF THE CAST MEMBERS TALKED

ABOUT HOW REALLY EMOTIONAL IT
WAS FOR HER AT REHEARSALS

BECAUSE THIS WAS SO PERSONAL AND
HAS HIT SO CLOSE TO HOME.

>> MENTAL ILLNESS ACTUALLY RUNS
ON ONE SIDE OF MY FAMILY.

I HAVE A GRANDMOTHER WHO IS
BIPOLAR AND HER SISTER WAS

SCHIZOPHRENIC.
MY MOTHER AND I BOTH HAVE

STRUGGLED WITH DEPRESSION ON AND
OFF, ANXIETY.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I ACTUALLY
STRUGGLED QUITE A BIT WITH

CUTTING AND WITH
SELF-MUTILATION.

THAT'S KIND OF HARD TO ADMIT AND
TO TALK ABOUT ON CAMERA BUT WHAT

BETTER PLACE TO SHAKE THAT FOR
MYSELF, TOO, THAN WITH THIS

PRODUCTION.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT FOR ME

WAS A LONG JOURNEY.
>> SO YOU HAVE AN ILLNESS THAT

IS TREATABLE, BUT PEOPLE ARE
RELUCTANT TO OFTEN GO GET HELP.

WHY IS THAT?
BECAUSE THERE IS STILL A BIT OF

PREVAILING SHAME.
WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, BUT THAT

STIGMA GETS IN THE WAY, AS
SOMETIMES I AM FOND OF SAYING.

I DON'T LIKE IT, BUT STIGMA
KILLS.

AND IN SOME CASES PEOPLE WHO
DON'T GET TREATED EVEN GET SO

MUCH IN DESPAIR THAT THEY DIE OF
SUICIDE.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO ESSENTIALLY
USE A MEDIUM OF ART AND MUSIC TO

SEND A SIGNAL THAT MOVES PEOPLE
EMOTIONALLY AS WELL AS

SCIENTIFICALLY TO UNDERSTAND
BETTER WHILE GOING INTO A

FRAMEWORK OF I'M GOING TO BE A
VOICE TO TAKE THESE THINGS ON.

[ MUSIC ]
>> WE KNOW FROM BRAIN RESEARCH

THAT MUSIC IMPACTS ANOTHER PART
OF THE BRAIN AND THAT PEOPLE

REACT TO MUSIC IN OTHER WAYS AND
TO ART THAN THEY DO JUST THE

SPOKEN TEXT.
SO THIS IS A WAY OF REALLY

MOVING PEOPLE AT A DIFFERENT
LEVEL THAN THEY WOULD BE MOVED

IF THEY WENT TO A SYMPOSIUM ON
MENTAL ILLNESS OR THEY READ

FACTS ON THE NNDC WEBSITE OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

>> AND, INEVITABLY, THIS AND
OTHER APPROACHES LIKE THIS ARE

THE WAY THAT YOU CUT THROUGH
STIGMA.

WE'VE GOT TO TALK ABOUT
THESE THINGS.

[ MUSIC ]
>> I LOVE OPERA, AND WHEN I MET

SHAWN AND HE FIRST STARTED
TALKING ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION,

I WAS ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZED
BY THE IDEA.

I THOUGHT, OH, MY GOSH, TO BRING
TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT WAS SO

IMPORTANT TO SOMEONE THAT I
LOVED SO MUCH, MY BROTHER, WITH

WHAT ENDED UP KILLING HIM, IT'S
JUST MEANT TO BE.

AND IN LOOKING AT THE FINISHED
PRODUCT, IT WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL

PERFORMANCE FOR ME, ESPECIALLY
THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT.

IT REALLY HIT HOME, WHICH IS WHY
I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR

PEOPLE TO SEE IT.

[ APPLAUSE ]
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