AMAZON - a first digital commission from Alex Ho and Elayce Ismail

AMAZON is a new digital piece commissioned by Music Theatre Wales and the London Sinfonietta. It is created by composer Alex Ho and theatre maker Elayce Ismail, and their theme is a trip to the Amazon that takes an unexpected turn. They have created a short piece of music theatre that combines music, text and visuals in a poetic reflection on the world we live in.

The work has been released as part of Homemakers, a series of commissions inviting artists to create new works at home, for an audience who are also at home. Homemakers is produced by HOME, Manchester’s centre for international contemporary culture. AMAZON is available HOME website, with tickets available on a ‘Pay What You Can’ basis with a suggested price of £10; all the money raised from ticket sales will be split evenly with 50% going directly to the artist and 50% to Music Theatre Wales and London Sinfonietta’s response fund to allow them to continue to support future artists and commissions.

Ho and Ismail were joining forces for the first time, and had never met in person; neither had used Zoom before. Out of these virtual meetings arose a piece which mirrors their experiences of lockdown: what started as a meditation on the suspension of time and collapse of space became a quest for connection to the world beyond their screens and outside their windows. The result was a surprising and joyful creative collaboration that took them on a journey to the other side of the world.

AMAZON is available from the HOME website