U-29
a new horror opera by Roan Shankaruk
"What does a steamer look like after sinking six or eight thousand feet? What happens to boats like ours when they can no longer keep from drowning?"
U-29 chronicles the mysterious final days of a WW1 U-boat and the crew who manned her. Inspired by the Lovecraft story The Temple – itself inspired by a particularly chilling myth of Dionysius – the story takes place entirely inside the submarine. After a cruel periscope battle, the men on the boat are sure that they are cursed. Crew-members fall ill, suffer from terrible dreams, and hear the eerie calling of dolphins, all while the U-29 seems to have a mind of its own, following unknown currents, and descending impossibly deep to rest on the ocean floor.
The opera will feature gender-blind casting with the option for each role to be sung in multiple octaves as best suits the singer.
Excerpts of this in-development opera were performed at Re:Naissance Opera’s 2023 IndieArtist Cabaret
Opera Unbound is excited to work with composer Roan Shankaruk to commission, develop, and ultimately premiere this groundbreaking work.
