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On January 12, 2003, a 21-year-old male in Phoenix, Arizona (known online as "ripper") died of an overdose of prescription drugs while in an online chatroom. Over the course of more than an hour, numerous chatroom participants watched ripper's actions via webcam and chat - and did nothing to intervene.
[the art of deleting] is a theatrical adaptation of this young man's final hours. Scored for three singers and electronics by Dennis DeSantis, with a text adapted by Lydia Steier from the original chatlogs, the work explores how notions of social responsibility become distorted by the anonymity of the web.
[the art of deleting] will premiere at Stuttgart's AER Club, using the potentials of artificiality and obfuscation in a nightclub to parallel that of the internet. Far from being a dry cautionary tale, the performance, directed by Steier, features opulent costumes, go-go girls, video effects, bizarre figures and surreal scenic situations.
[the art of deleting] was commissioned in 2010 by the Staatsoper Stuttgart.
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Author Archives: Dennis DeSantis
…and we’re done (for now.)
Just like that, it’s all over. Years of discussion, months of composing, weeks of rehearsal, five performances. In retrospect, I suppose the smart idea would have been a blow-by-blow blog entry of each performance, but maybe this is overkill. And … Continue reading
And we’re off…
Last night was opening night, and I think it’s fair to say that everything went better than anyone could have imagined. The club was packed with a really healthy mix of people, from young to old, clubber to opera enthusiast. … Continue reading
New pictures and rehearsal update
The Pictures page has lots of updates, with some lovely photos from our official photographer, and more to come soon. Also, we did our first run-through in front of a real audience yesterday, and actually got what appeared to be … Continue reading
the art of dreaming about the art of deleting
I’m clearly spending too much brainpower on freaking out during the run-up to our opening next weekend. I’ve had a recurring dream the past few nights that I set up the gear, start triggering playback, and the music that comes … Continue reading