On May 4, UrbanArias presents the workshop production of their newly commissioned opera “Inbox Zero” by Peter Hilliard (composer) and Matt Boresi (librettist). We spoke to the duo and UrbanArias founder & director Robert Wood about the new work, the collaboration process, and what audiences can expect from this monodrama. For more information about the May 4 performance, visit UrbanArias.org.
Peter and Matt, Inbox Zero is one of many collaborations you’ve done together. How did your first meet and begin working together?
Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi: We met at the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU. We wrote two operas there, and two decades later, we haven’t looked back.
What’s your collaboration process?
PH & MB: We are in conversation about multiple projects pretty much nonstop. Matt lives in Chicago and Peter lives in Philly, so most of our conversations happen on the phone. But we often go to productions of our work, and we usually pack a lot of work into car drives and hotel stays. When a company commissions us, we switch to a more active mode and plot everything together. By the time Matt writes the libretto, both of us have a very strong sense of what’s happening in the opera.
Peter begins by writing the aria moments, then moves out into the connecting material, after the musical language for each character is strongly established.
Much of this piece was written fully orchestrated, instead of orchestrating from a piano vocal score. This is unusual for us.
Robert, you have commissioned several works by Peter and Matt for UrbanArias. What initially drew you to their work?
Robert Wood: I was introduced to Peter and Matt through their opera "The Filthy Habit", which is a modern adaptation of an obscure opera called "The Secret of Susanna", about a woman who is a closet smoker. It was so clever - the update was perfect, the humor very topical, and the score really sexy and fun - that I programmed it on our second season. Audiences loved it, and I knew I would have to commission something from them. Both "Blue Viola" and "The Last American Hammer" were our first two commissions from Peter and Matt, and they were big successes for us. We took both of them to showcases at Opera America, which helped get them additional productions.
What inspired the story of “Inbox Zero”?
MB: Peter and I have been exploring a set of themes in recent years - in particular how late capitalism weighs on the values and consciousness of people trying to create a life for themselves. I was looking for stories about people kind of caught in the gears of hustle culture and I thought about e-mail scams and how they hook people when they’re all by themselves in a room, dreaming of getting rich quick. When the Pandemic shut down the Opera industry, Peter and I revisited the idea, because it’s something that one person could theoretically perform from isolation if need be. And started to research how e-mails scams work and why people let themselves fall for such an obvious con. We asked Keith (Baritone Keith Phares) if the idea was interesting to him. It seems like such a good fit for him and we’re such a fan of his interpretation style. We mentioned the project to Robert, as well, who has really championed our work. The worst of the pandemic ended of course, but Bob circled back around about the project, and by that time we’d really fleshed out the idea. And here we are!
Robert, what guidelines/requirements/limitations did you give, if any, to Matt and Peter? In other words, what was the initial “prompt” from UrbanArias’ end?
RW: We were looking for an opera to workshop that wasn't too big, so I asked Peter and Matt what they had in the pipeline. I knew they would have at least one idea that would be a good fit for us. We all zeroed in (haha) on this piece because it was for small forces (one singer), and also in the same theme as our previous two commissions - the American dream unfulfilled, and what effect that has on average people. So it wasn't a prompt so much as serendipity, but I actually count on serendipity with these two.
The May 4 production is a staged workshop. What makes this different from a full production?
PH & MB: One real difficulty with writing opera involves rewrites. When we write musicals, a new number can be swapped out for an old one or added to a scene with very little difficulty. Because opera is wall-to-wall music, rewrites involve all the connecting tissue between musical moments, including orchestration. When a full production is in rehearsal and barreling toward opening night, rewrites are rushed and difficult.
Before it’s been performed by actual people, writers have no way of knowing whether the work flows properly or connects to an audience. A good workshop is a wonderful intermediate step.
You’ll see an orchestrated complete draft of the piece: beginning, middle, and end, but the set and lights and costumes and props will be more of a suggestion. And the work itself will be in a state of flux - we’ll have just done rewrites as we rehearsed, and based on audience reactions and what we’ve seen all week, more rewrites will come. So the audience will see a work performed that’s hopefully very fresh and immediate and thoughtful - but it’s not a work in its final configuration.
Peter, how would you describe your style to audiences who are new to your work? What can they expect with “Inbox Zero”?
PH: We write accessible, tuneful operas with a lot of comedy and pathos. I try to write beautiful and exciting vocal parts that take advantage of what opera singers do best. This one moves fast and has a lot of twists and turns. Expect to have a great time and a drive home with some things to think about.