For Metamorphoses, playwright Mary Zimmerman adapted ten of Ovid’s original myths to tell stories about the human propensity for love, lust, greed, and faith. In accordance with ancient Greek mythology, characters in Metamorphoses experience change, redemption, forgiveness, and transformation at the will of the gods. Metamorphoses tells these stories through a combination of ancient and contemporary language and imagery. Most productions of this play incorporate water on stage as a symbol of transformation, however, in our production, we relied more heavily on lighting, sound, and music to symbolize important themes.

As composer, I blended classical instruments with electronic textures to build a world where the characters and the audience could explore the connection between myth and reality. I also paid close attention to recurring themes. For example, percussion rhythms would always indicate the presence of the gods or their influence over the mortals. The gods’ power was reinforced by larger-than-life sound effects and vocal processing by sound designer Matt Eckstein. Matt and I ensured that sound and music worked together to build a cohesive universe where mortals would experience profound transformations at the will of the gods.