About
Amira: A Modern Opera is a sung-through musical in two acts. Jason, the main character, is a young American soldier stationed in Belgium during World War II. Though fairly quiet and naive at first, his entire outlook on life is forever changed in the course of three days. Denying his god, country, and all he thought he knew about life, Jason learns that true happiness can only be found in love and reason. Amira shatters the common stereotypes of warfare, atheism and sexual orientation to communicate a story that embraces life and happiness, no matter the cost.
History of the Show - Show/Hide
Amira: A Modern Opera is the first ever musical to be licensed under a Creative Commons license. The show had its start in late 2005, when its composer, Gary Barnes, began composing simple tunes and melodies with the distant goal of someday compiling them into a proper musical. As time progressed, a theme gradually began to appear. The show’s title and plot went through many unofficial revisions throughout 2006 and into 2007, until finally a formal project was announced in September of that year. By Spring 2008,
Amira: A Modern Opera had become a simple one act show revolving around a love story set during the initial stages of a modern war. An early, and primarily instrumental, concept album was released online featuring a heavily-synthesized and mildly electronic soundtrack. In late May, however, work on the project came to a standstill.
In August 2008, a new initiative was launched to almost entirely rewrite the show with a new story and a new setting. The new Amira is set in the Belgium of World War II during the winter on the outskirts of Bastogne. The storyline has been expanded, and characters have been added. In addition, the show is now comprised of two acts, and is almost entirely sung through. Most of the songs found in the original draft of the show remain, though many of them have been partially rewritten with different accompaniment.
The new revision of Amira: A Modern Opera is still a work in progress, but plans have already started for a full studio cast recording to be released freely online in Spring 2009. In addition, all the sheet music for the score will be released shortly thereafter in piano/vocal form, with a full orchestral parts planned for a release later in the year. The show’s script, staging directions, and complete instrumental tracks will be available upon request for production purposes. All the material will be released under a Creative Commons license. Amateur non-profit theatre companies will be able to produce the show entirely for free, while for-profit and professional companies will have to pay a small commission (more information will be posted as the source material is released).
