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OVERVIEW
Title: Hook Up
Composer: Chris Thornborrow
Librettist: Julie Tepperman
Commissioned By: Tapestry Opera
Language: English
Producer: Tapestry Opera and Theatre Passe Muraille
Run Time: 90
Roles:
Role | Voice Type | Range ? | Character Description |
---|---|---|---|
Mindy | high | G3-F5 | A new university student, age 17 |
Cindy | high | A3-F5 | Mindy's best friend since grade 9, just turned 18 |
Tyler | middle | C3-F4 | Mindy's boyfriend of two years, also 17 |
Steph/Mom/Professor/Heather | high | Ab3-F5 | Residence leader / Mindy's Mom / Feminism 101 Professor / Tyler's friend |
Dad/Dude/Duke | middle-low | G2-F4 | Mindy's Dad / Tyler's friend / Residence leader |
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SYNOPSIS
Hook Up tells the story of three friends who have made it to university, each with their own unique desires and inner conflicts. Mindy is just excited to keep her high school friend circle together and finally get some privacy with her boyfriend. Tyler, Mindy’s boyfriend, is caught between his love for Mindy and the new, extroverted pressures of uni life. Finally, there’s Mindy’s best friend, Cindy, who’s ready to explore her newfound freedom. Each character’s path and diverging reactions to a traumatic event speaks to the dysfunctional and inadequate ways sex, rape culture, and consent are taught (and not taught) to young people, and the impact of sexual violence and trauma on our lives and relationships, on and off campus.
We begin with each character in their dorm room at (the fictional) Lanark University: Mindy saying goodbye to her parents, Cindy lamenting her nerdy roommate, and Tyler playing Fortnite on headset. Ensuing scenes demonstrate the wildly different advice Lanark Resident Advisors give girls and boys. The girls are told to be constantly vigilant against "douchy" guys who'll take advantage of them if they get "black-out drunk," emphasising that "It's your job to keep yourself safe;" while the boys are told (only half-jokingly) that “No means yes, and yes means anal.”
It doesn’t take long for each relationship to get tested. Mindy’s homebody approach to university puts new pressures on Tyler who wants to make new friends and not spend every single night in Mindy's dorm "Netflix & Chilling;" meanwhile Cindy and Mindy begin questioning and judging each other’s lifestyle, in particular Mindy's judgements towards Cindy's constant partying and careless hook-ups. Slut-shaming and prude-shaming ensues.
It all comes to a head when Tyler and Mindy decide to “take a break,” and Cindy finally convinces Mindy to go out and get some experience by hooking up with a random stranger at an upcoming campus Halloween party. They go, and Mindy discovers Tyler there with another girl. Lots of drinking follows...
The next morning, Mindy is left stunned and shocked at what little she remembers from the party and is horrified that she woke up naked in a stranger's bed. Cindy tries to make light of the situation before Tyler storms in, showing them both Instagram photos of Mindy making out with an unknown Dude at the party - none of which Mindy remembers. Tyler breaks up with her, while Mindy goes on to blame Cindy for failing to look out for her at the party.
Mindy spirals into a deep depression and doesn't leave her room or respond to Cindy's or her parents' attempts at contact for three days. In the final scene, a knock on Mindy's door from a female ally gently presents the possibility of recovery, yet, like in real life, leaves no concrete resolution.
Hook Up, with its integration (via projections) of the intense social media lives of our three main characters, strikes a profound cord; it combines humour and real-talk with complex issues and fully realized, complicated characters.
MUSIC DESCRIPTION
SCORES FOR PURCHASE
Piano Vocal Scores:
Libretto:
Arias & Excerpts:
Cindy, Mindy, and Tyler revel in the newfound freedom of university life. Cindy delights in being single, Mindy says goodbye to her parents, and is excited for more privacy and time with Tyler... who is looking forward to playing more Fortnite.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Cindy | high | B3-F5 |
Mindy | high | G3-F5 |
Tyler | middle | C3-F4 |
Mother | high | C4-E5 |
Father | middle-low | A2-D4 |
Dorm RAs lay down the laws of drinking and sex, which are incredibly different for the boys vs. the girls.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Steph | high | Ab3-E5 |
Duke | middle-low | A2-F4 |
Cindy | silent-spoken | spoken |
Mindy | silent-spoken | spoken |
Tyler | silent-spoken | spoken |
Cindy is annoyed she’s not roommates with Mindy; the audience knows Mindy has secretly asked for her own room. Tyler wants to go a party, but Mindy convinces him to “Netflix and chill.”
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | high | B3-D5 |
Tyler | middle | C3-C4 |
Cindy | high | C4-E5 |
Tyler is bored. Mindy worries they’re becoming their parents, and wants to spice things up. Tyler suggests watching porn together, which only makes things more awkward.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | high | Bb3-D#5 |
Tyler | middle | C3-D4 |
A kick-ass professor guides the girls through a "Feminism 101" presentation, while Cindy and Mindy’s relationship reaches a boiling point. Cindy judges Mindy’s homebody approach to university life; Mindy judges Cindy’s seemingly only interest in “hooking up” at parties.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Female Professor | high | A#3-F5 |
Cindy | high | C#4-Eb5 |
Mindy | high | C#4-Eb5 |
Cindy and Mindy are kicked out of class for causing a disturbance. Mindy comes clean about having asked for a private room behind Cindy's back. The two reconcile and agree to hang out (without Tyler) that night.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Cindy | high | C4-E5 |
Mindy | high | D4-E5 |
Tyler lets the guys know he’s free for the night. They roast him, and head to the pub.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Tyler | middle | D3-D4 |
Dude 1 | middle-low | D#3-C4 |
Dude 2 | middle-low | A3-D5 |
Cindy tells Mindy about her empowering sexual explorations of late, and questions if Mindy is really ok with spending her life with just one person.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Cindy | high | C#4-D5 |
Mindy | high | C#4-E5 |
A barrage of texts combined with singing let us know what Cindy, Mindy, and Tyler have been up to. Relationships grow more and more intense, culminating in Cindy telling Mindy she’s seen Tyler studying with a second year girl named Heather.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Cindy | high | C4-Eb5 |
Mindy | high | C4-D5 |
Tyler | middle | D#3-F4 |
Mindy confronts Tyler about his “study partner” and accuses him of lying to her, which Tyler denies. Mindy makes a sudden decision: she wants a time-out, and thinks they should see other people. Tyler leaves, confused and devastated.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | high | C4-E5 |
Tyler | middle | D3-G4 |
Cindy and Mindy get into constumes and pre-drink for the Halloween Kegger. Cindy teases Mindy for her lack of sexual adventurousness and gives her “the rules of the hook up” just in case...
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | high | C#4-D5 |
Cindy | high | Bb3-D5 |
Costumed party goers cross the campus, chanting.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Party Goers | silent-spoken | spoken |
Cindy and Mindy eye potential hook-ups for Mindy. Tyler arrives with Heather. Mindy’s livid, and Cindy reminds her not to do anything crazy. Mindy’s response is to commit to the idea of hooking up with someone at the party.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Cindy | high | C4-C5 |
Mindy | high | A3-C#5 |
Tyler | silent-spoken | silent |
Heather | silent-spoken | silent |
Cowboy Dude | silent-spoken | silent |
Cindy tries to get Mindy to come away with her, but Mindy insists she's fine and goes upstairs with Cowboy Dude.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Cindy | high | B3-B4 |
Mindy | high | D4-E5 |
Cowboy Dude | silent-spoken | silent |
Hungover, walking home the morning after the party, Mindy remembers disturbing images from the night before - she isn't sure exactly what happened.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | silent-spoken | silent |
Cowboy Dude | silent-spoken | silent |
Party Goers | silent-spoken | silent |
Mindy plugs in her phone, which died at the party. It comes alive with a constant stream of texts from Tyler and Cindy from the night before, who were both worried about her. Mindy rushes to the bathroom to throw up.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | silent-spoken | silent |
Cindy | high | Db4-Db5 |
Tyler | middle | C#3-E4 |
Someone has posted pictures of Mindy at the party with different men. Mindy, Cindy, and Tyler argue about who is to blame. Cindy and Tyler depart angry, leaving Mindy sitting alone on her bed.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | high | C4-Eb5 |
Cindy | high | A3-C#5 |
Tyler | middle | C#3-G4 |
Mindy tries to understand if she was raped at the party. She can't make herself contact anyone, but seeks information online; Cindy slips a morning after pill under the door.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | silent-spoken | silent |
Cindy | high | B3-C#5 |
Tyler | silent-spoken | spoken |
Mindy's Dad | middle-low | B2-E4 |
Heather and Mindy share a moment of intimacy as they discuss their experiences of sexual violence.
Character | Voice Type | Range ? |
---|---|---|
Mindy | high | Bb3-F5 |
Heather | middle-high | A3-Eb5 |
PREMIERE PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Premiere Production: January 29 - February 9, 2019 at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, Toronto ON
Producers: Tapestry Opera and Theatre Passe Muraille
Cast:
Role | Name |
---|---|
Mindy | Emily Lukasik |
Cindy | Alicia Ault |
Tyler | Nathan Carroll |
Mom/Steph/Heather | Alexis Gordon |
Dad/Duke/Dude | Jeff Lillico |
Role | Name |
---|---|
Director and Dramaturg | Richard Greenblatt |
Music Director & Pianist | Jennifer Tung |
Producer | Jaime Martino |
Set/Costume Design | Kelly Wolf |
Sound Design | Chris Thornborrow |
LX/Video Design | Montgomery Martin |
Stage Manager | Tamara Vuckovic |
Production Manager (Tapestry) | Shawn Henry |
Production Manager (TPM) | Eric Read |
Apprentice Stage Manager | Anna Spencer |
Percussionist | Greg Harrison |
Pianist | Andrea Grant |
Talk-Back Facilitators: CANVAS Arts Action Programs | Ayla Lefkowitz |
Talk-Back Facilitators: CANVAS Arts Action Programs | Miriam Selick |
CREATION
DEVELOPMENT
Hook Up had a development period of about five years, and was Michael Mori’s first commission as Artistic Director of Tapestry Opera.
It began in August 2013 as part of Tapestry Opera’s LibLab program (where Chris and Julie met) and was titled Cindy + Mindy = BFs 4EVR, a story about two girls using Facebook Messenger to slut-shame one another. This was then developed into Selfie, a seventy-five minute piece exploring cyberbullying, meant for a middle school audience.
Development of Selfie ultimately stalled in 2015, but both Thornborrow and Tepperman were committed to telling a story with complex and complicated women centre stage. In 2016, they brought on dramaturge and director Richard Greenblatt for inspiration and re-invigoration. They re-focused the work to explore the themes of consent and rape culture on university campuses.
Thornborrow has experience in several genres, and utilized his knowledge of chamber writing and film music to tell the “story underneath the story.” As the piece evolved, he adjusted the vocal lines farther from an operatic style to a more contemporary musical theatre aesthetic. He also included in his soundscape typical noises from campuses and parties to further evoke the setting.
QUOTATIONS FROM CREATIVE TEAM
“...we’ve been very careful to not turn this opera into a brochure or a tidy lesson with a concrete resolution; we intentionally end in a place where there are more questions than answers, with the hopes of sparking rich conversations. From the very beginning we, along with Tapestry, have been committed to engaging professionals to facilitate talkbacks and provide resources after the performances. For us, it’s not about portraying ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators,’ but hoping that the art we put out into the world can contribute to a larger conversation and narrative.”
- Julie Tepperman
QUOTATIONS FROM MEDIA
"This is opera at its most socially engaged and political. Often this is a recipe for theatrical disaster. But almost miraculously, Hook Up actually works. …It is serious and thought-provoking theatre that speaks to a pressing social issue. But it's also nice to have our brows unfurrowed by lines such as, "those Cheetos are nasty."
- John Terauds, Toronto Star
"All I'm saying is: I heard belting in a show produced by a company with opera in its name and I'm HERE FOR IT. #LIVING"
- Greg Finney, Schmopera
“The talented people at Tapestry Opera have done something seemingly impossible: they made an entertaining, deeply moving and powerful modern opera about campus rape. Worth your time."
- Sarah Fulford, Toronto Life
"The story and production packs a punch... Hook Up looks at issues that teens are dealing with and treats them with respect, compassion and generosity of spirit. It's an important work."
- Lynn Slotkin, The Slotkin Letter
"Beautiful, gut-wrenching and absolutely riveting."
- Keira Grant, Mooney on Theatre
"Tepperman's libretto is incredible, because it's real. So true it hurts."
- Jenna Simeonov, Schmopera
"An exceptional show...Rich characters. Urgent theme. Powerful production."
- Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine
"composer Chris Thornborrow and librettist Julie Tepperman’s new work had a powerful effect on the audience... an artistically accomplished piece of music theatre, [and] a must-see event."
- Jennifer Parr, Wholenote
"The operatic, yet accessible treatment of such an affecting topic should make Hook Up a creative powerhouse that brings new audiences to the artform. Beyond that, it should provoke thought, spark discourse and shed light on the true meaning of consent. Everyone should experience it."
- Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Preview
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Webpage Link
Program
Press Package
Preview: Shedoesthecity
Preview: Schmopera
Hook Up: Selected Audience Responses
“I was left thinking about how we as young women have the confidence to set our boundaries as we explore our sexuality until that agency is taken away through sexual violence, guilt, and shame.”
" I could not stop thinking about it all night. It was so incredible to see it with my daughter. We have had some really deep discussions these past two days."
“I want to tell you how much I was moved by your show – literally, to tears, several times. The words were so stunning, so simple, so clever, and so heart-wrenching. Thank you so much for telling these stories in a way that makes us all, especially men, question our own implication in a perpetual cycle of blame, abuse, and a baffling lack of accountability.”
“I thought it was fantastic and daring and respectful through every complex moment, and always searingly honest and full of heart. Extraordinary.”
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