Of Wink and Trance (2021)

An original and fully virtual production

In 2021, HCO repurposed our intended 2021 production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream into a dream-themed pastiche, the made-for-Zoom Of Wink And Trance.

Dreams are our way of processing external events into private experiences. As we grappled with dramatic disruptions to our life and wellbeing as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we strove to show that art-making is crucial for articulating, processing, and healing.

Of Wink And Trance represented both departure and continuity for the Harvard College Opera company. Departure, because the circumstances challenged us to create a completely original, for-the-screen production for the first time ever — while sprawled across the globe! Continuity, because we have always defied limitations, surpassed expectations, and come together to do what only we can do. Of Wink And Trance is a world guided entirely by imagination, at once vivid and hazy, sinister and curious, and sobering and enchanting.

This production was funded in part by a generous grant from the Harvard/MIT COOP. Thank you for your support of our mission to enable and expand access to performance opportunities at the undergraduate level!