Works in Progress

 
The Model in the Mirror:
Visions of Change in Contemporary Culture

Wendy Steiner examines visual art, film, fiction, and theory to discover why the Model is such an insistent theme in twenty-first century culture.

 
Into the Pale
(creative nonfiction)

Vignettes from a roots trip to Eastern Europe that went far beyond the Pale of the author's imagining.

 
The Loathly Lady:
An Opera in Three Acts, based on Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale"

The Loathly Lady is an original, sung-through opera with music by Paul Richards, words by Wendy Steiner, musical concept by John DeLucia, and art (for projection) by John Kindness. It is based on Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale, but with magical appearances of characters from other times (Freud, Virginia Woolf, Sheherezade, etc.). The medieval acts (I and III) are scored for early instruments; the music and instrumentation in act II fit the periods of its various characters. Performance time is 110 minutes.

The singers committed to the project include some of the best-known artists in the field: Julianne Baird, title role; Susan Hellauer, Jacqueline Horner, and Ruth Cunningham (current or former members of Anonymous 4). The instrumental accompaniment is provided by two of America’s foremost ensembles: Parthenia, a consort of viols; and Piffaro, the Philadelphia-based wind band. Gary Thor Wedow is the conductor. The premiere of the work is scheduled for concert performance in Philadelphia on April 1, 2009.

In 2006, Wendy Steiner produced a 7-minute animation pilot for the opera. She conceived it originally as a full-length animated film. CLICK for detailed information on the project.

 

 

 
  Wendy Steiner's Website
  Homepage
  Bio / Photos / CV / Contact
  Works in Progress
  Penn Humanities Forum
  Penn English Department
  Books
  The Loathly Lady