Blog news, Press

Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities

The Society for Classical Studies has selected our project hymns to support through their latest initiative Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities. The initiative was established to “bring the ancient Mediterranean and its reception into global dialogue with other cultures, past and present” This support from the Society for Classical Studies will help facilitate post-production work on the music […]

Blog news, Press

Preview Hymns at the Getty Villa

For the next two weeks, the Getty will will preview a work-in-progress draft of our hymns. These in-development videos are being presented as a part of the Getty’s Theater Lab. The completed album is now available for streaming and purchase via bandcamp. An album of new music and accompanying videos; seven chapters from Four Larks‘ live production Hymns, adapted for at-home audiences. […]

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Listen to Hymns on Bandcamp

Our hymns are now available to stream and purchase via bandcamp  The music was recorded in individual artists’ homes during the COVID19 lockdowns and the accompanying videos were created over five days in an empty Getty Villa.  The Homeric Hymns, among the oldest extant poems from the ancient mediterranean, tell the stories of Demeter & Persephone, of Semele & […]

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2022 Bogliasco Fellowship

Mat and Sebastian were both selected to work as fellows in residence at the Bogliasco Foundation Study Center located on the Ligurian Coast in March and April 2022. Living alongside six distinguished international artists, Mat and Sebastian began researching and drafting a new live performance work, while completing video editing and audio mixing for their […]

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ELEVEN 2021 Ovation Awards!

The LA theatre community has honored our production of Frankenstein with 11 Ovation Awards (for the 2019/2020 theatre season in Los Angeles). We’re thrilled to have this recognition from our peers. 2021 Ovation Awards Presented to the Wallis for our original adaptation and production: Best Play Frankenstein / Best Direction Mat Diafos Sweeney / Best Choreography Sebastian Peters-Lazaro / Best Featured Actor Max […]

Casting

Hymns for the 21st century

We are unveiling the first draft of our new project this weekend at the Getty Villa. This new music and performance piece is adapted from the Homeric Hymns. Read on for a primer on the source material, and a discussion of why the hymns matter to us in the 21st century from creator/composer Mat Sweeney: […]

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On Flaubert, St Antoine, & Nice

Gustave Flaubert‘s The Temptation of St Antony is an interrogation of humanity’s religious impulse. The author was compelled and repulsed by the subject in equal measure. He loathed the irrationality and dangerous indoctrination he perceived in the church, but adored the ritual, tradition, curiosity and joyful communion that springs from the same well. We’ve spent the last few years wrestling with Flaubert’s gorgeous […]