The Handmaid’s Tale
Video & Projection Design for Opera
Based on Margaret Atwood's classic dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of Offred, a Handmaid in the world of Gilead, controlled by an oppressive religious regime that battles against environmentally-caused infertility with radical fervor. The site-specific staging in Harvard University’s Lavietes Pavilion echoed the Cambridge-based imprisonment of the Handmaids in Atwood’s tale
The video design magnified the radically conservative iconography of Gilead and brought to life the story’s infamous “Hanging Wall,” through the use of trick photography and grotesque and heightened manipulation of scale.
Production History
Boston Lyric Opera | Boston, MA | 2019
Creative Team
Composed by Paol Ruders
Libretto by Paul Bentley
Music Direction by David Angus
Stage Direction by Anne Bogart
Movement Direction by Shura Baryshnikov
Scenic and Costume Design: James Schuette
Wig and Makeup Design: Tom Watson
Lighting Design: Brian Scott
Sound Design: J Jumbelic
Video & Projection Design: Adam J. Thompson
Video & Projection Team
Video and Projection Design: Adam J. Thompson
Associate Video and Projection Design: SooA Kim
Video and Projection Technician: Eliot Bayless
Press
“Adam J. Thompson supplied the creepy images of the executed hanging on the Wall, a menacing symbol of the consequences of disobedience.” - Wall Street Journal
“[T]he orchestra was in rare form, as were the creative elements…with Video Design by Adam J. Thompson. [T]his is unquestionably the finest, most creative and unforgettable production in BLO's storied history. Full stop.” - South Shore Critic
“Powerful…Stunning…an ambitious, immersive staging.” - The Boston Globe
“A triumph.” - New York Times