Virgo Genitrix (2003)

Virgo Genitrix, a trio for three women, loosely follows moments of the passions of the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Saint Mary the Egyptian, and is inspired by popular, occult, and apocryphal imagery of the triple goddess, the noble savage, and concepts familiar to early female desert ascetic saints such as mortification of the flesh, holy fasting, and virginity. The work, featuring a host of puppets by Christopher Williams representing visions of bestial daemons, babies in utero, and an archangel, prosthetic costumes by Michael Oberle and Williams, and lighting by Andrew Hill, is set to Le Lai de la Fonteinne by 14th century composer Guillaume de Machaut sung by members of the Anonymous 4. The work was commissioned by the Dream Music Puppetry Program and premièred in the Dorothy B. Williams Theater at HERE Arts Center on May 29th, 2003.