The Jewel
Merchants

Summary

“It was like magic. A summoning of the broken.
We answered. Came carrying rough-hewn
fragments weighing us down.

The Jewel Merchants is a participatory operatic song cycle on themes of resilience and recovery. Based on a text by David Gilbert with dramaturgy by Lila Palmer and music by Rose Miranda Hall, The Jewel Merchants is an interdisciplinary performance workshop for audience participants, encompassing both creative exercises and inclusive performance. Participants take part in creative writing and artistic practice exercises led by the creators in Part I. In Part II the creators perform a sung journey narrative (The Jewel Merchants Song Cycle) pausing to gather traveler-participants ‘around the fire’ to share their own ‘jewels;’ gleaned on their trajectories toward healing and recovery, shaped in Part I. The Jewel Merchants was prototyped at the Bethlem Gallery and Maudsley Mental Health Trust, and its first participants were caregivers and care receivers taking part together. The Jewel Merchants functions as a catalyzing experiential process for any participant group directed towards healing.

Run Time: 20 minutes (cycle); 45 minutes + workshops (participatory performance)