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The Transfused. . .Grand...ambitious...a testament to the town's capacity for organizing large-scale productions. The elaborate score mixes thrash-metal riffs with Gilbert and Sullivan-style patter, in which characters deliver lightning-fast, tongue-twisting lyrics to dainty, speeded-up musical accompaniment... -Benjamin Nugent, Time Magazine (Aug 7 2000)
. .Truly an all-star Olympia effort and a contemporary masterpiece... aside from the brilliant lyricism and musical timing, the story is absolutely ingenious. . . .the ill-mannered and rebellious prodigy love child of George Orwell and Andrew Lloyd Webber. -Anjali Asrani, The California Aggie (Oct 23 2000)
Transfused' triumphs The Olympian July 8, 2000 Olympia's huge and creative hipster scene may be underground until something like "The Transfused" comes along. Thursday was the world premiere of "The Transfused," an original rock opera by Nomy Lamm and, seemingly, everyone in Olympia. Those involved in the show read like a "Who's Who" in the Olympia arts community. Lamm is a free-lance writer, lecturer and performance artist. The Need have two CDs and have been performing in Olympia for years. Andras Jones and Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, other local musicians, have sizable parts in the show. Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), Sarah Dougher (recording artist), Donna Dresch (president of Olympia's Chainsaw Records, and a musician), K records and others also helped make it happen. So what's it about? "Its setting is 100 years after the American Empire has collapsed. There was some kind of revolution and, basically, what rose out of that is 'The Corporation,' which pretty much owns everything," Lamm said. The Transfused themselves are described as gender-freaky animal-people. The future of their country has gone to hell, and the Transfused are doing their best to piece it back together. "The Transfused are not boys or girls or 'something in between,'" says the "Letter from the Operators" in the program. "Not trans-sexual necessarily, but maybe, and not possessing a bunch of alien anatomical protuberances, although they could. Their genders reflect the real-life complexities of the people that we are." Involving so much of Olympia's already famous indie music scene, which includes the band Sleater-Kinney and independent record company K Records, "Transfused" may be the next piece of the Olympia underground to reach a national audience. The show was at the Capitol Theater, and the first thing the audience sees is the set, designed by Nikki McClure, that looks like something out of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." The orchestra pit is built into the background of the stage so the audience can watch Rachel Carns, Radio Sloan, Dresch and Scott Seckington playing the two hours of live music that accompany the show. The Transfused sing in "I Saw the Future" in the beginning of Act Two, "I believe in dynamic vision. I believe in sacrifice." The messages are basic: love and revolution. One of the many impressive feats of the group that staged "The Transfused" was getting the money. More than $20,000 was needed, and it was raised from local businesses and organizations without corporate sponsorship. Among notable performances are Jerry Beard and Tammy Martin as Grin and Gormlis, who stole every scene they were in. In addition to writing the opera and being the muscle behind getting the opera done, Lamm has a remarkable voice. "It was really great. It was the most powerful when they were all singing together," said Tobi Vail after the show. "Visually, it was very striking," said Kathi Wilcox.
‘The Transfused’ punk rock opera makes history The locally created production opens Thursday at the Capitol Theatre OLYMPIA - Once again, Olympia is making music history, this time in the form of “The Transfused,” a punk rock opera. The show is about “gender freaky animal people living in a terrifying and none too unlikely future, the breathtakingly polluted aftermath of rampant industrialism” set 100 years after the downfall of the country. “The Transfused’ characters are followed through three days as their world falls apart and they begin to piece it back together again. The story of the opera starts one year ago when performance artist and zine publisher Nomy Lamm was doing laundry with Radio Sloan and Rachel Carns, members of the punk band The Need. Lamm asked them if they wanted to write an opera with her. They agreed and collaborating with countless people from the area and a few from far-flung spots in the country, they created The Transfused. The punk rock opera opens on Thursday at the Capitol Theatre in Olympia. If you’re wondering whether this show is for you, check out what the creators have to say about audience appeal: “ The Transfused will appeal to punks, activists, queers and music and theater lovers of all kinds using the full theatrical experience to entertain and enthrall while simultaneously experimenting with concepts of gender, (dis)ability, disease, addiction, community, social change, compassion and humanity.” That quote and more can be found on the rock opera’s website. Lamm and company have raised 25,000 to stage the show through donation and several benefits. Money from ticket sales will go to Transfuse2000, the group’s non-profit production company, and to other community organizations, including The Olympia Film Society, Stonewall Youth, Danzine, Gender Machine Works and the Oly Free Bus. Money will also be raised by selling copies of the soundtrack, which will be available at the show and in stores in august. It will be released on Yoyo Recordings. Radio(Sloan) and I wrote the music as the plot evolved” Carns said. “We came up with the atmosphere as seeds of scenes and worked on them from there.” As the music was composed, Lamm, also a free-lance writer, lecturer, and a primary organizer of the 1997 Foxfire Women’s and Girl’s Convention, would write the lyrics and the vocals. The music ranges from soul to punk to heavy metal to Baroque. For the performance, Sloan and Carns will be joined in the orchestra pit by Donna Dresch, of Team Dresch and the Screaming Trees, and keyboardist Scott Seckington. The show is the product of one year of work bringing together the diverse talents of musicians, performers, designers and others. Including the cast designs and other staff, there are about 80 dedicated people working on the show, said Freddie Fagula, director of “The Transfused.” “And,” said Sloan, “a lot of them are working for free.” Many of the people involved helped with the story line. “We all fleshed out the plot together,” Lamm said. “We’ve all sort of been working in a parallel universe on different aspects,” Carns said. “It seems to be coming together in that way that impossible projects like to do.” “The Transfused” has truly become a community project. “I think it’s one of those things that could only happen here,” said Olympia artist Nikki McClure, set designer for the show. “It has drawn together all these amazing and creative people who are concentrating on this one project.” Lamm said that when she awalks from her apartment in downtown Olympia to any other spot in town, she knows who’s doing what for the show behind every door. “Sometimes it feels like all of downtown is working on it,” she said. Lamm plays the part of Avi, one of the “Transfused” characters. “This is such an amazing community. It’s great to see everyone come together for something like this,” said co creator and production manager Spider (Emily Stern), who plays the Commander. Different people will relate to the show in different ways, but there isn’t anybody who shouldn’t see the show, Fagula said. “Even those who hate musical theater will probably like it,” Lamm said. “You usually expect musical theater to be shallow.” “But this,” Carns said, “is completely dorky and totally cool at the same time.”
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