Jourdan Laine's collaborative film project SOUL OF WORD earns a Remi Award at WorldFest-Houston
Soul of Word was conceptualized through a partnership between UTSA Lyric Theatre, Wesley S. Uchiyama Penix, and UTSA Film. Howell was the catalyst for the project and served as the librettist for the opera. She pulled inspiration from student-artists involved in the project through interviews, she uncovered a common theme of language and self, and explored these themes in the mini-opera format.
Howell included references to Japanese culture as a means of respect for her friend & colleague, composer Wesley S. Uchiyama Penix. The word 'kotodama,' heard in the final chorus of the mini-opera, means 'soul of word' - this served as the primary thought-driver for the piece. In researching the topic, Howell conducted interviews with students of Mexican heritage who struggle with identity because due to the loss of the Spanish language that often occurs during assimilation into American culture. Additionally, Howell spent time with a student of Romanian heritage and uncovered hard truths about a language divide between older Romanians who have survived communism and the younger generation that has grown up in the States.
Howell hopes to explore the plight of Romanians in a future work.
Soul of Word was produced both on stage and on film in 2023.
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