In August 2017, we helped Roddy Bottum (of Faith No More/Imperial Teen fame) bring his unique take on the mythical Bigfoot to Scotland, producing the world premiere of his show ‘Sasquatch, The Opera’ at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Written and directed by Roddy, this modern, unearthly opera is about a small-town redneck family that runs ‘Bigfoot Tours’ for tourists, and the fallout when the daughter meets and falls for the real Sasquatch. Part folklore, part love story, the opera follows the demise of the family and a taboo love affair.
The Edinburgh Fringe run was a crazy good experience, with a truly unique and experimental piece of work that divided audiences and critics in the best possible way. The team’s efforts were rewarded with 4- and 5-star reviews and the production also became a bit of a talking point on the Fringe circuit, which we all considered a great result.
What’s next for Sasquatch, The Opera…
We’re currently talking with Roddy about the next steps for this weird and wonderful project, and we’re hoping to see it tour internationally in 2018, so watch this space!
…the impetus for my opera is a theme I’m particularly fond of, that of the gentle giant, the misunderstood monster, the impaired genius with the sensitivity of a child. I reference Joseph Merrick aka the Elephant Man, Frankenstein, King Kong and a 100 pound four-year-old I once saw on Jerry Springer as characters of inspiration.
The story centres around a trashy family in the backwoods that takes tourists on tours of the Sasquatch country with a promised sighting of the beast. Beyond that, more significantly, it’s a love story. The opera itself is three scenes of what will eventually be a full form opera. The current instrumentation is timpani, trumpets, synthesizer and drum machine. The artistic exercise is a profound and unique opportunity for me to tell a story through music in an experimental setting and work and collaborate with some of my favourite artists.
-Roddy Bottum
wearecivildisobedience.com 