I will use this residency to create the production design for Frontier, a solo theatrical opera, comprised of nested stories inspired by John Ford’s 1956 film The Searchers. While in Rome, I will complete the scenography, video, writing, and performance elements. The design of this work interprets the notion of “frontier,” both as a boundary between psychological states, as well as a geographical boundary seen from the perspective of an individual. The design will address three aspects common to frontier, landscape, and perspective: the authority of an environmental barrier; the function of a landmark within an expansive landscape; and the perspective of the ego, the “I” within this framework. Regarding performance technique, a single performer will interpret all of the characters within a series of locations. This continual perspective shift between characters will be accompanied by changes in performance genres, from historical melodrama, to tragedy, clown, and commedia dell’arte.