Rite of Venus Rock Opera
From Sekhet-Maat Lodge
ONLINE TICKET SALES ARE NOW CLOSED -- Please purchase your tickets at the door. Arrive early to ensure that you have time to park and purchase tickets before we close the doors at 8pm.
Join us for a special performance of Aleister Crowley's Rite of Venus with an original rock opera score.
- Saturday, June 9, 2007 EV
- Doors open at 7:30pm.
- Performance begins promptly at 8:00.
- Poster PDF | Handbill PDF | TouTube Promo
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<center><a href="http://sekhetmaat.com/wiki/Rite_of_Venus_Rock_Opera"><img border="0" width="218" height="252" src="http://sekhetmaat.com/wiki/images/Rite_of_Venus_poster.gif" alt="The Rite of Venus: a Rock Opera - June 9, 2007 e.v. - CoHo Theater - Portland, OR" title="The Rite of Venus: a Rock Opera - June 9, 2007 e.v. - CoHo Theater - Portland, OR" /></a><br /><a href="http://sekhetmaat.com/wiki/Rite_of_Venus_Rock_Opera">The Rite of Venus: A Rock Opera</a> - CoHo Theater - Portland, Oregon - June 9, 2007 e.v.</center>
About Aleister Crowley's Rites of Eleusis
Aleister Crowley's Rites of Eleusis are not a recreation of the original Eleusinian Mysteries. Rather, this series of seven short dramatic rituals depict another kind of travel through the underworld. Each ritual invokes the planet with its corresponding ruling and exalted signs, using a formula established at the outset: the God is invoked, suffers a tragedy or mischief, and is replaced by the next God. In this way, from Saturn to Luna, an emanation of manifestation takes place which corresponds to the lightning bolt of creation on the Qabalistic Tree of Life.
The original performances took place at Caxton Hall in London, 1910 EV. the principal players at that time included Aleister Crowley, Leila Waddell, and Victor Neuberg. The Rites grew out of a regular salon, during which Crowley had taken to reading poetry, followed by Waddell playing violin in response.
Crowley then set out to write a series of dramatic invocations, and brought the talents of Neuberg and Waddell into the process. Waddell played violin in her roles; Neuberg always played a role which included ecstatic dance to the point of collapse; and Crowley, of course, read poetry.
In the spirit of Crowley's creative process, many groups have adapted the script to the talents of those who are participating. Adaptations of this sort have been in some cases more than adaptations—completely original dramatic rituals written by current initiates of Ordo Templi Orientis. In most cases, script revisions include, for example, splitting up the poetry between actors, using other musical instruments and styles, or other similar alterations.
About the Rite of Venus
In the Rites of Eleusis series, Venus follows Sol and precedes Mercury. Crowley describes the setting as, "No officer has any weapon. Venus is throned, and on her right are Libra and Saturn in Libra, on her left Taurus and Luna in Taurus, while at her feet lies Pisces. Her throne is an oyster-shell, as in the picture by Botticelli. Before it a veil. Without, an altar; and without the temple, a further veil."
Eleusyve Productions of Seattle, Washington present Aleister Crowley's The Rite of Venus, performed as a rock opera!
- This production will be at the CoHo Theater in Portland, Oregon for one night only and seating is limited.
More information, including plot synopsis, characters, cast, FAQ and more can be found at the Eleusyve Productions website.
About the players
Eleusyve Productions, an amateur theater company led by director-composer-performer Jon Sewell, have been composing and performing Crowley's Rites of Eleusis for many years, starting with The Rite of Jupiter and most recently, The Rite of Luna. Their goal is to present Aleister Crowley's Rites of Eleusis as musical theater pieces in a manner that will render them more fully accessible to a broad audience, using music, light, dance and drama to enhance the poetry and symmetry of the original works. They also strive to make completed productions available in as many formats and to as many markets as possible, in order to more widely circulate their artistic interpretations of this material.
About the venue
The CoHo Theater is located at 2257 NW Raleigh Street, Portland, Oregon. That is 1/3 block off of NW 23rd Avenue, a centrally-located and vibrant area of Portland. This beautiful theater was completed in the fall of 2001 EV,. It features an intimate 99-seat auditorium with a thrust stage, where no person is more than 3 rows from the action! The Coho Theater also has state-of-the-art stage sound and lighting equipment. ( map it )
