After Dark: A Herring Opera

A Herring Opera by Tessa Ellie Schmidt (2017, 27 min.) looks at the complicated but beautiful flurry of activity that happens in Sitka, Alaska each spring, when herring arrive to spawn. Commercial fishermen descending on spawning sites is posed against local, indigenous fishing practices as the small town comes to life at a critical point in the reproduction cycle of the fish. Told with minimal narration, the imagery and operatic structure guide the story and reveal a model of sustainability of an ocean damaged by overconsumption. 

Showing at 7:30 pm.