WELCOME TO THE MADNESS is a site-specific chamber opera celebrating actress/musician Charlotte Perry and dancer/filmmaker Portia Mansfield and their influence on performing arts throughout the United States as founders of The Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp.

Since 1913, when most of the West was only accessible by horse or train, the Perry-Mansfield Camp has attracted dance and drama students from all over the country, and even internationally. As a Colorado native, I am honored to be commissioned by Opera Steamboat, to celebrate the accomplishments of these two innovative women and to spotlight the enduring impact of the Camp, still operating in its original location near Steamboat Springs.

Remembering these unconventional ladies who loved to practice their crafts in a mountain setting, the opera will be premiered at the Perry-Mansfield Camp grounds. Each scene is based on significant aspects of P-M’s history. Characters that are seminal to the development of the Camp appear throughout the opera while a mobile chorus of singers and dancers representing campers throughout P-M’s history leads the audience from space to space. We want the audience to enjoy the Yampa Valley beauty and to experience the opera as living history.