Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch’s Accuser Shoots at the Garrison Institute

In September, the cast and crew of Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch’s Accuser, a made-for-TV-and-online opera, shot two episodes at the Garrison Institute.

The setting both inside and outside the Garrison Institute was perfect for these chapters of the Vireo story, which is about the nature and uses of female hysteria through time, as witch-hunters, early psychiatrists, and modern artists variously define the condition. In Episode 6 (“Boarding School”), Raphael (tenor Ryan Glover) delivers Vireo (soprano Rowen Sabala) to boarding school, where she lives in isolation. In Episode 8 (“Girl in the Well”), Director Charles Otte and his crew scouted a location to shoot outside of the Institute for a scene where Caroline shows Vireo and Raphael a well near an abandoned barn.

Both Episode 6 and Episode 8 featured special performances from musicians from the acclaimed ensemble Alarm Will Sound and young singers from the Trinity Youth Chorus, as well as dancer Catie Cuan.

“Singing inside the Garrison Institute’s Main Meditation Hall was pretty exciting,” said Anevay Darlington, a singer from the Trinity Youth Chorus. “I thought the sound traveled well. And I felt very calm throughout the entire experience.”

View photos from the shoot:

Behind the scenes video of Vireo at Alcatraz: