Postcard From Morocco

The Royal Irish Academy of Music produced two operas in a double-bill presentation this year, one of them being Postcard from Morocco (1971)

This opera is about a group of strangers waiting in a train station on their way to an unknown destination. They each carry a personal item that is significant to them and that they won't let go of. They are all seeking an escape; in this existentialist story, fantasy and fear are never very far away.

Postcard from Morocco represents the absurdities of the human mind. Characters become intertwined with their belongings, using them as shields against their insecurities. When these objects are taken away, so too are their memories and sense of self, leaving them exposed and vulnerable.

The imagery suggests the characters' anonymity, lost identity and lack of direction. The typography reflects a contemporary approach to the original 1971 opera and is integrated into the poster through the use of yellow and orange, colours chosen to allude to the characters' sense of caution.

The visual language aims to reflect the confusion of Postcard from Morocco and how the production tries to mislead the audience throughout the whole opera to then surprise them with the ending.