An Interview with Psyche Lyricist and Librettist Emily Garber

This summer, Clear Space Theatre Company is partnering with LHW Productions on a three week workshop of a new musical, Psyche. The musical examines the story of the ancient Greek myth of Psyche, a mortal whose beauty outshone even that of the goddess of love Aphrodite. Adored by all, but never able to love another herself, she feels all but cursed. But when love finally comes, is that the true curse?

Performances are August 23 at 10:30pm, August 24 at 2pm, and August 25 at 2pm.

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Emily Garber Heaqdshot

Librettist and Lyricist Emily Garber

Emily Garber writes the lyrics and the libretto to this new musical, alongside composer Jake Landau. Emily is a queer librettist, novelist, and poet who has always created stories inspired by the sky-high trees in her parents’ backyard and the irresistible magic of ancient myth. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Greek & Latin from Tufts University. Her work has been performed internationally by Broadway, West End, and Metropolitan Opera stars alike. Recently her one-act opera &Aeterna received its world premiere at the Narnia Festival in Italy, followed by a US premiere with Opera Idaho. 

Clear Space sat down with Emily to talk a little about Psyche and her relationship to the material as a member of the queer community.
(Note that an abbreviated version of this interview appears in the August edition of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth.)

How do you identify within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum?
I identify as both aromantic and asexual, meaning that I do not experience either romantic or sexual attraction.

How has your lived experience as a member of the queer community impact or influence your work as an artist across your career?It’s interesting because although I have always been queer, I spent most of my formative years unaware that I was. After all, I’d spent my whole life watching movies and reading books where the main characters had never experienced any interest in romance or relationships until their “right” person came along– so I figured that I just hadn’t met that person, yet. And while I’d heard the word “asexual” before, I had always heard an asexual person described as someone who had absolutely zero interest in pursuing those kinds of relationships. And while that is an absolutely valid ace experience for some, it didn’t reflect my own at all. It was only halfway through college that I started to question why pursuing those kinds of relationships felt more like I was following an accepted script than something I actually wanted.

 
In an interesting way, though, I also feel like every time I tried to write a story, particularly one with romance, it never quite worked in the exact same way. I was following a script that someone else had written, and it showed. But the more I began to unpack my own very complicated relationship with intimacy and relationships, the more I was able to bring my own experience into my writing in a way that could never be as simple as “and they lived happily ever after.” Queerness, by its very existence, fundamentally challenges the concept that there is any such thing as “normal.” I take that to heart, not just by writing the stories of queer characters, but by writing stories that on a structural level, fundamentally challenge what it means to be happy and, even more, to be human. 
 
Why does the story of the myth of Psyche appeal to you? Why do you think it is particularly resonant in our culture today?
Cupid and Psyche has always been one of my favorite myths. I’ve always been drawn in by the eeriness of it, and the romance. Looking back, I also think it appealed to me because in many ways it is an allegory for the ace experience. After all, Psyche falls in love with someone she can’t see. Attraction isn’t a piece of her story. It’s also rare to see a woman in mythology have as much agency in her story as Psyche does. She is her own hero, by the end, despite the story beginning with her entirely victim to other peoples’ machinations.
 
I think something about it that feels very timely to me, as well, is an underlying question within the story of “what lengths are you willing to go to for the people you love?” I feel like, increasingly, we are being pushed into a world where people aren’t placing as much value in actually showing up for the people they love in meaningful ways, or are only finding it acceptable to do so in their romantic relationships. And, I know so many of us are finding that to be lonely, and isolating. I think that this story reminds us about how powerful it is to go the extra mile– and that trust goes hand in hand with love.

Why do you think representation for asexual members of the queer community is important?
There are so many ace people I’ve talked to who have had experiences just like mine– who didn’t even realize that it was an option to be ace and spent years feeling as though they were uniquely alone. A word you hear over and over and over again is “broken.” Like you’re missing something crucial. And, given that most asexual representation we currently have in media is in characters who are actual aliens and robots, it only reinforces the idea that sexual and romantic attraction are the two things that make us fundamentally human. That you are missing something without them. So having ace characters who are deeply human, and flawed, and who have relationships that are just as deep and meaningful as romantic ones, is so important. Further, regardless of orientation, there are so many people in this world who don’t find fulfillment in romantic and sexual relationships. Platonic love is just as strong, and just as valid, and it deserves to have epic stories written in its honor the same as any romance.
 
How do you and Jake work together as a writing team?
Jake and I have been friends for two decades, so we know each other very well– and we share a love of all things fantasy that I think comes through in both our contributions to our work! We work really closely to make sure that the music and story are in perfect concert, and to build out lush and immersive worlds.
 
What are you most looking forward to about the workshop in Rehoboth Beach?
Of course, I’m looking forward to getting to know the absolutely beautiful town, but I’m also looking forward to working with the incredible team, here, and to get to use the space to bring this show to life in a new way.
 
What are you hoping that audiences in Rehoboth Beach will take away from seeing the concert readings?
I hope that they feel transported into a world of myth and magic, and find something in this show that makes them either question or understand more deeply their own relationships to the people they love.

Read more as Emily’s writing partner Jake Landau talks about his vision in writing the music to Psyche.

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