Photo: Dahlia Katz

While her mother slowly loses her vision, optometrist Leslie Ting makes a career change to pursue her dream of becoming a professional musician. After her mother dies suddenly, Leslie, now a violinist, listens to the silence to discover what she never saw before. 

Speculation is a theatrical concert with an immersive visual design based on the experience of vision loss. A monologue interweaved with live performances of Beethoven and John Cage tells a mother-daughter story of loss and listening.

Speculation 2021:

• Leslie Ting - creator, artistic director, producer, writer, performer (violin, monologue)

• Hye Won Cecilia Lee - performer (piano)

• Thurga Kanagasekarampillai - Deaf performer (monologue)

• Alex Bulmer - co-director & dramaturg, voice coach

• Tristan R. Whiston - co-director & dramaturg

• Patrick Lavender - lighting design

• Amelia Scott - projection design

• Elinor Svoboda and Zachary Finkelstein - experimental filmmakers

• Marie Claire LeBlanc Flanagan - user experience designer for 4’33”

• James Kendal - production manager, associate lighting designer, video operator

• Giuseppe Condello - stage manager

• Kai Masaoka - audio engineer

• Roger Galvez - videographer

• Zachary Finkelstein - editor

• Darren Creech - administrative assistance

Lighting and projection designers for Speculation have changed since its first iteration in 2014 to reflect the uniqueness of the experience of vision loss. Collaborating musicians have also changed, as a grassroots way of continuing to share and have conversation about the experience of vision loss. Click here for a complete list previous performances, designers and performers.