Never underestimate the power of love, and never dispute the strength of creative collaboration.

Audiences soon will learn for themselves how disparate artistic disciplines can bring timeless romance to life in Operaskia’s debut work, “Ceyx and Alcyone” This original production debuts at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16 at Lawndale Art Center (4912 Main St.). Admission is free.

Operaskia is a two-artist troupe combining the forces of University of Houston students, vocalist Heather Shore and visual artist Julie de Vries. “Ceyx and Alcyone” marks the duo’s first work completed through UH’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Art Studio Residency. This performance also is part of Lawndale Arts Center’s Open Studio series, which runs Nov. 16 – Jan. 5.

Employing projections of de Vries artwork and shadow puppetry alongside Shore’s operatic vocals, Operaskia brings to life the classic and tragic tale of a loving husband and wife who are eternally united following a deadly mishap at sea.

“The mix of puppetry and music are well suited for the mythological and romantic themes of this production,” de Vries said. “We are able to create a setting that is appropriate for this tale, and one that really enhances its fantastic elements.”

Shore and de Vries met while enrolled in the Mitchell Center’s “Collaboration Among the Arts” course, which brings together students from different artistic backgrounds to create innovative multi-disciplinary projects. Both were selected for the Mitchell Center’s studio residency program, which allowed them to fully develop “Ceyx and Alcyone” in a studio space provided by Lawndale Art Center.

“We are very grateful to have met through the Mitchell Center,” Shore said. “Otherwise, we might not have had this opportunity to work together and develop projects that we feel are reflective of ourselves as artists and as friends.”

For more information on the Mitchell Center, visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org, and for details on Lawndale Arts Center, visit www.lawndaleartscenter.org.

WHAT:	Operaskia: “Ceyx and Alcyone”
WHEN:	7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16
WHERE:	Lawndale Arts Center 4912 Main St. Houston
WHO:	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH, Lawndale Arts Center