Zhengda Liu

Synthesis Stage - Tancredi

This project demonstrates how multimedia tools can offer a preview of an opera’s story before the audience enters the theater. By reimagining Tancredi, it seeks to bring traditional culture into modern forms—such as video games, comics, and 3D art—making it more engaging and accessible for new generations.

In today’s fast-changing world, technology shapes how we experience and share stories. People are drawn to more immediate and visually engaging formats, and traditional storytelling methods like opera often struggle to capture the attention of younger audiences. Long-form, refined art forms are being replaced by fast-paced, immersive experiences such as video games, animated media, and digital interaction.

This thesis explores the creation of a media board that could be installed in the public spaces of an opera house, offering visitors a preview of the performance and sparking their curiosity before the curtain rises.Focusing on the classic opera Tancredi, a romantic and tragic story of love, war, and misunderstanding, I will reimagine its narrative in a fictional future world. Originally recomposed by Rossini in 1813, the story will be retold using contemporary tools such as video games, 3D models, comics, and AI technologies. The goal is to preserve the emotional and thematic core of the opera while transforming it into a dynamic experience for today’s audiences.

As the world continues to evolve, it is essential to bring the beauty of historical works into modern contexts. We must be both caretakers of cultural heritage and innovators of new forms. This thesis aims to show that multimedia is not only a means of preservation but also a bridge to new, imaginative ways of storytelling.