Illustration by Tabi Walters
Visitors can now pop in their earbuds and tour the ornate landmark while listening to an original musical composition: Sara Tea’s “Fifth Wall: A Soundtrack for the Michigan Theater.” The eight-minute atmospheric audioscape, marked by sweeping strings, low tones, and meditative instrumentation, comes with a suggested walking tour through the lobby, main theater, and balcony.
“I was surprised by what came out in the composition,” Tea says, “because when I walked up to the theater, it was sparkly, and this heightened [the] experience for me. I ended up writing something a little more contemplative and quieter.”
Commissioned as part of the Ann Arbor District Library’s bicentennial Ann Arbor 200 project, “Fifth Wall” is free to stream on the AADL website.
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“I proposed a walking experience that gave people permission to slow down and experience the space differently,” says Tea, born Sarah Thurston. “For me, it ended up being a chronic illness that slowed me down. And so my work now is finding ways to engage community spaces.”
In 2015, the indie musician, instrumentalist, and DJ learned she had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a blood circulation disorder that causes fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue when getting up from lying down.
Tea, who began creating music in 2000 as a DJ and drummer in Denver, moved to Chelsea after being diagnosed, and took a hiatus from music. She founded Magic Guts Collective, a group of chronically ill artists from around the country, and released an EP, Songs for Discarded Souls, in 2023. “It really takes a community for me to continue going,” she says.
Why did she choose the Michigan Theater as the subject for her commission?
“The successful restoration, maintenance, and curation with the Marquee Arts, Russ Collins, and the symbiotic relationship with the Ann Arbor Film Festival and booking of musicians is something I deeply admire,” Tea says.
“They’ve maintained and preserved something special for many years, and that example impacts me as an artist, musician, and lover of the arts.”
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