The production, according to notes, "takes up a work from the days when opera was an emerging art form, born out of the power of the voice and the lute, in pure acoustic space, and sets it down in a new world splintered by telepresence and made brazen by the electric guitar.

"Then, traveling further forward in time, and stirring another Italian cultural artifact into the mix, the Group brings into collision the ancient shipwreck tale of Aeneas with the crashed spaceships of Mario Bava's 1965 low-budget sci-fi horror film 'Terrore nello spazio' ('Planet of the Vampires').

"The elements of this cult movie — the sleek matching leather space uniforms, the forbidding planetary landscapes, the battles with the walking dead over the all-important meteor rejector — come into unexpected synergy with the baroque textures of Cavalli's score and the classic themes of the Dido story: the loss of culture and family, the destructive (and redemptive) power of erotic passion, and the sheer tenacity of human nature in the face of annihilation."

Elizabeth LeCompte directs. Music director is Bruce Odland. The performers include Hai-Ting Chinn, Ari Fliakos, Jennifer Griesbach, Hank Heijink, Andrew Nolen, Kamala Sankaram, Scott Shepherd, Harvey Valdes, Kate Valk, David Walker, Judson Williams and John Young.

REDCAT is offering a limited number of $25 tickets to the June 12 and June 16 performances. These tickets will be made available for in-person sales two hours prior to curtain at REDCAT's box office (631 West 2nd Street), limit two tickets per person. Call the REDCAT box office at (213) 237-2800 for more information or visit thewoostergroup.org.