5 Ways we’re connecting with Opera Newcomers this Summer

1. First up we’re focussing on 2 very strong, short stories. Cav is about a man who’s gone off to war leaving a pregnant woman behind. Now he’s returned he’s after his former finance who married someone else in the meantime. We’ve all seen that guy 👀

Pag on the other hand is about the plight of a woman facing daily abuse from her husband, dreaming of escape and a better life than the one that seemed to grow around her in a patriarchal and misogynist society. Also sound familiar?

2. Both opera’s focus on women as 3D complex human beings in a way that opera often widely misses. We see women in relation to men because there’s seemingly no escaping that, but they are fully fleshed out strong characters who don’t just waft about and sing pretty high notes.

3. As always we perform in the language that the composers intended. This time Italian, which heightens the drama with sounds and words that are not available in English. But, we also have multiple screens sometimes displaying a summary of the plot and sometimes telling the audience word for word what’s going on.

4. Our operas are a celebration of our work as a community opera company that welcomes singers of all abilities onto the stage to grow in confidence and experience opera performance without barriers. We’re committed to taking elitism out of opera and so many of the singers you see have day jobs just like you. They are on a journey of exploration and self discovery alongside some quite powerful voices from more developed singers and we share the magic of that journey by cheering them on from the audience.

5. Our Operas are staged for smaller auditoriums where the audience get up close and personal with the action. While most opera venues stick the audience in a far away cupboard with a big mystic gully to separate them from the singers, our audiences get to experience the raw power of operatic singing at close quarters. They feel the vibration of every voice, get enveloped by the emotion and become an integral part of the joy of Opera

Get your tickets here: Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci | Edinburgh Festival Fringe