19:00-19:45, Wednesday 8th October 2025
The Cockpit
Music:Bahaa El Ansary
Words: Sophie Rashbrook
Schokolade! (The Film) is a cinematic opera experiment where music, memory, and machine meet. When two young music students enter an abandoned space, they stumble across an old piano that unexpectedly speaks. At first terrified, they begin communicating with it — unraveling the story of Sebastian, a boy who has been trapped inside the instrument since 1992.
His voice—quirky, fragile, and emotionally volatile—emerges through a custom speech-to-MIDI system that controls a Disklavier piano in real time. The film blurs the boundaries between performer and instrument, childhood and circuitry, narrative and sonification.
Co-created by composer Bahaa El Ansary and librettist Sophie Rashbrook, the project was produced with a Culture Resource production grant and filmed in March 2023 as a prototype for a broader ongoing project, currently exploring AI-driven opera characters and human-machine storytelling. This special watch-party screening presents the full film. It stands at the intersection of operatic tradition and experimental technology, offering an emotional ghost story told through keys, cables, and Schokolade.
Booking available shortly.
Age range: All ages, but mostly adults
In a festival of new work, please note that shows may overrun.
Produced by Bahaa El Ansary
Venue: Online
On the same day:
Music: Bahaa El Ansary Libretto: Sophie Rashbrook Film Director: Maged Abou El Dahab Stage & Artistic Director: Bahaa El Ansary Cast Joe: Daniel Hany Anna: Amira Reda Sebastian: Hassan Hosney
Filmed at: WOW Zone, New Cairo
Joe: Daniel Hany
Anna: Amira Reda
Sebastian: Hassan Hosney
Music: Bahaa El Ansary
Libretto: Sophie Rashbrook
Film Director: Maged Abou El Dahab
Musical Director/Pianist: Veronica Del Puerto Bievz
Stage & Artistic Director: Bahaa El Ansary