20:00-21:30, Sunday 23th September 2026
The Cockpit
Music: Ábel MGE
Words: Moon Kim
A livestream followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A.
‘Tell me. Tell me exactly what you think about me. Which part of me do you like? Do you like my neck? Or my elbow?’
One opera singer. One actor. An evening of drinking, debauchery, and deception.
Emily, a failed opera singer, lives a lonely yet outwardly idyllic life as a housewife. When her old friend Emma unexpectedly arrives, the reunion offers a welcome escape from her isolation. But as the two drink and dance into the night, the curated façade of Emily’s life begins to unravel, and the music she has worked so hard to silence starts to find its way back in.
Following the Brighton Fringe Award-nominated hit The Arms (★★★★★, West End Best Friend), writer and director Moon Kim reunites with composer Ábel MGE for their second collaboration – a genre-defying, surrealist play-opera exploring artistic ambition, identity and the fractured mind.
Combining spoken theatre with live opera, Emma or Emily stars Emily Carmichael and Eva Stone-Barney, whose contrasting performances blur the line between reality and illusion.
★★★★½ “Darkly surreal, devilish and a scrumptious feast for the ears.” – The Reviews Hub
EMILY: Emily Carmichael
EMMA: Eva Stone-Barney
Music and music direction: Ábel MGE
Words and direction: Moon Kim
Producer: RJ Ekanem
Costume Assistant: Kyu Sim