Here you can catch up with all productions from our 14th Festival which took place in Summer 2021, with over 42 events and 23 new operas made by artists from throughout the UK.
July
Throughout the Festival, Online. Create scores at home, made by a queer, feminist gardening society founded by 12th century mystic and musician Hildegard von Bingen.
19:30-20:25, Live Performance. A traumatised nurse returns from WWI only to clash with an uncaring government, forcing her to be a pioneer for nurses’ rights. Based on academic research into nursing trauma in WWI and the COVID-19 pandemic.
19:30-20:10, Live Performance. A fusion of physical theatre, art installation and abstract soundscape which explores our relationship to mind, body and spirit that candidly asks the question “How do you feel about your body?”
19:00-20:50, Live Performance. A comic opera set in the 18th century. The Marquis de Sade must go on a quest to recover his lost libido or have his head chopped off!
21:00-22:15, Interactive Broadcast. A traumatised nurse returns from WWI only to clash with an uncaring government, forcing her to be a pioneer for nurses’ rights. Based on academic research into nursing trauma in WWI and the COVID-19 pandemic.
19:00-20:00, Live Performance. An interactive, immersive opera. You are invited to join a ritual of bargaining in these difficult times, negotiating with the beguiling Uncanny Things...
20:05-21:10, Interactive Broadcast. A fusion of physical theatre, art installation and abstract soundscape which explores our relationship to mind, body and spirit that candidly asks the question “How do you feel about your body?”
21:15-22:15, Live Performance. An interactive, immersive opera. You are invited to join a ritual of bargaining in these difficult times, negotiating with the beguiling Uncanny Things...
19:30-20:10, Live Performance. A theatrical picnic and tourist guide to the Lake District based on the works of William and Dorothee Wordsworth, through poems, riddles, and food.
August
17:00-18:30, Interactive Broadcast. An interactive, immersive opera. You are invited to join a ritual of bargaining in these difficult times, negotiating with the beguiling Uncanny Things...
19:30-21:30, Interactive Broadcast. A comic opera set in the 18th century. The Marquis de Sade must go on a quest to recover his lost libido or have his head chopped off!
19:00-19:45, Live Performance. Operas written for film and stage are combined in this demonstration of Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera's work as a forge for new opera. Double bill.
19:00-19:45, Live Performance. Alice is a poet who yearns to sing, but to her music seems terrifyingly stratified. She's given herself a year to learn, and wants you to answer her questions. Double bill.
19:50-20:55, Interactive Broadcast. A theatrical picnic and tourist guide to the Lake District based on the works of William and Dorothee Wordsworth, through poems, riddles, and food.
21:00-21:45, Live Performance. An operatic techno rave spotlighting six nightlife characters affected by the pandemic, with a cast of cultural leaders from London’s LGBTQ+ nightlife community.
19:30-20:30, Live Performance. An adaptation of Journey to the West, blending western and Chinese forms to tell the tale of Tang Sangzang's search for revenge and justice.
19:00-19:40, Live Performance. A story of love, lust, obsession, mistrust, hatred, death, and immortality in a militaristic society, based on the love poems of the Roman poet Sextus Propertius.
19:30-20:50, Live Performance. The tale of Mary Frances Heaton's struggles to reach the outside world after being sentenced to a lifetime confined in Wakefield Asylum for being outspoken.
20:45-22:15, Interactive Broadcast. An adaptation of Journey to the West, blending western and Chinese forms to tell the tale of Tang Sangzang's search for revenge and justice.
18:00-19:10, Interactive Broadcast. Operas written for film and stage are combined in this demonstration of Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera's work as a forge for new opera. Double bill.
18:00-19:10, Interactive Broadcast. Alice is a poet who yearns to sing, but to her music seems terrifyingly stratified. She's given herself a year to learn, and wants you to answer her questions. Double bill.
19:15-19:55, Live Performance. A robot and one of the last humans try to find a way to preserve her mind, and the knowledge of how the robots were created. A sequel to Čapek's RUR.
20:00-21:00, Interactive Broadcast. An operatic techno rave spotlighting six nightlife characters affected by the pandemic, with a cast of cultural leaders from London’s LGBTQ+ nightlife community.
21:10-21:50, Live Performance. A new app-era, where you can only communicate with other people through extended vocal technique. Download it today, and get daily lessons and inspiration.
19:00-19:40, Live Performance. The life of Swiss artist/dancer Sophie Taeuber-Arp, exploring her career and relationship with Jean Arp, her fellow Dadaist.
19:45-20:45, Interactive Broadcast. A story of love, lust, obsession, mistrust, hatred, death, and immortality in a militaristic society, based on the love poems of the Roman poet Sextus Propertius.
21:00-21:45, Live Performance. In the late 21st century, two graduates of a top E-Sports academy prepare for the most important tournament of their lives, and to confront the compromises made on the way.
17:00-18:45, Interactive Broadcast. The tale of Mary Frances Heaton's struggles to reach the outside world after being sentenced to a lifetime confined in Wakefield Asylum for being outspoken.
19:00-19:30, Live Performance. Princess Pauline Metternich is largely remembered for a disputed emancipated topless duel. What is the true history of the enigmatic and swashbuckling princess?
20:45-21:15, Live Performance. Documentary-opera meets quirky gardening show, telling the history of the Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, an ancient queer-feminist collective.
19:00-20:15, Interactive Broadcast. A robot and one of the last humans try to find a way to preserve her mind, and the knowledge of how the robots were created. A sequel to Čapek's RUR.
21:00-22:30, Interactive Broadcast. A new app-era, where you can only communicate with other people through extended vocal technique. Download it today, and get daily lessons and inspiration.
19:00-20:10, Interactive Broadcast. The life of Swiss artist/dancer Sophie Taeuber-Arp, exploring her career and relationship with Jean Arp, her fellow Dadaist.
20:45-22:00, Interactive Broadcast. In the late 21st century, two graduates of a top E-Sports academy prepare for the most important tournament of their lives, and to confront the compromises made on the way.
19:00-20:00, Interactive Broadcast. Princess Pauline Metternich is largely remembered for a disputed emancipated topless duel. What is the true history of the enigmatic and swashbuckling princess?
21:00-22:00, Interactive Broadcast. Documentary-opera meets quirky gardening show, telling the history of the Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, an ancient queer-feminist collective.
18:30-20:20, Live Performance. Ladies of Midnight Blue's mix of melodic percussion, brass, vocal chants, mbira, and everyday activism comes to Cubitt Sessions.
18:30-19:50, Live Performance. The Venus Bushfires explore the ethereal sounds of the ‘hang’ and the power of the talking drum cross-fertilising multiple visual & musical styles.
19:30-20:30, Live Performance. Sold Out. On a planet where history is forbidden, a young girl dares to tell her story. Featuring an ensemble of three grand pianos, contemporary dance with interactive sculpture, and high fashion by Ka Wa Key.
September
16:00-18:00, Watch Party. The Venus Bushfires explore the ethereal sounds of the ‘hang’ and the power of the talking drum cross-fertilising multiple visual & musical styles.
19:00-20:30, Interactive Broadcast. On a planet where history is forbidden, a young girl dares to tell her story. Featuring an ensemble of three grand pianos, contemporary dance with interactive sculpture, and high fashion by Ka Wa Key.
21:00-22:10, Interactive Broadcast. Knights in Times Square, legendary alchemists and invisible kings combine in this adaptation of Calvino's novel in a tale where all eras are linked.
