Romeo And Juliet In Today’s World
BAREFOOT OPERA, an opera company for our times, has again been awarded Arts Council funding to take Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor on an extended tour of London and the South East this autumn.
Audiences in the South East will recognise Barefoot Opera’s signature style that fuses outstanding classical singing and dynamic physical theatre with community participation to create an accessible show for a broad audience to enjoy.
Led by an international cast of professional singers, including Beren Fidan in the lead role, choirs from local colleges and communities help to introduce the first episode of the story, creating a unique form of audience participation that expands the experience of the opera for both cast and audience.
Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor is a cousin to Romeo and Juliet: a bitter family feud is the background to Lucia’s doomed love affair as her personal identity is shattered by coercion, power and toxic masculinity.
Jenny Miller, founder of Barefoot Opera, says: “Our director, Rosie Catt, frames this story within the problems of today’s young people, ensuring empathy with Lucia’s struggles to find mental resilience in a world without anchors. Rosie links this richly melodic 19th century romantic opera with current issues of mental health and well-being. Our preparation has included training with outstanding Hastings based company Soundcastle, a community music hub, and we are truly happy to be able to bring this work to new audiences in our expanded tour.”
“In this version of Lucia di Lammermoor there is an immediate connection between singers, instrumentalists and audience. We replenish our communal experience of live performance. So in this performance bel canto, the art of great singing, meets our bold vision for a new form of opera. “
For further details and tickets, visit www.barefootopera.com Lucia De Lammermoor will be performed at St John the Evangelist, Brittany Road, on 4 September and 4 October. For further dates see barefootopera.com/shop
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