3rd February 2012
The Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, which has commissioned ETO’s new collaboration with Miracle Theatre, Tin, has announced that the production has been granted the Inspire Mark by the London 2012 Inspire programme.
The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today’s announcement from the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) confirms that Tin is now part of the Cultural Olympiad – a huge national sporting and cultural celebration – as it was inspired by the shared Olympic and World Heritage values of respect, excellence and friendship.
Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: ‘ Tin is encouraging Miracle Theatre, English Touring Opera , and all of the partners and community groups involved, to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, we are delivering our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in the invaluable support and education programmes for Tin and in the productions themselves.”
A first of its kind for a UK World Heritage Site, the collaboration around Tin revives the story of a banking disgrace from the 19th Century, set within the mining industry in the St Just area. Through a theatre tour (in March and April 2012), followed by the creation of a film, Miracle Theatre’s Director, Bill Scott has reworked the story and used it as the basis for his production.
Operatic legend Benjamin Luxon, who has Cornish mining ancestry, will be joining the acting cast. Schoolchildren and community groups from across Cornwall and West Devon will make up the ‘village chorus’, following an extensive outreach and education programme led by English Touring Opera.
Julian German, Chairman of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, added: ‘The way to bring World Heritage Sites to life is to tell the stories of the people who created these globally important places. Tin will enable people today to identify with our ancestors and gain insights into their role in creating the Cornwall we live in. We could see the powerful potential in the Tin project from the beginning. Receiving the Olympic Inspire mark will help ensure that the significance of this work is felt right across Cornwall and west Devon.’
Tickets are on sale now. Click here for booking details on Miracle Theatre’s website.
20th January 2012
ETO is organising a coach trip from Oxford and High Wycombe to our opening nights of The Barber of Seville on Thursday 8 March and Eugene Onegin on Friday 9 March at London’s Hackney Empire.
The trip includes return coach travel from Oxford or High Wycombe and high-quality seats at Hackney Empire. Coaches will depart at 3.30pm from Oxford (Redbridge Park and Ride) and 4.15pm from High Wycombe (Cressex Park and Ride) on both days, with intended arrival to Hackney Empire of 5.30pm. This gives 2 hours before the performance to enjoy a meal at The Old Ship (not included in the ticket price), a nice pub behind the theatre, or to get coffee in the Empire Cafe. Coaches will depart Hackney straight after the performance with a return to High Wycombe for 11.30pm and Oxford at 00.10am at the latest.
The cost of the trip is £45 per person, per production (payable by cheque in advance). The cost, per person, includes return travel from Oxford or High Wycombe and a high-quality seat at Hackney Empire.
The trips are open to all to attend – a downloadable booking form can be found on the menu on the left-hand side of this page. If you’d like further information, please call Chris Calvert, Press & Marketing Officer on 020 7833 2555 or email: chris.calvert@englishtouringopera.org.uk.
6th January 2012
English Touring Opera is teaming up with one of Cornwall’s best-loved theatre companies, Miracle Theatre, on a brand new production which tours the South West this Spring, supported by a Youth Music award.
Tin is a play with a strong musical element, telling the story of a bedraggled touring theatre group as they visit a Cornish mining town in the winter of 1890.
Famous Cornish baritone Ben Luxon, who gave up performing opera due to hearing loss, returns to the stage in an acting role. The musical element, led by ETO, includes large sections from Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio.
ETO’s Education Associate, Tim Yealland, is excited by the opportunity to develop ETO’s already strong links in Cornwall. “For ETO this partnership is perfect from every point of view, not least because it allows us to work alongside Cornwall’s most vibrant theatre company,” he says. “It also lets us tap into the deep roots of Cornwall’s powerful singing tradition, and to develop the links we forged with the community opera One Day, Two Dawns at Hall for Cornwall a few years ago.”
The tour takes in a number of unusual venues. These include Heartlands, a new visitor attraction based around a disused mine shaft, and in a beautiful tent in front of the historic Count House, Botallack, St Just In Penwith, the most westerly town in mainland Britain.
Tickets are now on sale. Click here for booking details from Miracle Theatre’s website.
29th November 2011
The Fairy Queen Production Sponsor, Wellaflex Silvikrin, had a look behind the scenes at English Touring Opera during the autumn 2011 tour. Their Style Director, Michael Douglas spoke to members of the ETO cast and crew to find out what takes place in order to get singers made-up and prepared for each performance.
Wellaflex Silvikrin, the UK’s No1 Hairspray, has been trusted by generations of British women for over 50 years to offer reliable and flexible 24hr hold at a smart price and is now the proud official sponsor of English Touring Opera’s production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Wellaflex Silvikrin gives women the confidence to know they are set and ready for the day or night, prepared for where ever their social calendar takes them. The Classic Hairspray range offers five great variants, providing five levels of hold to suit every hairstyle including; Firm, Flexible, Natural, Secure and Maximum Hold. For more information visit www.silvikrin.co.uk
17th November 2011
English Touring Opera’s General Director, James Conway will take part in a live chat on the Guardian’s website tomorrow, Friday 18th November at 12:00 noon.
He’ll be chatting live with other touring companies and Guardian readers about touring successes, future challenges and how to reach out to audiences across the country.
To join in the conversation, simply leave your questions, comments and ideas on the Guardian’s website: www.guardian.co.uk/live-chat
Here is a brief introduction about the live chat from the Guardian’s website:
According to the Arts Council England plan for 2012-15, the main aims of the touring investment are not only to provide “better access to high quality work for people in places in England which rely on touring” but also to ensure that more high quality work can reach areas and audiences with the least engagement.
It’s a step in the right direction and one that will go some way to safeguarding a decent amount of touring shows, performances and exhibitions up and down the country. But with cuts so widely felt over the past year, local venues – both under funded and under attended – will also be relying on visiting companies to fill their schedules. Ensuring touring outfits are properly supported is vital.
The ACE investment is still a scaled-back figure on a scaled-back overall budget. To tap into the programme pot, not to mention plug any gaps that are left over, organisations will have to prove they can do more with less. But touring companies are used to creating magic, Mary Poppins style, from the bottom of a bag. Some of the most innovative and engaging art of recent years has taken place on the road.
With that in mind, join us and our panel of experts on Friday 18 November at noon to explore the new touring frontier. We’ll be looking at what is and isn’t working in the current system, what touring means in a digital age and which tools and theories of outreach might ensure the arts still deliver high quality work to the least-engaged areas and audiences in the UK.
10th November 2011
Wellaflex Silvikrin, the UK’s No1 Hairspray, has been trusted by generations of British women for over 50 years to offer reliable and flexible 24hr hold at a smart price and is now the proud official sponsor of English Touring Opera’s production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.
Wellaflex Silvikrin gives women the confidence to know they are set and ready for the day or night, prepared for where ever their social calendar takes them. The Classic Hairspray range offers five great variants, providing five levels of hold to suit every hairstyle including; Firm, Flexible, Natural, Secure and Maximum Hold.
For more information visit www.silvikrin.co.uk.
To celebrate its Heritage and sponsorship of English Touring Opera’s production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, we are offering you a chance to win a year’s supply of the latest Wellaflex Silvikrin Hairspray.
THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW ENDED.
3rd October 2011
English Touring Opera is giving students the chance to explore the finest in baroque opera with £10 tickets to its autumn shows at the Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music.
Student standbys are available for The Fairy Queen (pictured), Xerxes and Flavio between Thu 6 and Sat 15 October. This is a chance to enjoy friendly operas, as charming to the first time opera-goer as they are rich for the dedicated fan.
Student tickets are also available for ETO’s performance of Buxtehude’s extraordinary masterpiece Membra Jesu Nostri on Wed 5 October for just £3.
Any unsold tickets will become available as student standbys one hour before each show. You must bring your student card, please bring cash if possible, and arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Visit this page or call the Box Office on 0207 833 2555 before 5pm to check availability on the night of each performance.
There are no student standby tickets available for Flavio on Fri 14 Oct, but there is good availability for Flavio on Sat 15 Oct.
6th September 2011
Next spring English Touring Opera plans a season of two of the most popular operas in the repertoire – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.
Our production of Tchaikovsky’s romantic classic Eugene Onegin received critical acclaim and popular ovations around the country in 2007. The Guardian (4 stars) said of it that “it sheds more light on Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece than any other recent UK production”. ETO Director James Conway and Conductor Michael Rosewell return to this striking production with a new cast, including emerging star Nicholas Lester in the title role. With its heartfelt arias and ensembles, its splendid choruses and ballroom scenes, and Tchaikovsky’s gift for melody, rich orchestration and drama, Eugene Onegin is a night at the opera for romantics of all ages.
Effervescent, high-spirited, vocally brilliant, a work of comic genius: Rossini’s masterpiece The Barber of Seville is a favourite with audiences around the world. ETO’s new production, directed by the exciting and imaginative Thomas Guthrie and conducted by an experienced master of Italian opera, Paul McGrath, promises to be one of the highlights of the artistic calendar in 2012. The roguish young Count Almaviva, masquerading as the student Lindoro, will be sung by Nicholas Sharratt, one of the UK’s most promising Italianate tenors. Kitty Whately, winner of the 2011 Kathleen Ferrier Award, plays his beloved Rosina, as cunning as she is lovely.
Please keep checking our website for more information – such as booking opening dates and more venues to be announced (including Cambridge and Belfast).
27th July 2011
If you’re travelling to any of our venues this autumn, we are sure that in-between performances you will be keen to go out and about and make the most of your time away from home.
With this in mind, we are compiling a series of guides to help you find places to go, discover attractions to visits, and shop and eat where the locals do.
All the guides will be updated throughout the season to include any special offers and last-minute deals from the local tourist information centres. And if you’re from the area, why not add your own tips and share some of the local secrets with the ETO crowd? Just add your comments to the relevant guide and help other people enjoy the best that your town has to offer.
For more information on ETO’s 2011 autumn season, dates and locations, please visit englishtouringopera.org.uk/tour-dates.
7th July 2011
The ETO Spring Season 2011 productions of Puccini’s Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi pushed many boundaries in terms of what is possible to achieve with touring opera productions.
The demands that were placed on the ETO design and production teams were considerable; they had to work with stages of differing sizes and technical capabilities throughout the UK to transform them from the grubby and sordid quayside scene of Il tabarro to the sparkling Florentine manor that contains the action for Gianni Schicchi, in just 20 minutes, using only 11 people.
We were so pleased that we were able to offer such a ground-breaking production to the audiences that attended performances across the country. Here is a short video which shows in time-lapse the extraordinary transformation!
Please consider supporting our work so that we can continue to bring you the very best in production and performance standards, either by joining the ETO Membership Scheme or by making an online donation to ETO today. Thank you.
More information on supporting ETO
Click here to learn more about English Touring Opera Membership, or contact:
Johnny Langridge, 0207 833 2555 / johnny.langridge@englishtouringopera.org.uk
