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ETO NEWS. (click on links)

ETO to tour Don Giovanni, Susannah and Anna Bolena this Spring

ETO's Red Riding Hood for infants school pupils



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Current Education Projects 2008

The Book of O

Three groups in Wolverhampton have each spent 2 days creating The Book of O – a new story based partly on the old myth of Orpheus. For us he is a space and time traveller. Songs, music, lyrics, drama and dance have all been generated in collaboration with a professional  creative team.

O is the greatest inventor who ever lived. It took him a while to discover his talents. When he did he wrote his great work The Book of Space Travel. He journeys to the moon where he discovers people kidnapped by the cruel ruler Luna. He helps them escape  and return to earth.

Watch Vide Clips below



Red Riding Hood  

Red Riding Hood

"All the Foundation stage children who came (and the adults for that matter) were enthralled and inspired...The quality of the musicians and the presenters was simply excellent. – Pure class!" Nick Sullivan, Head Teacher of East Park Infants School, Wolverhampton

Red Riding Hood is performed by three actors and ten players from the English Touring Opera Orchestra in this fabulous retelling of the magical story. Designed for children aged 4-7 the piece is a perfect introduction to the instruments of the orchestra. Surrounded by the players the children will meet Red Riding Hood and the Wolf as they walk through the forest to Grandma’s cottage – who will arrive first? The children also join in a participatory song.

The delightful music is by Tom Smail, the words by Emma House. ETO performers Renee Salewski, Sam Boden and Adam Miller play the different roles in the story.

The performance lasts an hour, and includes a demonstration of the different instruments, including strings, woodwind and French horn. The words of the story and the music for the song will be sent out in advance.


Date Time Location
18th March private performance SHEFFIELD
Bradfield Dungworth Primary school
26th March private performance CHELTENAM
Arthur Dye Primary school
4th April private performace EXETER
Newton Poppleford Primary School
8TH April 3.45pm TRURO
Hall for Cornwall, Assembly Rooms
Cost: £3.50 per person + 85p Theatre Fund.
Box Office: 01872 262466
22nd April private performance WOLVERHAMPTON
Trinity Primary school (hosting)
30th April private performance CAMBRIDGE
Shirley Primary School
13th May 10.30am CRAWLEY
The Hawth, studio
Cost: £5.50/child, teachers free
Box Office: 01293 553636
23rd May 11am PERTH
Perth Festival of the Art
Cost: £2.50
Box Office: 0845 612 6330

Voithia!

"When Miss Driver said you were coming in I thought it was going to be you singing songs and me getting bored, but when you performed it was MAGNIFICENT.’ Mark Rose, age 10 Newton Poppelford School, Exeter

"The show was inspirational!" Alsion Williams, year 3 teacher, Tickhill Estfeld Primary School, Doncaster. 
Minataur
 Icarus deadalus and Ariadne
Ariadne King Minos Theseus

Voithia! is a brand new opera based on the combined Greek myths of the birdboy Icarus, the monster Minotaur, and the hero Theseus. Imagine you could fly. Icarus could.  His father was a brilliant inventor, and had made him wings made of feathers and wax.  The problem was he enjoyed it so much he forgot the one warning his father had given him...

English Touring Opera tour Voithia! early in 2008. Composer Rachel Leach, writer Tim Yealland and designer Ellen Dowell bring together a mixture of singing, playing, dancing and storytelling to tell these fantastic myths, aimed specifically at children aged 4 to 11and their families.

The show will last just over an hour, and is completely interactive. The audience will learn songs at the beginning, and will take part actively in the telling of the story: they will build the labyrinth, and help Icarus to fly. There are also 4-page cartoon strips (by Sarah Lenton) for everyone to take home, which retell the story in a fun, accessible way.

The cast is multi-skilled: singers who play instruments, dancers who sing, musicians who act. 5 performers will tell the story, which is fully staged and designed. Beware of the scary-looking Minotaur!