Saturday 9 July 2011

WNYO - The Sleeper's About to Wake Up

WNO (Image - David Massey)

With less than a week to go preparations are in full swing for The Sleeper, a Welsh National Youth Opera commission, written by poet Michael Symmons Roberts (The Sacrifice), and composer Stephen Deazley. Set in a future where sleep is a thing of the past it promises to be an opera experience with a difference.

The performances, which take place within several venues at The Coal Exchange, are designed to give a Total Opera experience and involve a bit of promenading from the audiences’ point of view – so you’ll have to leave your heels at home, whoever you are.

The Coal Exchange is a stone’s throw from WNO’s home and directions can be found by visiting its website. But if you’re feeling too lazy to click on the last link the satellite photo below will show you how close it is if you’re umming and ahhing over going.




The Sleeper runs from the 15th of July until the 18th of July for eight performances. Tickets cost £11 and £6 (Under 30s) and are only available by ringing WNO on 029 2063 5030. There's a free post-performance talk after the Friday 9pm performance, to attend ring 029 2063 5030 to book your place. Performance length is approximately 75 minutes.

For those of you in the London area the production transfers to Riverside Studios in Hammersmith for two performances on Saturday the 13th, and Sunday the 14th of August. Tickets cost £6 (£4 concs) and can be bought by clicking here, or by ringing the Box Office on 020 8237 1111.

If you’d like to learn more then click here to visit WNO, or if you feel like contributing your own take on sleep you can visit WNO’s digital arm (WNO///3) at The Archive of Sleep.

Librettist Michael Symmons Roberts chats about the opera with glimpses of the set designs and rehearsals in the video beneath these words.


Friday 8 July 2011

And so it begins...


Following last week’s take on La Traviata, this week sees the unveiling of my, as yet untitled, work / novel / story / yarn in progress. In a shameless effort to attract more readers to this post I will now type Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch, News International, Rebekah Brooks, News of the World, David Cameron, exclusive, the truth, tap dancing monkeys and free bacon butties if your name is Smith.

To read Chapter One click here you phone hacking sexy things. Seriously you can.

Coming soon... an actual post about WNO!