English Touring Opera in Association with Polka Theatre Present THIS IS MY BED

English Touring Opera (ETO) in association with Polka Theatre for the first time present a brand new opera for children called This is My Bed, a new opera about bedtimes, bears and dreams. Running from 13th - 24th June run at Polka Theatre, a leading dedicated children's theatre based in Wimbledon, will be ETO Education's first collaboration with the theatre.

This is My Bed is a fun new opera about beds and bedtime, with a beautifully designed set, catchy new songs and a talking bed. Perfect for children aged 2 to 5 years old, the opera has the added benefit of having been composed, written and designed to be accessible and enjoyable for audiences with Special Educational Needs and Autism and their families.

This is My Bed stars opera singers from English Touring Opera's mainstage shows Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro and Puccini: Il tabarro & Gianni Schicchi. Soprano Joanna Skillett plays Rrr, a bear; Baritone Bradley Travis and soprano Abigail Kelly play best friends Danny and Mikina. Abigail, Bradley and Joanna have a long history of working with English Touring Opera's Education department, Abigail Kelly recently starred in Bessie's Wings a new opera devised with Lambeth Schools about the first African American woman to hold a pilot's license, Bradley Travis played Nicholas II in Sem'ye a new opera devised with Holy Trinity and S. Silas School in Camden and Joanna Skillet starred in Speakout! a new opera with Corbets Tey Special School.

Composed by Pete Letanka with libretto and direction by Tim Yealland, an experienced writer and director, who has written/directed over twenty new operas for young audiences and audiences with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities during his 15 year tenure at ETO. This is My Bed has been devised with children from Perseid School, a community educational needs school for learners with severe and profound learning difficulties in Wimbledon and features design by Sophia Lovell Smith.

Operating for over 35 years, Polka is one of the UK's leading theatre venues for children ages 0 - 14. Over 90,000 children, along with their families and teachers, from across London and the South East visit each year to see inspiring, new theatre including plays, opera, dance, digital theatre and puppetry as well as interactive storytelling and creative learning workshops. Although firmly rooted in the local community, Polka is a National Theatre Company with productions travelling across the UK and overseas to cities as far apart as Toronto, Istanbul, Shanghai, Sydney and Hong Kong.

The winner of the 2014 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, English Touring Opera is the most prolific touring opera company in the UK, travelling annually to around 70 venues, more than any other English Opera Company. With its mission to offer opera to everyone, the company presents as many as 140 performances a year. ETO's outreach programme focuses on creative work, and ranges from community operas and music theatre workshops to productions for young people and their families, featuring artists from the company's main-stage shows, touring to schools across the UK. The company is also a national leader in the provision of arts for dementia sufferers. ETO has helped launch the careers of singers including Amanda Echalaz and Sarah Connolly and gave the world première of Alexander Goehr's opera Promised End in 2010.

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