Opera Greenwich Returns To Historic Venue St Alfege Church For Puccini 100

This August Opera Greenwich return, bringing their production of La Bohème to St Alfege Church, located in the heart of historic Greenwich to celebrate Puccini's centenary.

Opera Greenwich is a vibrant new company dedicated to bringing opera and music theatre to the community while fostering emerging talents. For their second year, Opera Greenwich will bring their signature 'Opera Week' to the iconic St Alfege Church, Greenwich, South East London from the 27th to the 31st of August. Following the success of their first production, this year's celebration marks the 100th anniversary of Puccini's legacy, with a varied lineup of events for opera lovers and younger audiences alike,culminating in a new staging of his beloved opera, "La Bohème".

Opera Week Highlights:

• La Boheme

  • New staging of this work with a cast of emerging talented singers, performances on Friday 30th and Saturday 31st August at 2pm and 7pm.

• Puccini 100 recitals and events

  • Two free lunchtime recitals celebrating Puccini's 100th anniversary and exploring Puccini's musical world, other European composers that have inspired him and an insight event on the themes of "La Bohème."

• Family Events

  • An opera workshop for children and young people, an operatic treasure hunt!

Family Events

Join us On Tuesday 27th August at St Alfege Church for a day packed with exciting activities for younger audiences!

• 12PM: Opera Workshop - here children and young people will be invited to join us for a class of music and theatre-making, where they will be able to write their own short opera together, led by Opera Greenwich's creative team. (Suitable for ages 4+)

• 1PM: Opera Treasure Hunt - here children and young people will be enjoying an adventure encountering different characters from Puccini's operas and collecting clues to reach the final treasure at the end! (Suitable for ages)

Puccini 100 Events

• Wednesday 28th, 1pm: Puccini 100 Lunchtime Recital

  • celebrating the composer's life through his music together with the music of those that inspired and were inspired by him.

Sung by singers of Opera Greenwich.

• Thursday 29th, 1pm: La Boheme insight event + Q&A -

  • An introduction to La Boheme with a musical overview Opera Greenwich's creative team will offer historical, musical and dramaturgical insight into this world-renowned opera. Inviting audiences to ask questions and open a conversation surrounding the production.

This event is suitable for opera lovers who crave a more in depth view of La Boheme and newcomers who are curious about the world of opera and want to learn more in a welcoming environment.

La Boheme

A story of young artists and students with hope for life, and optimism even in hardship. Inevitable tragedy brings with it the realisation that happiness is but a moment - how to live that moment is what matters.

This new production of "La Bohème" promises a unique, partially immersive experience. Set in the 1990s, Opera Greenwich aims to bring the characters closer to us, revealing in true 'verismo' style the similarities and universal nature of the artist's life.

Capturing the essence of youthful ambition, friendship, and the bittersweet nature of nostalgia, La Boheme is a hymn to the dreamers and next generation of artists; their struggles, passion and drive, against the harsh reality of life as an artist in an economically hostile environment. Simply put, how can a dream survive the threat of reality?

Today, telling stories of struggling artists sounds all too familiar. To enable us to make this story resonate further, the role of Schaunard will be played by a mezzo-soprano. Gender-swapping this role allows us to introduce a fresh, female perspective in the multi-layered friendship between the four artists.This highlights the importance of the female voice and her struggles within the arts.

With the threat of rising prices, the difficulty to make ends meet and the decades of isolation for those who most need support, La Bohème resonates in a profound way today just as it did in 1896. It is an urgent, timeless work which mirrors society and reflects the inevitable light and darkness of the human condition.

Puccini's music creates a colourful whirlwind of friendship, passions, heartbreak and nostalgia, performed for Opera Greenwich by a chamber ensemble under the musical direction of Jack Stone (Regents Opera, Opera Integra, Lewisham Urban Opera).

Directors Valeria Perboni (Instant Opera, Guildford Opera, Amick Productions, Arena di Verona Opera Festival) and William Eley (Yard Players, Shakespeare Globe) co-curate the week's events as well as the stage direction of the production, supported by assistant director Patricia Gomez (Richmond Opera, Instant Opera, Rose Opera) and lighting designer Simon Pike.

For the first year, Opera Greenwich is thrilled to announce its own community chorus made up of emerging professionals, students and talented members of the local community contributing to creating an energetic and powerful addition to the future of the company.

CAST:

Mimi:

Emily Sloan (2pm on 30th and 31st August),

Lauren Scully (7pm on 30th and 31st August)

Rodolfo:

Andrew Woodmansey (2pm on 30th and 31st August),

Matt Connolly (7pm on 30th and 31st August)

Marcello:

Giuseppe Pellingra

Musetta:

Anna Marmion (2pm on 30th August and 2pm & 7pm on 31st August)

Rosie Taylor (7pm on 30th August)

Schunarde:

Rachel Colley (2pm on 30th and 31st August),

Eleanor Kemp (7pm on 30th and 31st August)

Colline:

Henry Saywell

Benoit/Alcindoro:

Chris Swithinbank

Chorus:

Rosie Taylor (Alternate Musetta), Chailin Tan, Daria Robertson, Dawn Rollocks, Annabel Alexander, Dmytro Hovorov, Natalie Speranska, Andrew Smith, John Stivey, Olivia Greenwell, Daria Moskaliuk, Viktorija Zilinskaite

La Bohème will open its doors at St Alfege Church, Greenwich on 30th and 31st August at 14:00 and 19:00.

Tickets available here or on the door.

Tickets: £17.50 standard, £12.50 concession (exc. booking fee)

A special Puccini 100 Programme will also be available to purchase online or on the day.

The trailer for La Bohème will be published soon on our website and on our Instagram page.

The bar will be open before and after the show, as well as during the interval. For the second year running we are delighted to be working with Greenwich Gin to bring high-quality beverages to our events for our audiences at a reasonable price.

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