Baseless Fabric Announce Free Street Performances of CARMEN Across South London

Critically acclaimed street opera company Baseless Fabric will present 10 free street performances of Carmen reimagined this summer on the high streets of South London from 4th - 21st August 2022.

The piece will also be presented at the Arcola Theatre from 9th - 13th August 2022 as part of Grimeborn Festival in Studio 1 at 7pm.

Cast: Felicity Buckland. Jonathan Cooke. Susannah Horowitz. Nick Morris. Claire Wild.
Band: Leo Geyer. Ilona Suomalainen. Louisa Till.

Following the success of 2019's sell-out Die Fledermaus and their recent Cosi Fan Tutte, which was an Off West End Award Finalist for Best Opera Production, Baseless Fabric return this August with their new production of Carmen. With a re-imagined score for violin, accordion and bassoon by acclaimed young composer Leo Geyer of Bizet's famous tunes and a colloquial contemporary English libretto by director and librettist Joanna Turner, this daring new production places Bizet's characters directly on today's high street:

Supermarket check-out girl Carmen brazenly flirts with the new security guard Don Jose, much to the confusion and embarrassment of his fiancée Micaela. Things get even more complicated as Carmen's ex-boyfriend turned TikTok celebrity Escamillo also shows up. Follow the characters' entangled love stories in this bold contemporary re-imagining of the classic Carmen story for London life today.

This original high street adaptation will pop up in over 30 locations across Wandsworth & Merton including cafes, pubs and supermarkets to give local people the chance to experience opera, who might not ordinarily do so. Our performances aim to change attitudes to the art form and encourage people to realise that opera can be fun and not elitist, expensive, boring or irrelevant, as it can often be perceived.

For the Arcola's Grimeborn Festival, Baseless Fabric will adapt the show with design by Marina Hadjilouca and lighting design by Joe Price. This will give an opportunity to experience their innovative modern re-imagining in a new close-up context.

Street Performances (unticketed, promenade):

1. Thu 4th Aug 5-6pm Colliers Wood
2. Fri 5th Aug 1-2pm Mitcham
3. Fri 5th Aug 5-6pm Roehampton
4. Thu 18th Aug 5-6pm Wandsworth Town
5. Fri 19th Aug 11am-12pm Pollards Hill
6. Fri 19th Aug 5-6pm Clapham Junction
7. Sat 20th Aug 1-2pm Raynes Park
8. Sat 20th Aug 5-6pm Wimbledon
9. Sun 21st Aug 1-2pm Putney
10. Sun 21st Aug 5-6pm Wimbledon Village

Grimeborn Festival

Venue: Arcola Theatre, Studio 1
Dates: Tues 9th to Saturday 13th August 2022
Time: 7pm
Running time: 60 minutes no interval.
Ticket Prices: from £12 (concessions available)

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