20:15, Fri 6th March 2020 at Education Faculty Auditorium
20:15, Sat 9th – Sun 10th May 2020 at The Round Church
20:15, Tue 12th – Wed 13th May 2020 at The Round Church
Lent Week 7 to Easter Week 3

Over nuptial flames, a prayer is sung. A plea. A name.

A man bursts into the Theban temple. Petrified, groom and congregation cower. The ardent prayer is heard again as the bride races into the arms of her beloved and away.

On Olympus, his wife watches.

Reframing Handel’s Semele in immersive opera will involve vibrant storytelling, as the audience mingle amongst our ensemble in the transformed Round Church.

Through the mythical portraits of imperfect people our audience come face to face with domestic violence, affairs, drug abuse, and ultimately murder. Yet this retelling isn’t your typical patriarchal myth: Queen Juno is flawed but feminist; Semele a priestess, princess, and heir to the Theban kingdom.

Our cast and musicians will work closely to create the sensory worlds of ancient Thebes and the timeless land of the Gods in rehearsals over Lent term, with workshops from alumni and professionals in the industry.