Theatre Royal Plymouth to host first ever opera in The Drum

Theatre Royal Plymouth is set to make history with its first-ever opera in The Drum, bringing the one-act tragedy Riders to the Sea to the stage on February 7 and 8. 

This immersive production marks a new chapter for the renowned venue, offering an extraordinary opportunity for opera lovers across Devon, including residents from Dartmoor, to experience the art form in a unique and intimate setting.

Riders to the Sea, originally written by J.M. Synge as a play and adapted into an opera by the esteemed composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, will be reimagined in a contemporary style. 

This production by OperaUpClose, known for its innovative approach, explores universal themes of love, duty, grief, and humanity's relationship with the natural world. 

Set in a coastal community, the story follows matriarch Maurya and her daughters as they cope with the tragic loss of family members to the sea, only for her remaining son, Bartley, to return home, setting off a chain of devastating events.

OperaUpClose has reinterpreted Vaughan Williams' original score for a chamber orchestra, featuring oboe, clarinet, and accordion, under the direction of composer and conductor Michael Betteridge. With the vision of director Flora McIntosh, the production brings the timeless narrative into the 21st century, exploring the themes of trauma and memory. 

The performance will include groundbreaking integration of captions into the set design, using animated text, color, and font to enhance the storytelling experience.

OperaUpClose's Riders to the Sea also features a specially commissioned choral Prologue titled The Last Bit of Moon, with a poetic libretto co-written by the ArtfulScribe Community Sirens Collective, a group of local poets.

Set to music by Betteridge, the chorus will be performed by a network of male and low-voice community choirs from across the UK, including the award-winning LGBTQ+ choir The Sunday Boys. 

These choirs will play a central role in shaping the production's sound and visual language, blending live performance with recorded sound and projections.

The show is set to embark on a five-week UK tour, beginning at MAST Mayflower Studios in Southampton before visiting cities including Exeter, Plymouth, Chichester, London, Hull, Oxford, and Blackpool. 

The Sunday Boys will also perform The Last Bit of the Moon live during the tour.

Flora McIntosh, Director & Artistic Director, OperaUpClose said: “It is an honour and a privilege to collaborate with so many exceptional creative voices on this project, my directorial debut with OperaUpClose. This approach has shone a bright light on the universality of the themes in Riders to the Sea and enabled a bold, new take on the narrative that speaks directly to the now.”

Michael Betteridge said: “OperaUpClose have been really ambitious and modern in their approach. They're taking this work, originally scored for a huge orchestra and pairing it down to something so intimate.”

OperaUpClose, a national touring opera company, is known for its ability to bring classic operas into the modern era with fresh and intimate re-interpretations.

Since its founding in 2009, the company has built a reputation for innovative productions that combine music, storytelling, and cutting-edge design, with a particular focus on engaging with emerging creative talent.