We’re excited to let you know about The Passion, an opera world premiere for the 2016 Easter Weekend, staged together with Streetwise Opera, the award-winning charity that runs music programmes with people who have experience homeslessness, and world-renowned ensemble The Sixteen.
The Passion is a fully-staged, abridged version of Bach’s iconic oratorio St Matthew Passion, concluding with a brand new ‘resurrection’ finale written by acclaimed composer Sir James MacMillan with libretto by Streetwise Opera performers.
The site-specific promenade production will be performed on 25 and 26 March 2016 in Manchester’s much loved Victorian Campfield Market Hall.
At the heart of the project is a compelling collaboration between two of the most respected arts organisations in the UK and internationally – Gramophone and RPS Music award-winners Streetwise Opera, and Classical Brit Award-winners The Sixteen. The combination of Streetwise Opera’s work staging high-quality opera productions with homeless people, and The Sixteen’s reputation as one of the world’s most celebrated and well-known choirs brings an exciting dimension to the production. Award-winning director Penny Woolcock (From the Sea to the Land Beyond; One Mile Away; Doctor Atomic and The Pearl Fishers) also brings a unique perspective to The Passion’s traditional narrative.
Following the story of the last two days of Jesus’s life, audience members will be guided around Campfield Market, with multiple performers playing the leading role as a poignant reminder of Jesus’s vulnerability and universality.
The Passion puts the homeless people of Manchester at the heart of the production, at a time when homelessness is increasing across the UK, and a number of cities have protest camps where homeless people are demonstrating about their rights and against cuts to welfare.
Tickets for The Passion are priced at £22 / £15 concessions and will be on sale from 9:00 tomorrow, Thu 24 Sep. For more information and booking, click here. A limited number of free access tickets are also available for people who have experienced homelessness – email LD@streetwiseopera.org or call 020 7730 9551 for more info.