Our production of the new ‘people’s opera’ BLOOM BRITANNIA was staged for the first time in October 2021 at St. Mary in the Castle in Hastings. An affectionate, comic opera, bringing together influences from folk, pop and jazz, this is an opera like no other, and is at the heart of our mission to engage new participants, as well as new audiences, in the experience of opera.
Composer: ORLANDO GOUGH
Librettist: STEPHEN PLAICE
Director: POLLY GRAHAM
Artistic Director: JENNY MILLER
Conductors: CHRISTOPHER STARK/MARK AUSTIN
The culmination of many years of development, with a leading creative team working with the communities of Hastings, St. Leonards and Bexhill – children, young people and adults – many of whom performed on stage alongside an outstanding professional cast and live band, BLOOM BRITANNIA is a hilarious, raucous, challenging, action-packed, thrilling production celebrating the joy of singing, music and creativity. Read more about the development of the project HERE.
‘Barefoot Opera’s stupendous community opera BLOOM BRITANNIA had its last performance today. What a dazzling delight, a faultless production embodying the spirit of Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea. I’m honestly overwhelmed by the professionalism of this opera but further moved by the community engagement. Quality always shines through and this production scores on every level...truly a triumph.’
Audience Feedback 2021
Participants and participating organisations
- A chorus of local people from Hastings, St. Leonards and Bexhill from across the generations.
- Singers from several community choirs including Hastings Philharmonic Choir, Sound Waves Community Choir, Opera South East, and vocal groups Acapella Bellas, Rattlebag, Now and Then
- Participants from Arts On Prescription and The Seaview Project
- Pupils from Dudley Infants School and The Hastings Academy
Professional Cast
Performing alongside our community participants was an outstanding cast of professional singers, several local to Hastings and St. Leonards, and pop maverick Lekiddo.
Queen Victoria: CHIARA VINCI
Pauline, the Mayor’s wife: ALICE PRIVETT
Arthur, the Mayor of Melhaven: NICK MORRIS
Cassie, owner of Scallops restaurant: MARCIA BELLAMY
Serge, chef at Scallops restaurant: LAURENCE PANTER
Ellie, music director of the Breeze Choir: ABIGAIL KELLY
Mervyn, music director of The Larks choir: LAURENCE PANTER
Wally (a man dressed as Wally from Where’s Wally): Gwion Thomas
Dustin, councillor: GWION THOMAS
Jackie, councillor: SIMONE IBBETT-BROWN
Busker: BEV LEE HARLING
Martina, the street sweeper: JENNY MILLER
Apple Johnny, a man who lives on the streets: PATRICK KEALEY
Nightclub singer: Lekiddo
The Barefoot Band
Piano: Lesley Anne Sammons
Percussion: Derek Scurll
Trombone: Patrick Kenny
Guitar: Dan Jefferies
Double Bass: Lucy Mulgan
Violin: Ruby Colley
Violin: Bev Lee Harling
Clarinet: George Sleightholme
Accordion: Aine Mcloughlin
Production Team
Assistant Director: Callie Nestleroth
Lighting designer: Ace McCarron
Production designer: April Dalton
Design consultant: Peter Fillingham
Production Manager: Jon Tyrrell
Stage Manager: Zo Morgan
Scenic painting: Project Artworks (Mark Lockton, Charlotte Stephens, Peter Quinell and Maya Shapiro Steen)
BLOOM BRITANNIA WAS DEVELOPED WITH FUNDING FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND, BATLEY HIBBERT TRUST, THE MAGDALEN AND LASHER CHARITY, SUSSEX COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL, THE FOYLE FOUNDATION, GARFIELD WESTON, THE GOOD GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE
BLOOM BRITANNIA (composer Orlando Gough, librettist Stephen Plaice) is Barefoot Opera’s new ‘people’s opera’. Our flagship project, it’s a celebration of music, singing and creativity.
Four years in the making, the project was dramatically interrupted by the pandemic. BLOOM BRITANNIA was finally staged at St. Mary in the Castle in Hastings in October 2021. More than a thousand people across three performances saw the show.
Inspired by our everyday lives in a seaside town, BLOOM BRITANNIA is a collaboration with the people of Hastings, St. Leonards and Bexhill – and several local organisations, choirs and community groups – many of whom performed alongside a professional cast.
Scenes from Bloom Britannia, St. Mary in the Castle, Hastings, October 2021
How did it all begin?
Barefoot Opera’s new ‘people’s opera’ started life in 2018, when hundreds of people in the East Sussex towns of Hastings, St. Leonards and Bexhill took part in singing, discussion and composition workshops. People learned how to write songs, improvise, and sing together.
The creative team met people from all walks of life, gaining a rich perspective on what it means to live in a town on the South Coast today. Armed with these insights and observations, the team developed ‘BLOOM BRITANNIA’ – the story of the happenings in a fictional seaside town, on the day when the winning town in a national competition for funding for regeneration is to be decided.
Nick Morris as the Mayor, with cast, in Bloom Britannia, October 2021
In 2019, with funding from the Arts Council of England, we staged a 30-minute experimental segment at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-sea, with over a hundred performers, a live audience of nearly 400, and a live-streamed audience of over 3,000. Watch a short film of the preview show HERE.
Director Polly Graham with young participants, in rehearsal for Bloom Britannia, September 2021
Participation, well-being and community
At the heart of Barefoot Opera’s mission is a belief in the power of singing to empower, connect and inspire. BLOOM BRITANNIA brings to life this mission through and through. Hundreds of people from all backgrounds have taken part in music education and singing workshops throughout the project. Regular singing is known to have many positive effects on people’s health and well-being – quite simply, singing makes people feel good! The feedback we have had from people who have taken part in BLOOM BRITANNIA has been extremely positive. Their commitment to the project has inspired and delighted us all.
It takes a town to make an opera
Check out our short film – ‘It takes a town to make an opera’ – made early in late 2020 as we all hoped for and looked forward to the return of BLOOM BRITANNIA after lockdown restrictions were lifted.
We are delighted that so many organisations, schools, choirs and community groups took part in BLOOM BRITANNIA: singers from Hastings Philharmonic Choir, local vocal groups Now and Then, The Acapella Bellas, and Rattlebag, took part; pupils from Hastings Academy and Dudley Infants School were on the stage; people who work with The Seaview Project and Arts On Prescription also took part, and Turner Prize nominated artist collective Project Art Works worked on the scenic design. Not to mention the many volunteers who handed out flyers, sewed costumes and made props a ‘people’s opera’ in action!
Funding and support
Thank you to everyone who supported Barefoot Opera in developing this epic project, in particular the Arts Council of England for their support via the Cultural Recovery Fund throughout the pandemic. The project has been supported by a wide number of funding bodies as well as The Good Governance Institute, and hundreds of members of the public via several crowd-funding campaigns.
