Snappy Opera

23rd February 2016
HighTide Festival 2016

A Snappy Opera is a ten minute mini-opera written for and with young people, designed to be prepared and performed in a day. This autumn the boundary-stretching Mahogany Opera Group launches its nationwide project to create ten Snappy Operas with ten composers, writers and groups of children across the country. The first of these has been developed by award-winning composer Emily Hall and writer Toby Litt with young people from Aldeburgh’s Jubilee Opera, and is called The Itch Witch.

The Itch Witch takes its inspiration from the childhood experience of head lice. A group of nits take up residence in some schoolchildren’s hair, collecting blood for their mistress the Itch Witch. The children, hypnotised by the Witch, allow them to stay and steal away their blood, until some friendly combs appear and help drive the nits away.

Young people from Jubilee Opera will be putting together the piece throughout the day, learning about all the elements of making an opera. You can pop in to see the open rehearsals for this from 10:00–15:30 , or join them as they present their final performance at 16:00.

The net value of each ticket purchased this performance goes directly to supporting the work of Jubilee Opera.

MOG logo Jubilee Opera Logo

Running Time: 30m with no interval.

Supported by Michael Tippett Musical Foundation and PRS for Music Foundation