The Various Stages Festival 2017 – produced by Mahogany Opera Group – is a showcase of musical and theatrical work in progress with presentations, talks, critical discussion and feedback sessions. The programme features work from a range of artists and companies who are diverse in style. Each are in their own way creating new opera in new ways, echoing Mahogany’s mission to stretch what opera can be and who it is for.
Dam will present an R&D titled Mưa (Rain) on Friday 24 February 2017, 1pm at the Institute for Contemporary Arts. This R&D inspired by Vietnamese water puppetry will be the result of a collaboration with Composer Dai Fujikura, Puppeteer Oliver James Hymans, Vocalists Elaine Mitchener and Loré Lixenberg and Dancer Tommaso Petrolo.
Mưa is a ‘movement opera’ turning an age-old practice into a modern form. Múa rối nước, literally ‘making puppets dance on water’, is a tradition dating back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam.
Mưa endeavours to examine life experience through music, movement and a 1,000 year-old tradition originated in the deepest rural areas of Vietnam.
More info and tickets: www.mahoganyoperagroup.co.uk