In co-production with Tête à Tête
Westminster Abbey 21, 23 May 2002

Participating homeless centres:

• The Passage Look Ahead,
• Victoria Queen Mary Hostel
• Dellow Centre
• London Connection (now Connection St Martins)

Streetwise Opera joined together with Tête à Tête in May 2002 to present the world premiere staging of Benjamin Britten’s Canticles. The project blended Streetwise Opera’s unique experience of working with the homeless with Tête à Tête’s extraordinarily high standard of musical and dramatic presentation.

Workshops in five different day-centres in London, (Dellow Centre, Look Ahead, Victoria, The Passage, Queen Mary Hostel and London Connection) incorporated all aspects of opera production, with professional technicians and musicians working alongside users of the day-centres to involve them in the creative process. These culminated in two public performances at Westminster Abbey, in the London String of Pearls Festival as one of the Golden Jubilee Focus Events, performed by professionals and produced by all those who have been involved.

Company

• Dan Norman – Tenor
• Simon Baker – Countertenor
• James Bowman – Countertenor (Voice of God) .
• Ian Partridge (Voice of God)
• Tom Guthrie – Baritone
• Alice Trentham – Harp
• Evgeny Chebykin – French Horn
• Tim Blowfield – Dancer
• Dominic Harlan – Pianist, Music Director
• Bill Bankes-Jones – Director
• Matthew Peacock – Producer
• JJ - Project Co-ordinator
• Carrie Southall – Designer
• Tom Albu – Production Manager
• Mark Doubleday – Lighting Designer
• Marius Ronning – Stage manager
• Lucy Khan – Wardrobe
• Terry Doyle – Production Assistant
• Una Murphy, Nicole Proia, Claire Parry-Jones, Nina Brazier, Jemma Gardner – Assitant Directors

Message from the Dean of Westminster ‘It’s dangerous to use the word ‘unique’ about anything at Westminster Abbey. This great place has seen most things in life. But we do believe that Streetwise Opera’s performance of Britten’sCanticles, with a cast of homeless people, is a particularly special event. The Dean and Chapter has been fascinated by this project since it was first raised with us and we look forward to the performances with pleasure and enthusiasm.’ The Very Reverend Dr Wesley Carr Dean of Westminster