Scottish Opera kicking off 2021 Pop-up Opera roadshow at Eden Court in Inverness
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Scottish Opera's first live performances in nine months are to take place in Inverness this week.
Following the success of last autumn’s pop-up tour by the company, which also came to Eden Court, 12 socially distanced outdoor shows will take place from Thursday to Sunday at the Inverness venue, condensing three Gilbert & Sullivan classics into 30 minute performances, with audiences able to choose from The Mikado, The Gondoliers and Iolanthe.
The shows are billed as an ideal opportunity for anyone new to opera to try a taster.
Performances will take place on a covered mobile stage with audiences in the open air asnd seated in household bubbles in line with Scottish Government guidelines.
Re-scored by Scottish Opera’s head of music, Derek Clark, the shows are brought to life by storyteller Allan Dunn, along with singers Stephanie Stanway, Andrew McTaggart and instrumentalists Andrew Drummond Huggan and Sasha Savaloni.
A series of colourful illustrations will also help guide the audiences through the stories.
Scottish Opera general director Alex Reedijk said: ‘I am thrilled that we can make our return to live performance at Eden Court and welcome back audiences in Inverness who have always been so supportive of our touring shows.
"The roadshow is at the heart of what we do as a company, travelling the highways and byways of Scotland to local communities and making opera accessible to all, so we are delighted to have the opportunity to return to this in a safe manner.
"We look forward to seeing everyone at our outdoor performances very soon and hopefully indoors at Eden Court in the near future.’
Eden Court chief executive, James Mackenzie-Blackman, said: ‘We are delighted to be welcoming back Scottish Opera for their pop-up operas. The performances were hugely successful in 2020.
"Scottish Opera will always be the company who brought live performance back to Eden Court first after the pandemic and I will always be grateful for that. If you’re new to opera this is the perfect event to come and try it out!"
Tickets are on sale here
Shows at Eden Court take place as follows:
Thursday, June 10: Mikado – noon; Iolanthe – 2.30pm and 4.30pm
Friday, June 11: Iolanthe – noon; Gondoliers – 2.30pm and 4.30pm
Saturday, June 12: Gondoliers – noon; Mikado – 2.30pm and 4.30pm
Sunday, June 13: Mikado – noon; Iolanthe 2.30pm and 4.30pm
