W11 Opera announces exclusive screening of its 2020 online production, JUKEBOX

In 2020 when all the theatres across the UK were forced to close their doors, one children’s Opera company decided there was only one option: the show must go on …

W11 Opera is delighted to announce that Jukebox, an opera conceived by Director Susan Moore in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and made entirely online will be screened Sunday February 7th on YouTube.

The production which features a cast of 30 young children from across London is unique in that every aspect from audition, to rehearsal to performance was carried out completely online.

Susan Moore says “I was very aware that we needed to continue the work of W11 Opera through the pandemic, or we could risk losing this incredible company.  Through leading sessions for Streetwise Opera, a company that offers opera workshops to people who are or who have previously experienced homelessness, I knew the power of participants being able to escape their day-to-day reality for a couple of hours.”

Between September to December rehearsals all took place online through solo and small group Zoom sessions, and participants used pre-recorded backing tracks to self-record songs, and live Zoom session to explore their characters through dialogue. The film premiere in December was a culmination of three months of the performers immersing themselves in an online creative environment.

“The film is a substantial ‘work’ that proves that W11 Opera isn’t just surviving but creatively thriving, as we begin our 50th anniversary year.” Susan Moore

The Plot:

The Producer is auditioning the characters from previous W11 Opera commissioned shows to choose an overall winner: the best W11 Opera of all time! The competition heats up when Helen of Troy (Ulysses & the Wooden Horse), accompanied by her admiring suitors, arrives and wows the crowd. The, still geeky, Gerald (Shadowtracks) is spellbound by Helen’s beauty (which is not appreciated by his jealous girlfriend Sophie, her friend Tracy or his lovelorn best friend Nigel). While trouble brews for the unhappy couple, the evil Queen and her partner-in-crime, the Archbishop (Eliza & the Swans), plot to win the competition by any means necessary. The Producer’s long-suffering Assistant harbours a secret ambition to perform – will she ever summon up the courage to command the stage? Will the Queen’s evil plan succeed? Can Gerald salvage his relationship with Sophie? And what is the best ever W11 Opera production? Play JUKEBOX to find out!

Title: Jukebox
Venue: http://www.w11opera.org/
Date: Sunday 7th February
Tickets: By donation, are available via Eventbrite – (matinee, 3pm) and (evening, 7pm)