For a few weeks later this summer, Scottish Opera, Citizens Theatre and Scottish Ensemble come together for an outdoor festival of live theatre, music and opera to be held at Scottish Opera’s Production Studio car park at 40 Edington Street, Glasgow.
The location, that hosted Scottish Opera’s five-star production of Puccini’s La Bohèmelast September, now has theatre-style seating for audiences of around 150, that will follow the latest guidelines from the Scottish Government.
Opening the festival on Saturday 3 July is Scottish Opera’s brand new production of Verdi’s Falstaff, directed and designed by world-renowned Scot Sir David McVicar and featuring a seventeenth century stage design and period costumes.
During the festival, The Orchestra of Scottish Opera will perform three lunchtime concerts with a repertoire that includes Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 2 and a programme of hugely entertaining music for brass and wind by Crespo, Dvořàk and Stravinsky. The festival finale is Scottish Opera’s Young Company with a production of Kurt Weill’s absurd comedy The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken.
The Citizens Theatre presents The Comedy of Errors – Shakespeare’s tale of mistaken identity and reunited families – that will be directed by Artistic Director Dominic Hill, in his trade mark stripped-back style and performed by a talented ensemble. With live music and physicality, this 90-minute show will make for a return to live theatre performance for Glasgow audiences.
The 12-strong Scottish Ensemble, who will be performing in four concerts over two days that include Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, celebrates new beginnings and the passing of time by partnering with Scottish charity and social enterprise Social Bite. Together, they present Sound Bites – a programme based on the notion that sharing food and listening to music with others are experiences at the heart of peoples’ lives as social beings. Sound Bites connects those two worlds with a themed picnic box available for audience members to enjoy during the concerts. 10% of ticket sales for Scottish Ensemble performances are being donated to Social Bite and its work to help end homelessness.
Scottish Opera’s General Director Alex Reedijk said “Live at No. 40 is a celebration of the performing arts industry and its resilience over what has been a trying and difficult year. We are delighted to have the opportunity to come together with Scottish Ensemble and Citizens Theatre to share our car park and mark what we hope will be the beginning of the return to live performance. Performing outside allows us the greatest chance to make safe shows and share with the most amount of people. We can’t wait to welcome audiences back for our selection of performances, to belly laugh, to weep, to be astounded and surprised, in what is sure to be a sensational return to live entertainment.”
Tickets are on sale from June 8 on each company’s website.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 