A group aiming to smash stereotypes about opera is taking to the stage in Wellington.
They've taken a 17th Century opera and updated it with modern music, to introduce it to people who might usually be put off.
Unstuck Opera wants to win them over by changing what they think opera may be.
Director Frances Moore says “we kind of acknowledge that it is a big risk for someone to come along to an opera, especially if they’re not familiar with the form.”
They've taken a 17th century opera called Dido and Aeneas... and re-composed the music.
Amy Jansen, who plays Dido, lists some of the other artists who’ve made their way into the score, assembled by Alex Taylor.
“We’ve got jazz, Stravinsky, House of the Rising Sun – we’ve even got some Beyoncé in there!”
Dido and Aeneas has all the universal themes of friendship, betrayal, and love - and, thankfully it's in English.
“We’re inundated with love songs, from Adele or even Justin Bieber. They’re just as relevant now as they were in the 17th century,” says Jansen.
The production, which runs until April 13, is light on budget but big on spine-tingling emotion, BATS Theatre a world away from opera's stereotypically opulent auditoriums.
“Opera has a reputation for being a particular thing,” says Moore. “It’s often in really big venues, with big orchestras, and big budgets. We don’t have any of that.”
But what they do have is intimacy. And kinky witches.
The "promenade" opera moves through different rooms in the theatre, taking the audience on a journey. It's hoped all of this will be welcoming for the first-time opera viewer, and will encourage them to come back for more.
“It’s still a relevant art form,” says Jansen. “It’s still a thriving, joyful, and brilliant art form. So if we can do whatever we can to introduce it to as many people as we can, then we will.”
All it asks for is an open mind.
Newshub.