I’m really excited to announce that I am working with Scottish Opera’s Education Department on their touring production of ‘The Little White Town of Never Weary’.
It is an interactive show for 5-8 year olds and their families. The tale is inspired by the illustrated story of the same name by “Glasgow Girl” and artist, Jessie M King; next year will be the 100th anniversary of the publication of the book.
In the interactive music adventure I play Jessie Junior who meets some fabulous characters; Gilbert; Dame Lucky; Sweetie Meg; and Boofoo the Talking Cat together we repair the town made from ‘cardboard’. The story will challenge and encourage the children to think about the area around them and how the buildings were they all live help to create a wonderful place to grow up.
It ties in nicely with 2016 being Scotland’s year of innovation, architecture and design. It has been a pleasure to work with the whole team over the past two weeks and I’m looking forward to our last week of production next week.
We will be going on tour to Kirkcudbright, Musselburgh, Falkirk, Aberdeen & Glenrothes from 26 May to 10 June. It will be a wonderful way to celebrate the end of my undergraduate degree and get some experience working in a company. I’m very grateful to Scottish Opera for the Experience.
Here are some pictures from rehearsal with my fellow performers, Francis Thorburn, John Kielty and Stuart Semple, learning so much from these guys, as well as my wonderful director Julie Brown and Music Director and Composer the fabulous Karen McIver. To help make our rehearsals run smoothly we have worked with Katy Nicolson, Paul Nobel and Dougal Gudim our talented technical stage management team. I wish I could show you a photo of the set its exciting and will intrigue the children, but you don’t need to be seven to watch it! It has been such a treat to work with such lovely people. I can’t wait to start again on Monday.


After a busy full week, as I’m also keeping on top of my preparations for my final recital, I was able to watch Scottish Opera’s ‘Mikado’ by Gilbert and Sullivan on Saturday night at the Theatre Royal. This brilliant comic opera by the British duo was incredibly humorous and fun to watch from curtain up to the bows.

The comic timing between the company seemed effortless and was very effective in producing lots of tummy tickling moments. The set was fantastic and looked like a colourful Chinese pop-up book on super large scale. I particularly liked the giant skeleton and the male chorus of decapitated heads! Special congrats to cast and the Scottish Opera team for pulling the show together despite the unexpected and superbly executed fire alarm evacuation.

It made the night even more memorable and unique especially when Pooh-Bah warns Ko-Ko of the imminent arrival of the Mikado by exclaiming ‘This isn’t a false alarm!’ causing rapturous laughter from all of the audience. This show is now on tour around Scotland and is going to Newcastle upon Tyne, Bristol and Southampton if you need cheering up or just a good laugh go to see this show 🙂
sounds like awesome fun – love the name of the production. Enjoy yourself – well that goes without saying really doesn’t it.
Thank you 😊 I’ve put the link to Scottish Operas’ Twitter photos @choathersings if you’d like to see them, I haven’t permission to put them on my blog yet.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Thanks Charlotte
Good Job. Keep Up Your Good Work
Thanks Douglas 🙂 doing my best to. Hope things are going super for you in sunny Florida.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Wow, this sounds like fun for everyone, the cast as well as the audience. Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out and of course, about all the fun you will have!
Thanks Annette, I wish you could see it I know you’d love it, and thanks for sharing and your support x.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Another wonderful blog, Charlotte x
Thanks Kevin, I appreciate you reading and keeping in touch with me 😊.
My best wishes
Charlotte
Good luck with your final recital!
Thank you I’ve been working hard on my program, fingers crossed I’m in good voice on the morning. Good to hear from you 😊.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Great, nice news Charlotte ! Congratulations for all your work ! Thanks for sharing ! fingers cross for your final recital and with this nice touring production ! Proud of you and best wishes for you and all the team !
Merci Pascal, thank you for your constant support and encouragement I appreciate your friendship 😊.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Merci à toi, you’re a great and nice friend , a fabulous singer and a very, very beautiful soul !
A lovely post, Charlotte, with such a happy feel to it! Your new production for children sounds like fantastic fun, and I’m sure the kiddies will love it. I wish you the very best for your final recital, too. What an exciting time this seems to be for you all round.
I’m really excited to perform for this age group, children are so unpredictable it’s exciting, the children will get to see a variety of instruments, hear classical music and interact with the performance. Thanks Millie,
Best wishes
Charlotte
Looking forward to coming up to see you perform your finals, and I am so proud of you and everything you have achieved. Just shows that all your hard work brings its rewards. 😘
Thank you Gill 😘, I don’t think of it as work it’s great to do what I enjoy.
See you soon
Charlotte
What a wonderfully fun and fantastic weekend! A fire alarm, really?
Charlotte, you are a very busy lady. Best wishes on your finals.
Thanks Darlene, it’s good to see everyone leaving in an orderly way, it was well managed and it was sorted quickly. I was caught out once in a swimming pool in a hotel and they had a fire alarm that was worse, I did pick up a towel 😳.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I really like the idea of interactive show for children of young ages. I think that is really fun and I think you feel good about it too.
Singing, acting and movement in one show I’m in my element 😀.
Best wishes
Charlotte
The tour sounds fun.
Cheers John, we get a dress rehearsal with a trial audience soon, can’t wait.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Oh yes. Such excitement.
Love the Mikado – one of my favorites and a delightful way to spend an afternoon or evening. Do send us photos of your touring production – can’t wait to see them!
I really hope Scottish Opera allow me to share photos and I was really happy they gave me permission to share this news on my blog.
Best wishes Noelle,
Charlotte
Sounds like a good performance and best wishes on the children’s performances.
I’ve not seen it live before and I really enjoyed it. Thanks you 😊.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I’m sure you’ll have such fun on the tour! I love the Mikado – in fact I like most G and S operettas very much. Good luck again for your final recital.
I took part in G&S’s The Yeoman of the Guard at the Junior Royal Northern great fun.
Thanks again Clare,
Best wishes
Charlotte
My best wishes for your final recital. Working with kids is fun, I wish I could see it
Thank you. I used to work with the junior stages (6-8 year olds) a lot when I was a teenager always great fun.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Exciting things are happening! Wonderful, Charlotte… have fun and enjoy. 🙂
Thanks Iris, I’m really grateful you’re watching the adventure unfolding’ great advice.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I first had my ears opened to the wonders of music when, at the age of 16, I went to an amateur production of the Mikado, at Banstead village hall. I love your expression, “tummy tickling moments”: super!
I’m happy to remind you of that memory Terry 😊. I’m very ticklish 😄.
Best wishes
Charlotte
What a splendid time you must be having, Charlotte! Best wishes for the opening of your production–I’m sure you’ll be a smashing success, as always. And I shall certainly have to look into that production of the Mikado and see if I can fit any of the performances into my schedule. I never pass up a convenient opportunity to see that show–I was actually in a production of it myself last year, as the chorus girl who got Ko-Ko arrested by flirting with him in the first place!
Best regards,
Cate
Thanks a lot Cate, I’m sure you’d enjoy this production 😄. Your show sounds like it was good fun too.
Best wishes
Charlotte
I especially like the idea of the children’s book. So, you are actually doing the voice of a character?
Jessie Junior I get sing, act and move in this production, so honoured to have been offered the role after the audition. I tried to get a copy of the book but it’s out of print sadly.
Best wishes
Charlotte
You all look like you are having fun. I love your Mikado outfit and of course the Mikado itself. Come to think of it, it has been too long since I last saw it and will have to find a good one to attend soon.
So nice to get out a few summer clothes and sandals. It’s a real feel good show.
Best wishes
Charlotte
Oh, I wish I could take my little girl to see your performance! I guess I’ll have to wait for your world tour!
I’ve never seen “The Mikado.” It sounds hilarious. I’ll have to try to get to a production.
I wish you could have seen this show Dan, we did a rehearsal with a children’s audience on Monday it was super. You can see the photos I’ve shared on my Twitter and Facebook 😊.
I can recommend The Mikado you can’t fail to laugh along,
Best wishes
Charlotte
Liebe Charlotte danke dir und wünsche dir eine gute Nacht mit vielen lieben Grüßen Klaus in Freundschaft
Hello Klaus, thank you 😊.
Best wishes
Charlotte
This sounds excellent… congrats on your projects and best of luck, dear Charlotte… sending love. Aquileana 🍃
Thank you my friend 😊💕. The tour starts tomorrow in a town called Kirkcudbright. Just over 50 children, very excited to be on this lovely project. You can see a few photos on my Twitter.
Best wishes
Charlotte
It sounds great.. I will check the pics out and retweet them, for sure… best of luck with the tour, my friend. Aquileana 😘
I grew up on Gilbert and Sullivan. I drove my mother crazy playing our recording of HMS Pinafore. I don’t have a good voice but sang ‘Ruler of the Queen’s Navy’ when I wasn’t playing the record. Have seen several of the operetta’s on the stage, including HMS Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance, and the Mikado. Great fun. Hope you are havig a great time.
Final singing exam this morning at the Conservatoire, then a quick dash to Kirkcudbright for our set up rehearsal, first day of the tour today in my bed-sit, got our first full show of The Little White Town of Never Weary for just over 50 children tomorrow I’m very excited 🤗.
Best wishes
Charlotte
How fun! I bet the children just love it! Best wishes!
It’s been so lovely performing for young children, they were quite keen today which was very sweet.
Best wishes Linda,
Charlotte
Good luck with this project!
Thank you Leya 😊🙋🏼
Best wishes
Charlotte
You really do live a full and beautiful life Charlotte ~ one of the great things I admire about you, along with your amazing voice too 🙂 Wish you a great Sunday.
Aww thanks Randall, busy busy busy but soooo much fun 😀💕
Best wishes
Charlotte
Great experience to work with children,dear Charlotte!You take back the joy you give them.I can’t believe it’s the end of your undergraduate degree and that your final recital is nearing.Time mercilessly flies by.Happy weekend ✿ڿڰۣ(̆̃̃ღ❣
I did my final assessment yesterday Doda 😊. Happy weekend to you 💕💛.
My best wishes
Charlotte
Oh,did you?Enjoy a restful weekend then 🙂 xxx
Charlotte, a very late comment, but I had to laugh at your mention of the unexpected fire alarm evacuation, as the same thing happened to me once when I was in the orchestra for a musical production of the play “My Three Angels.” (Turned out to be an electrical short, not an actual fire.) When the alarm went off, the lead actor said “What was that?” in the same French accent he was using for his character, and when we realized it was an actual alarm, he directed everyone to the doors as if it were an intended part of the script. The most challenging bit was figuring out how to restart a musical in mid-stream after such an interruption — we backed it up to the previous musical number, which the cast had to do in mime, as none of the props were in the right places!
It’s interesting to read this pre-pandemic post. Everything is so open and sweet and normal.
One thing the virus has not changed, is your positive nature.
Thank you, Charlotte!