Brontë The Opera

This September, I will be taking on the role of Cathy in Lisa Logan’s Brontë The Opera. The opera is a Keynote Opera production, and performances will be on the 13th, 15th, and 16th of September at the Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin St, London, E8 3DL, as part of the Grimeborn Festival.

Lisa Logan explains:

Brontë the Opera is a compelling literary detective story about the turbulent lives of the Brontë sisters – based upon an acclaimed play by Polly Teale.

Polly Teale’s powerful play, which I adapted for this opera, evokes the real and imagined worlds of the Brontës as their fictional characters Jane Eyre, Rochester, Cathy, Nelly, and Heathcliff come to haunt their creators.

In 1845, Branwell Brontë returned home in disgrace, plagued by his addictions. As he descends into alcoholism and insanity, bringing chaos to the household, his sisters write…

Virginia Woolf argued that Emily Brontë and Jane Austen were the only writers in the pre-feminist era who refused to bow to social convention. Based on the sisters’ lives, Teale’s play is considered a significant feminist play of the early 21st Century. My intention for the chamber opera was to explore female intellectuality and lack of equality, femininity, domesticity, female ambition and discrimination, cleverly interwoven between the life and fiction of the Brontë sisters. This opera is about powerful and ultimately successful women struggling to be taken seriously in their time.

Bronte Cast

Charlotte – Elena Garrido Madrona

Anne – Grace Nyandoro

Emily – Anna Marmion

Patrick/Rochester/Heger – Martin Lamb

Branwell – Ben Thapa

Cathy – Charlotte Hoather

Bertha – Magdalena Mannion

Bell-Nicholls – Sandeep Gurrapadi

Bronte Creative Team

Conductor – Alex Ingram

Director – Katharina Kastening

Designer – Ashley Martin- Davies

Choreographer – Magdalena Mannion

Dramaturg – Nancy Meckler

Composer – Lisa Logan

Writer – Polly Teale

Orchestra – Docklands Sinfonia

Partners

Produced by Keynote Opera, with our partners Docklands Sinfonia and the Arcola

Theatre/Grimeborn Festival

Grimeborn Festival is an annual East London musical theatre and

opera festival which coincides with the world-famous East Sussex Glyndebourne Opera

Festival. Founded by Arcola Theatre’s artistic director Mehmet Ergen in 2007, the festival is

held at Arcola Theatre in Dalston, East London. It tends to showcase new and experimental

works alongside radical productions of classic opera.

For tickets click the link [TICKETS]

46 thoughts on “Brontë The Opera”

    1. Thank goodness for festival opera companies Annette, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough roles for us. I love experimental new operas and all power to Lisa, after putting on Down The Rabbit Hole I know what a massive undertaking it is for her to do this.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Yes it is, I’ve enjoyed the rehearsals so far and working on the score.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  5. This sounds wonderful, Charlotte, I wish that I could attend! Whoever took the photo of you did a fine job using the rule of thirds and keeping the background out of focus. Be well! ❤️😊🇬🇧

    Reply

    2. I drag my brother around Greenwich and London on Sunday mornings when its quiet, he’s improving 😉. That reminds me we need another shoot.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. It seems to be a big feature at the moment, George and his string trio are putting together a local festival in Greenwich at the end of June featuring women in music, female composers, lyricists, music about women, I have got to put a one hour program together with him and the ladies.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thanks Clare I hope this good weather will help you and all your family get over your left over covid. They say sunshine and vit D is good to get rid of it I think.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. I hope so Gill it would be lovely to catch up with you. Thank you 🙏 fingers crossed.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you Derrick, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  14. This sounds so exciting, Charlotte! I hope I’ll be able to come; should do unless travelling for work at that point. Best of luck!

    Best regards,

    Cate

    Reply

    1. I’d love to see you again Cate, I know you like Jane Eyre so it would be interesting to get your feedback. Thank you for the luck.
      Best wishes to you and all the family,
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Yes 👍🏻 thank you Noelle, it’s certainly a small role to get my teeth into, very challenging music. I hope it is successful too.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  16. This sounds fantastic, Charlotte!
    It sounds perfect in the sense of a New Opera for a new generation. I can imagine you being only brilliant in it.
    You must be thrilled!
    I know you will keep us posted about the project.
    Cheers,
    Resa ❦❦

    Reply

    1. That’s why I like contemporary opera so much, it is new, fresh, and yes hopefully the festival can attract a new generation with this sort of new opera.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. It’s great to work with a female composer she is very adventurous with this part, so its been interesting to try.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  18. There’s no trouble so bad that a nice bottle of whisky can’t make it worse. The Whisky enters, and drama erupts. The situation promises tension and conflict! Sorry I can’t attend.

    Reply

    1. Haha, I’m sorry you can’t make it too 😊 I know you would if you were local. I don’t like alcohol, I’m glad it saves me a fortune the prices they charge now 😂. I get persuaded to have one glass of Prosecco once in a while and it makes me light headed.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

    1. Thank you Alex. I like to do contemporary opera it is challenging.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

  20. Looks like a nice assignment. Elena Garrido? Made me think of Elena Garro, at one time wife of Octavio Paz, the mexican poet… But no, just similar names…

    Reply

    1. Elena is Spanish I believe. Yes it is a nice opera, thank goodness for festival operas in the UK.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

      Reply

      1. Yes, it’s a nice recent change I imagine? Taking advantage of the warmer weather to put on nice shows outside.
        A silly question (which you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to) do you have to audition a lot? I imagine the competition must be tough.

      2. I apply to audition a lot, it doesn’t mean I even get that far. I was auditioning a lot more before covid and I used to have regular open audition opportunities I havent seen any of those reopen. I wrote to a lot of agents but they like to take singers that are recommended to them rather than openly recruit through audition.

        I knew there were challenges but I was always led to understand there was work for all of those with sufficient training. One difficulty is that people want current videos of you but they cost a lot of money to get a good quality recording and once you leave university they aren’t very easy to get recording time slots with a grand piano.

        I need to be in the right place at the right time 😀.

      3. I imagine it can be tough, but I do think you are in the right place at the time. And you are building yourself credentials. I’m not worried. 😉

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