Grimeborn is an annual

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

and

opera festival This is an inclusive list of opera festivals and summer opera seasons, and music festivals which have opera productions. This list may have some overlap with Early music festivals, list of early music festivals. Opera is part of the Western clas ...

which coincides with the world famous

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

Glyndebourne Opera Festival Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...

. Founded by Arcola Theatre's artistic director Mehmet Ergen in 2007, the festival is held at

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalston, houses two studio ...

in Dalston, East London. It takes place in and around August, and tends to showcase new and experimental works alongside radical productions of classic opera, using both the Arcola's performing stages.

History

The festival's name is a punning reference to Glyndebourne. The "grime" element refers to the "dirtier" backdrop of the

, a converted textile factory in the congested bustle of Hackney as opposed to the scenic gardens of

. Originally, Grimeborn was devised as a contemporary contribution to the

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

's (BAC) Opera Festival. The BAC Opera Festival's Artistic Director at the time, Tom Morris, asked Ergen, who was working at the BAC as an Associate Producer, to create something different from normal operatic preconceptions in a manner similar to Tête à Tête, who were also taking the stage at the BAC Opera Festival that year. Grimeborn became an opera and musical theatre festival in its own right, with the Arcola Theatre its exclusive host.

Past performances

2019

2018

List not complete: awaiting further additions

2017

List not complete: awaiting further additions

2015

List not complete: awaiting further additions

2014

List not complete: awaiting further additions

2012

Curated by Mehmet Ergen and produced by Leyla Nazli (21 August - 8 September)

2011

2010

Curated by Andrew Steggall and produced by Leyla Nazli (9 August – 21 September)

2009

Curated by Alex Sutton and produced by Leyla Nazli (24 August – 5 September) * ''The Descent of Inanna: Bare Bones Version'', Produced by: Opera Exchange * ''An Unorthodox 1-2'' Produced by: Aurelie * ''Ride'', Produced by: Filament, Composer: Osnat Schmool, Director: Sabina Netherclift * ''Phedre'', Produced by: ElectrOpera, Composers: Sally Rodgers, Steve Jones, Director: Philippe Cherbonnier * ''Something Strange'' by Rebecca Applin and Michael Caines * ''To Die A Second Time'', Produced by: Double Agent, Director: Teunkie Van Der Sluijs * ''

The Tender Land ''The Tender Land'' is an opera with music by Aaron Copland and libretto by Horace Everett, a pseudonym used by Erik Johns, a dancer and Copland's former lover. History The opera tells of a farm family in the Midwest of the United States. Copl ...

'' by

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

, Produced by: Mad Cow Theatre Company, Director: Katherine Hare, musical director: Leigh Thompson, Choreographer: Racky Plews *''The Savage'' (original story

David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children's literature, children and young adult fiction, young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and ...

) & ''The Island'' (original story Armin Greeder), Composed, written and performed by the Arcola Youth Project under the guidance of Jenifer Toksvig (libretto) and Nick Sutton (music). * ''Disappeared'', Produced by: The Theory of Everything, Devised and directed by: Pia Furtado and members of the cast, featuring traditional gypsy music Inspired by and featuring Janáček's song cycle. * ''The Work of Art'' by Conor Mitchell and Jenifer Toksvig * ''Goodbye Barcelona'', Produced by: Arcola Theatre, Composer: KS Lewkowicz, Playwright: Judith Johnson, Director: Karen Rabinowitz * ''Why Are Clowns?'', Produced by: L'Oiseau Chante, Composer: Ewen Moore, Director: Aaron Paterson * ''Presenting... The News'', Produced by: Size Zero Music Theatre, Composer & director: Laura Jayne Bowler * ''Dante'' by Peter Longworth, Director: Holly McBride * ''The Wonderful Thing About Lizards'' by Lucy Smith, Director: Toria Banks * '' Abraham and Isaac'', Produced by: Metta Theatre, Composer:

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

, Director: Poppy Burton-Morgan * ''Pig'', ''Greed'' (

Jonathan Dove Jonathan Dove (born 18 July 1959) is an English composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now Birm ...

); ''Cinderella''( Stephen Oliver Produced by: Bitesize Opera, Director: Toria Banks * '' Jephtha'' by

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

, Director: Ralph Bridle, Conductor: Wolfgang Kostner * ''Stolen Voices'' by Neyire Ashworth, Director & Co-devisor: Kath Burlinson * '' La Voix Humaine'', Produced by: Renée Salewski & Flat Earth Theatre, Composer:

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

, Librettist:

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

, Director: Robin Norton-Hale * ''A Shropshire Lad'', Produced by: Pst! Productions, Cast: Peter Shipman, Director: Jan-Willem van den Bosch * '' The Telephone'' by

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

, Director: Nina Brazier, Designer: Polly Webb-Wilson, Costumes: Giulia Scrimieri * ''The Singing Bone/Domestic'', Produced by: The Stephen Crowe Ensemble, Composer: Stephen Crowe, Directors: Seonaid Goody and Stephen Crowe * ''The Woodcutter's Daughter'', Produced by: Eclectic Opera, Composer: Richard Cartmale, Librettist: Buffy Sharpe, Cast: Belinda Evans, Glenn Tweedie, Peter Shipman * ''Songs of Alchemy'', Produced by: Eclectic Opera, Composer: Kirsten Morrison, Director: Jan-Willem van den Bosch * ''Grimethorpe Race'' Presented by: Shared Property Theatre Company Directors: Lizzie Newman and Rachel Parish, Designer: Lucy Sierra, Scenic Artist: Zoe Parsons * ''The Spoils'', Produced by: Shady Dolls Theatre Company, Composer: Paul Englishby, Director: Steven Dykes * ''Music Theatre Now'' - a cabaret evening dedicated to new musical theatre writing. Featured Composers: Conor Mitchell, Adam Guettel, Raymond Yiu,

Ricky Ian Gordon Ricky Ian Gordon (born May 15, 1956) is an American composer of art song, opera and musical theatre. Life Gordon was born in Oceanside, New York. He was raised by his mother, Eve, and father, Sam, and he grew up on Long Island with his three sist ...

, Tim Saward, Matt Print Director: Alex Sutton, Musical Direction: Leigh Thompson, Cast:

Clare Burt Clare Burt is an English actress and singer. Her theatre work includes '' Coram Boy'' (2006), ''Cats'', '' Aspects of Love'', '' Sunday in the Park with George'', '' Closer Than Ever'', '' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'', '' Big Fish'', and '' Pal Joey ...

and the London Show Choir * ''Figaro - The Loyal Subject'', Produced by: Grimeborn Opera, Composers:

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

, Adaptator & director: Barnaby Rayfield * ''Why Don't You Just Sing Jazz?'', Produced by: Opera in Colour, Writer & director: Roger Mortimer-Smith, Devised and produced by: Nadine Mortimer-Smith, Musical Direction: Peter Crockford * ''Hothouse'', Directed by: Sophie Austin, Musical Direction: Jamie Fagg, Produced by: Kas Darley and Sophie Austin

2008

Curated by Daniele Guerra and produced by Michael Harris and Leyla Nazli (4–23 August) * '' The Old Maid and the Thief'' - composer/

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

; director: Nina Brazier; conductor: Timothy Burke * ''A Man of Feeling'' - composer/librettist: Stephen Oliver; director: Anthony Baker; music director: Tim Henty;

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

: Lisa Wilson;

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

: John Savournin; pianist: James Young * ''Dreamspiel'' - performed by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain; composer: George Hincliffe; librettist: Michelle Carter * ''

Kindertotenlieder (''Songs on the Death of Children'') is a song cycle (1904) for voice and orchestra by Gustav Mahler. The words of the songs are poems by Friedrich Rückert. Poems and setting The original were a group of 428 poems written by Rückert in 1833 ...

(Songs on the Deaths of Children)'' - composer:

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

; producer/performer: Siobhan Mooney, Mezzo Soprano with Devon Harrison, Baritone and lip-synch-mime artists, Dickie Beau and Lisa Lee - semi-staged and re-imagined by Siobhan Mooney as an anguished duet of blame between Father and Mother. Loosely based on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann director: Janwillen van den Bosch; pianist: Linda Ang * ''The Elephant's Child'' - performed by Metta Theatre; composer: Jessica Dannheisser; director: Poppy Burton-Morgan * ''The Nightingale and the Rose'' - composer/librettist: Jenny Gould; director: Tom Mansfield * ''Desire Caught by the Tail'' - composer: Joseph Finlay; director: Max Webster; associate director: Rachel Grunwald * ''Goodbye Barcelona'' - book: Judith Johnson; music and lyrics: Karl Lewkowicz; director: Mehmet Ergen * '' ASH'' - composer: Rachel Fuller; librettist/director: Jack Shepherd * ''Opera of Surveillance'' - performed by Conversations with Sound and The Irrepressibles; composer/voice practitioner: Jamie McDermott; sound design: William Turner Duffin * ''My Feet May Take a Little While'' (The Errollyn Wallen Songbook) - composer/music director: Errollyn Wallen; director: Daniele Guerra * ''Man with a Movie Camera'' - based on the score composed by

Michael Nyman Michael Laurence Nyman, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer, pianist, libretto, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film soundtrack, scores (many written during his lengthy ...

for the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's 2002 release of the silent movie ''

Man with a Movie Camera ''Man with a Movie Camera'' is an experimental 1929 Soviet silent documentary film, directed by Dziga Vertov, filmed by his brother Mikhail Kaufman, and edited by Vertov's wife Yelizaveta Svilova. Kaufman also appears as the titular Man. V ...

''; director: Nigel Lowery * ''Kaspar Hauser'' - based on the story of

Kaspar Hauser Kaspar Hauser (30 April 1812 – 17 December 1833) was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. His claims, and his subsequent death from a stab wound, sparked much debate and controversy both in Nur ...

; composer: Alexis Pope; librettist/director: Anke Rauthmann; musical director: Philip Headlam; designer: Num Stibbe * '' Pierrot Lunaire'' - performed by Cornucopia Theatre Company; composer:

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

to poems by Albert Giraud; director: Mark Duncan * ''Choice'' - performed by Citric Acid Productions *''Astyanax'' - by Waterfield & Burke *'' A Little Chamber Music'' - based on the work by Hindemith *'' The Boy Who Said Yes'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

and

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

; musical director: Timothy Burke; director: Alex Sutton * ''The Girl Who Liked to be Thrown Around'' - performed by Madestrange Opera; composer: Michael Oliva; text: Michael Oliva and Deepak Kalha * ''The Bacchae'' - composer/librettist/musical & artistic director: Alexis Pope; soprano: Tatjana Kiliani;

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

: Emmanuel Fort;

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

: Andrew Young; First

Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; , ''Bakkhai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthum ...

: Sibylla Meienberg *''Stabat Mater'' - adapted by Buffy Sharpe from

Pergolesi Pergolesi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, (1710–1736), Italian composer, violinist, and organist * Michael Angelo Pergolesi, 18th-century Italian decorative artist {{Surname Italian-langu ...

Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary that portrays her suffering as mother during the crucifixion of her son Jesus Christ. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Saba ...

; performed by Eclectic Opera; director: Poppy Burton-Morgan; soprano: Anna Gregory;

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

: Peter Shipman; actress: Sarah Paul *''Holoray Holiday'' - book and lyrics: Rebecca and Sharon Nassauer; composer: Sharon Nassauer; director: Michael Alvarez; musical director: Candida Caldicot

2007

Curated by Andrew Steggall and produced by Michael Harris and Leyla Nazli (19 August- 2 September)Arcola Theatre 19 August- 2 September
/ref> * ''The Crocodile '' - composed by Llywelyn ap Myrddin. Directed by Alex Sutton. * ''Hey Jack '' - composed by Sharon Nassauer, Lyrics by Jackson Lee and directed by Loveday Ingram. *''Nosferatu'' *''Opera Cabaret'' *''The Tales of Hoffmann'' - based on Offenbach's ''

Les contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'' *''Dichterliebe'' - composed by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

to poetry by

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

*''Devils Drum'' *''Arianna a Naxos'' - based on

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

's cantata of the same name *''Visions of 7'' – conceived and composed by Joanna Foster, performed by 'Anima' with Javier Carmona on percussion. *''Vice'' - jazz opera based on ''

The Revenger's Tragedy ''The Revenger's Tragedy'' is an English-language Jacobean revenge tragedy which was performed in 1606, and published in 1607 by George Eld. It was long attributed to Cyril Tourneur, but "The consensus candidate for authorship of ''The Reve ...

'' by

Cyril Tourneur Cyril Tourneur (; died 28 February 1626) was an English soldier, diplomat and dramatist who wrote '' The Atheist's Tragedy'' (published 1611); another (and better-known) play, '' The Revenger's Tragedy'' (1607), formerly ascribed to him, is now mo ...

. Written by Jools Scott and Sue Curtis. Directed by Sue Curtis. *''The Universal Will to Self-Destruct'' *''Flood'' - composed & written by Kirsten Morrison and Buffy Sharpe. Performed by Kirsten Morrison Soprano, Siobhan Mooney Mezzo Soprano and Oliver Gibbs Baritone Visuals by Franny Armstrong. *''Pierre'' - adapted by composer Richard Beaudoin, conducted by Christopher Ward, directed by Andrew Steggall, and played by Constantine Finehouse. The cast included Joseph Kaiser (Tamino in

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

's film ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

''), *''Persephone -'' a masque in the making. Words by Simon Rae, music by Sue Casson. Amongst the performers Felix Kemp and Sue Casson. * ''Fountain Sealed'' - by Nathan Williamson, Thomas Walton and James Methven.

References

Sources

*Arcola Theatr
Past productions
Accessed 17 February 2009. *Christiansen, Rupert

''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'', 31 August 2007. Accessed 17 February 2009. *Kimberley, Nick
Glorious grime in Grimeborn
''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' 5 August 2008. Accessed 17 February 2009. * Blunt, Thomas, Conducto

“ Music at Plush” Accessed 16 August 2010 *Tanner, Mark

“

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

, 5 September 2009, Accessed 16 August 2010. *Taylor, Sebastian,

“ Camden New Journal, Islington Tribune”, 12 August 2010, Accessed 16 August 2010

“

Hackney Gazette Archant Limited is a newspaper and magazine publishing company with headquarters in Norwich, England. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 50 weekly newspapers, and 80 consumer and contract magazines. The company is a subsidiary of ...

”, 9 July 2010, Accessed 16 August 2010 * Hall, Georg

“

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

”, 11 August 2010, Accessed 16 August 2010

“ East London Lines”, 11 August 2010, Accessed 15 August 2010 *Baracaia, Alexa

“ The London Paper”, 20 August 2009, Accessed 15 August 2010

External links

Official page on Arcola Theatre website
Opera festivals in England Music festivals in London 2007 establishments in England Music festivals established in 2007 Opera in London {{coord missing, London

History

Past performances

2019

2018

2017

2015

2014

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

See also

References

Sources

External links