Tête à Tête The Opera Festival is taking place this month and into October, London-based arts company Tête à Tête has announced.
The festival, which has been running annually since 2007, is a celebration of new opera. However, earlier this year, when the coronavirus world health crisis hit, the organisers knew they would have to adapt if they were to bring the event to audiences in 2020.
The 2020 festival will provide a mix of online and live events. There are more than 50 events, combining live theatre, broadcasts and online performances, as well as behind-the-scenes workshops, Q&As, interviews and creative projects you can do at home.
Tickets for the live performances, which take place at London’s Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, start at just £5. You can expect everything from forgotten folk tales and improvised stories of apocalyptic futures to female serial killers and transforming birds.
“It has been a crazily bittersweet task to put together a festival this year. It has also been fantastically inspiring,” Bill Bankes-Jones, the company’s artistic director, commented in a statement. “I’m full of admiration for all the tough, visionary, creative artists. Seeing the richness and potential for sharing vision and ideas in this festival website is a cause for huge joy and inspiration.”
Live performances will also be broadcast at a later date and all recorded productions are available for 28 days after the initial showing. Access to these online events cost just £1, while many other workshops and projects are free. However, audiences are encouraged to donate what they can in order to support the artists taking part.
Tête à Tête is following government guidance carefully to ensure the safety of all artists and audiences. Measures include socially distanced seating, masks and lots of hand sanitiser. However, this does mean that tickets for the live shows are very limited.
For details of the performances and to book tickets, visit Tête à Tête’s website.
Bankes-Jones added: “I do hope every one of you peering into this kaleidoscope of vision will, as well as delighting in what you see and hear, also do whatever you can to help all these artists survive.”
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Tête à Tête The Opera Festival is taking place this autumn.