Stage
Opera
Catriona and the Dragon (2023)
A community opera | 60 minutes
Composed by Lliam Paterson
Queen Catriona is in trouble: a dragon is destroying her kingdom. She can only run away from her problem for so long, but what will she discover when she finally faces it?
Commissioned by Lammermuir Festival
ARC23 (2022)
An opera in one act | 60 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
An expeditionary space force sets forth to establish a new colony for humanity, who are escaping a dying home planet.
Commissioned by Leeds Youth Opera
Paper and Tin (2022)
An interactive children’s opera | 55 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
A tin soldier and paper dancer break free from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale…
Commissioned by English Touring Opera
A Different Story (2019)
A dystopian youth opera | 40 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
In a grey, grey city a group of interns is reminded of the stories they used to tell as children and the questions they used to ask about the world.
Commissioned by the Royal Opera House
Howell’s Decision (2018)
An aria from an imagined opera | 6 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
Alone in the lighthouse, Howell has to decide what to do with the dead body of his colleague.
Commissioned by the National Opera Studio, Second Movement and The Librettist Network
Then to the elements (2018)
A youth opera in one act | 15 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
Anna has always dreamed of having a child, but now the only means of motherhood left open to her is mechanical.
Commissioned by Scottish Opera
Belongings (2017)
A youth opera | 60 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
Two groups of children, separated by decades, are forced by war to flee their homes.
Commissioned by Glyndebourne
First Date (2017)
A pop-up opera | 7 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
Noah and James soon discover that neither of them is quite as their respective online profile described…
Commissioned by Sound Festival
Now (2014)
A dystopian chamber opera in one act | 15 minutes
Composed by Lewis Murphy
Five people are trapped in an office block as revolution rages outside.
Commissioned by the Royal College of Music and Tête à Tête
Script
L’Olimpiade (2024)
Pergolesi’s opera L’Olimpiade given new life through a scripted adaptation of the recitative.
Commissioned by Vache Baroque
Opera Highlights (2023)
A scripted narrative for a diverse programme of opera arias, duets, trios and quartets.
Commissioned by Scottish Opera
Cendrillon (2021)
A new English script for Viardot’s operetta Cendrillon, adapted from the original French dialogue.
Commissioned by Buxton International Festival
Interdisciplinary
P.U.C.K. (2016)
An interdisciplinary opera in one act | 60 minutes
Composed by Benjamien Lycke and Mahlon Berv
A bold retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Premiered at the Royal College of Music
Damsel/Wife/Witch (2015)
A music theatre piece in two acts | 80 minutes
Co-written with Richard Walls
Composed by Lewis Murphy
She has inherited her grandmother’s house. She brings him with her to explore the home where she heard all of her childhood stories…
Commissioned by And So Forth
Learning & Participation
Opera Dots (2018)
Scripted participatory workshop for under 5-s | 45 minutes
An interactive music programme for children and parents, exploring Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
Commissioned by the Royal Opera House
Perusal scores and scripts available. Contact Laura for more information.
Photo: Juliet Howden