PLASTIC BODIES
''Unforgettable'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Opera now
How does an industry so obsessed with the voice leave its performers without one?
PLASTIC BODIES invites its audience to be both participant and voyeur, shining a blacklight on hidden abuse in the opera industry. Darkly funny yet brutally familiar, this multimedia work uses voice, film, electronics and verbatim text to look at intimacy, ‘femininity’, and power, giving a voice to experiences within an industry that has yet to face up to the #metoo movement.
ARTISTS
Amy Bryce composes with a focus on contemporary music in collaborative theatre making and educational settings. With a growing reputation in the UK choral scene, Amy was commissioned last year by BBC Radio 3 for the centenary of the BBC. Their work, ‘So All Voices Can Fly’ for choir, organ, and trumpet was recorded for broadcast by the BBC Symphony Chorus. This year, they worked with the London Youth Choirs on a large-scale commission for their 10 year anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall. Amy is a 2023 Royal Philharmonic Society composer, and a 2020 Britten Pears Young Artist.
Mezzo-soprano Rosie Middleton (she/her) works across experimental music, opera and performance art. Her collaborations include voice(less) with Laura Bowler, Mira Calix and Esin Gunduz (Tate Modern, Dark Music Days), 12 HOURS with Catherine Kontz (Luxembourg 2024), and un-broken with Diana Soh Recent opera roles include The Blue Woman (Laura Bowler, Royal Opera House) and Carmen: cours d’assises (Diana Soh, Ars Nova/Ensemble Lucillin). Other 2022-23 work includes Versionland (Jamie Hamilton, Phaedra Ensemble), Wernicke’s Area (Emily Howard, Irish Museum of Modern Art), performances with p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l.c.l.u.t.t.e.r including world premieres by Jessie Marino and Sara Glojnaric and Athanasia Kontou’s Antigone with Liverpool Philharmonic Ensemble 10/10.
Soprano Sarah Parkin (she/her)
Select performances include: Student 3, Innocence (Kaija Saariaho - Cover - Royal Opera House); p.e.r.s.o.n.a.l.c.l.u.t.t.e.r. (Dark Music Days); Roll Up! (Jack McNeill & Claire Willoughby - Mahogany Opera); Voices of the Sands (Michael Betteridge); A Kinder Society (Amy Bryce -Stiftung Kunst und Musik für Dresden); Robe (Alistair White - Tête-à-Tête and Métier). In 2023-24, Sarah will be co-creating ‘On Being Vocal’, a one-woman micro-opera with composer Rania Chrysostomou; and will take part in the inaugural cohort on VOICEBOX (Juliet Fraser with Britten Pears Arts; City, University of London; Sound Festival and Dartington Music Summer School).
Catherine Valve (she/they) is a multi-disciplinary filmmaker, editor and videographer based in London. Her work with PLASTIC BODIES includes directing and editing ‘A Kinder Society’, (Amy Bryce -Stiftung Kunst und Musik für Dresden) and ‘On Being Vocal’, a one-woman micro-opera with composer Rania Chrysostomou. Aside from her work in new music and contemporary opera, Catherine has produced work for the BBC, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank New Music Biennial, Lovebox, WOMAD and East London Dance Company featuring the cross-disciplinary work of choreographer Hofesh Shechter. She has also produced work for the English National Opera, PRS (profile piece on Ezra Collective) and Shakespeare’s Globe. Her short film debut ‘She is Here’ was premiered in 2022 and was a semi finalist in the New York International Women’s Festival 2023 and mentioned Arrow International Film Festival, NYC Independent Film Festival (10th season) and Buzz Film Festival. Showreel: https://www.catherinevalve.com/showreel