Have ever seen an operatic performance and wondered about a character’s backstory and what drives them?
Tenor Anthony Flaum founded Prologue Opera to answer such questions. Based in Sussex, the company believes opera, as an artform, can enrich lives, and they aim to not only provide quality entertainment to audiences who may not have been exposed to opera previously but also to capitalise on the wealth of local talent in the Sussex area, and encourage positive artistic and emotional experiences through opera and music.
Their productions take a distinctive two-part approach to opera, presenting and original dramatic performance comprising spoken dialogue, newly commissioned music and songs from a range of musical styles, that tell the never-before-seen stories of key characters within the opera before they appear in the original narrative. This part seamlessly leads the audience into the main part of the opera, which is presented as a fast-paced reduction of the original opera.
In 2024, Prologue Opera presented Becoming Tosca, their version of Puccini’s Tosca, in Hastings, now the company is reviving the production with performances in Hastings on 26 and 27 August at the Stables Theatre and at the Arcola Theatre on 2, 3, 5, 6 September as part of the Grimeborn Festival.
Becoming Tosca relocates the action to an unspecific Latin American setting in the second half of the 20th century; where religion jostles with the politics of capitalism and self-interest. The production features new music by Frank Moon and was originally directed by Christopher Cowell. Anthony Flaum is Cavaradossi, Anna Sideris is Tosca and Brendan Collins is Scarpia.
Full details from the Prologue Opera website.
