GOTHIC OPERA

Halloween 2021: Gothic Opera presented the UK premiere of Gounod's opera La Nonne sanglante (The Bloody Nun).
 

"For me, this piece is about the human desire to discover and rationalise the unknown. The Victorian era was a beautiful period of science and wonder. Through photography, they studied the world and aimed to capture it. But even today, we cannot find answers to everything, and the possibility of the dead appearing to the living and defying all rules of science is what makes Gounod’s opera so compelling. We want to explore the unknown. We want to indulge in it. And be scared by it. "

- Franciska Éry, stage director
 

With a story based on the bleeding nun episode from the 1796 novel The Monk, written by the English Gothic horror writer Matthew Gregory Lewis, La Nonne sanglante premiered at the Opéra de Paris in 1854, where the response was generally poor due to the opera’s subject matter. The controversy led to the opera director being fired and replaced. The new director immediately cancelled the run, calling for an end to “such filth.” The opera’s reputation was tarnished and it has rarely been performed since.

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Gothic Opera brought this exciting work to UK audiences for the very first time. A thrilling and entertaining tale of ghosts, a family feud, and mistaken identity, the opera is at times witty and at times frightening, all bound together with a suitably chilling atmosphere.

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Jack Roberts (29th, 31st, 3rd) 

Rodolfo Ruiz-Velasco (30th, 2nd)

Mae Heydorn
Sam Young

Béatrice de Larragoïti
Robert Garland
Charlotte Osborn (29th, 30th, 2nd, 3rd)

Katherine MacRae (31st)
Phil Wilcox
Alex Haigh 
Lucy Elston
Loïc Peluchon
Lawrence Gillians
Loïc Peluchon

Cast:

Rodolphe: 

                 
La Nonne:
Baron de Luddorf:
Agnès: 
Pierre L'Hermite:
Arthur: 

            
Baron de Moldaw:
Fritz:
Anna: 
Le Veilleur de Nuit:
Norberg:
Arnold: 

Stage Director: Franciska Éry

Musical Director/Conductor: Rosie Howarth

Assistant Conductor/Répétiteur: Giannis Giannopoulos

Set and Costume Designer: Harry Pizzey

Costume Supervisor: Orla Convery

Lighting Designer: Ali Hunter

Stage Manager: Becky Brown

Deputy Stage Manager: Florian Lim

Production Manager: Chris Mackie

Supported by

Ensemble:

Alicia Mallace-Goulbourne

Katherine MacRae

Rosemary Clifford

Loïc Peluchon

Alex Haigh

Lawrence Gillians

Phil Wilcox