Community of Bridlington Celebrates Beach Life

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Jul 17, 2011, 08:58 ET

BRIDLINGTON, England, July 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

"I feel like a rock star" sums it up for Bailey, aged 5, who starred as a fish in Saturday's performance of Beached at the Bridlington Spa. Another participant, Peter, aged 68, commented, "The experience is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life".

Opera North's community opera Beached, written by composer Harvey Brough to a text by Lee Hall, was performed twice on Saturday by hundreds of local residents. Performers spanning ages 2-82, took part in the creative, innovative and liberating show based around 'a day at the beach' in the small seaside town of Bridlington.

Some of the highlights of the one and a half hour production included old ladies whizzing around the 'sand' on mobility scooters, thirty toddlers dressed as sea creatures and outstanding performances from local community members.

Comments Richard Mantle, General Director, Opera North:

"Harvey Brough and Lee Hall are incredible writers and Opera North was delighted to be able to engage artists with such high profiles and credibility for our community project - this is something to celebrate."

"We commissioned a new piece of work with the knowledge that it would be bold and exciting and in the current economic climate where works like this are few and far between, we took a brave step to nurture and broaden the artistic landscape of this community and the talent within it."

"The last two years are a fantastic achievement - we have worked with over 2,700 individuals looking at how singing can be used to address important local issues, such as regeneration. Beached has been a wonderful opportunity for many of those people to come together and celebrate their town and what they have done together. We hope that firm foundations have now been laid for Bridlington to continue its singing journey."

The performances of Beached were made up of the following:

Pupils from Bay Primary School
The Bridlington Community Chorus, set up by Opera North
Mums and toddlers from East Riding Children's Centre
Teenagers from local secondary schools
Members of MENCAP Music and Movement Group
Professional singers; Meeta Raval, Ann Taylor, Mark le Brocq and Richard Burkhard
Nine musicians
Director Karen Gillingham, designer Ruth Paton and animateur Lea Cornthwaite worked with the groups in the run up to the performance
Composer and Musical Director Harvey Brough

Two Years of Highlights:

The Big Sing - 1,000 7-11 year olds from eight different schools perform in The Spa.
Little Brid Sing - 400 4-6 year old from eight different schools perform in The Spa.
2,700 individuals work directly with Opera North during this period
Weekly visits for two years into Bay Primary School, where singers enhance the school curriculum.
All schools in Bridlington take part in workshops, training and performances
A new choir for 7-11 year old boys - Boys of Bridlington Sing (BoBS)
A Bridlington Youth Chorus for teenagers
Training for 150 local teachers, playworkers and artists

Beached was performed at The Spa, Bridlington on Saturday 16 July 2011 at 2pm and 6pm.

Notes to editors:

In 2009 Opera North received funding from Sing Up, the Music Manifesto's National Singing Programme, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Yorkshire Forward to run a large-scale programme of singing and creative activity in the town.

The programme aimed to provide access to high quality singing activity for local people of all ages, and promote the benefits of singing through fun, engaging and sociable activities that enhance quality of life.

http://www.operanorth.co.uk/

SOURCE Opera North