Grimeborn returns to the Arcola Theatre

Grimeborn, London’s Hippest Opera Festival, returns for its 5th year in Arcola Theatre’s impressive new space in Dalston, presenting an eclectic programme of new and engaging work from 15-27 August.

Gritty and unpretentious and described by The Guardian as a ‘playful dig at the dinner jackets and picnics’ of some establishments, Grimeborn festival offers a dynamic alternative to the traditional English summer opera season, supporting emerging talent in a stimulating mix of new music theatre and opera and bold new interpretations of rarely performed repertoire and familiar classics.

Challenging traditional perceptions of opera, Grimeborn has attracted a new young audience in their 20s and 30s with tickets at an accessible price of £15. This year’s festival is curated by Mehmet Ergen, Arcola’s Founder and Artistic Director.

Highlights include the London premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, which opens the festival on Monday 15th August, a new production of Britten’s disturbing opera The Turn of the Screw, starring the highly praised soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn (who won the inaugural Voice of Black Opera Competition in 2009) and The Emperor of Atlantis, a bravely satirical piece of music theatre by Jewish-Czech composer Viktor Ullmann.

There’s also a ‘work in progress’ performance of The Francis Bacon Opera by the prodigiously talented young British composer Stephen Crowe on August 26 in a double bill with Jools Scott’s Demon Lover.

Tickets to all events are a staggeringly-low £15 and more info can be found at www.arcolatheatre.com Tel: 020 7503 1646.