The Powder Monkey Opera

Chukwunenye, an African Igbo boy, is the powder monkey born on a slave ship and one voyage away from buying his freedom. As the slave ship nears port on the ?middle’ passage there is an uprising by the enslaved and he must choose which side he will take; his people or his freedom? Set on board a slave ship in 1788 the opera places the Black male character of the ?powder monkey’ centre stage of a diverse cast and integrates live performance, music and animation. The Powder Monkey opens the borders of the opera form by drawing on the traditional music of West Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the folk forms of North of England and maritime creole work songs to reflect the diverse and often hidden histories that have made contemporary Britain.