skate park opera 

Between 2015 and 2017 we hosted three different opera performances in the skatepark.

Venus and Adonis, directed by Hannah Noone and performed by Opera Mint and Pavane early music group was a performance of the first British opera, composed in around 1683 by John Blow. Audience members arrived early to eat food as part of the event around a fire pit.

Street Scenes was a more contemporary affair with a montage of scenes from various operas and composers including Carmen, Kurt Weill, Don Giovanni, Beggars Opera, Burntein's Candide and more all based around the 'streets' and the characters that inhabit them. The show was performed by Opera in Situ and directed by Jana Holesworth. The audience got hotdogs and icecream as part of the event.

Lastly, we hosted Die Fledermaus. The performance was put on by Opera’r Ddraig, and was a site-specific adaptation of Johann Strauss’ comedic, party-centric opera.

To keep it as accessible as possible we made sure the tickets were cheap, at around £4 each, and for one of them people could also pay what they felt or use time credits.

Opera and skateparks may not seem like a natural fit, but we set up Spit & Sawdust to be a creative space where people can come together from all walks of life. Our aim is to encourage participation in and access to the arts for all. We’re not interested in perceived distinctions between ‘high’ and ‘low’ artforms; opera is for anyone and so are skate parks.