Invisible Opera House

NightWatchers, Folkestone (2019). Credit: Brian Slater

Invisible Opera House is Folkestone's first ever pop-up opera house.

In 2019, we presented the Micro Opera Festival at Folkestone Harbour, exploring themes of belonging, change, the point of no return and how location shapes our identity. The festival offered a range of engaging debates and live shows including Belongings, Carmen, and the emotive NightWatchers, an outdoor show on the harbour arm.

Invisible Opera House is a SparkedEcho + Fat Lady Opera production, kindly supported by Arts Council England, Folkestone Town Council and private donations.

Watch clips of NightWatchers

Hear the NightWatchers soundscapes

Micro Opera Festival
28-30 November 2019
Carmen, Belongings, NightWatchers

28-30 Nov - Micro Opera Festival

Micro Opera Festival 28-30 November 2019 at Folkestone Harbour - includes debates and performances of Carmen, Belongings and NightWatchers.

Carmen

Thursday 28 November, 8.30pm
The Clark Kent School of Opera / Customs House Folkestone Harbour
An opera inquiry event led by Artistic Director of Fat Lady Opera, Tania Holland Williams and Co-Producer Kevin Grist where we invite people to imagine a Folkestone cultural life that is surprised, disrupted and delighted by the interruption of opera. This event features guest accordionist Frances Knight and the proposition of Carmen.

Belongings

Friday 29 November, 7pm
Who Needs An Opera House? / Customs House Folkestone Harbour
Discussing what it means to work without a champagne foyer are guest speakers Bill Bankes-Jones (Artistic Director of Tete a Tete festival) and composer Sam Bordoli. This event includes a full performance of their thought provoking opera Belongings.

NightWatchers

Saturday 30 November, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm
NightWatchers / Folkestone Harbour Railway Platform
A new community opera that considers what it means to belong in a community whose lives are defined by their proximity to the sea.

About the Invisible Opera House

Invisible Opera House has delivered a series of interactive activities that help introduce audiences to opera as a relevant and accessible art form. Invisible Opera House activities have included:

Creative workshops - digital music and set design workshops for young people helping to create aspects of the NightWatchers set, costume and soundscapes.
FLOCC (Fat Lady Opera Community Choir) - launch of a community chorus that targets older adults to sing and be part of Belongings and NightWatchers.
Opera Hub Inquiries - encouraging debate with adult groups asking questions such as Is opera gender neutral? and Who needs an opera house?

The project has worked closely with young refugees and local teenagers, commuters, recent migrants to Folkestone, older adults and those with some interest in opera but little experience of contemporary work.