If you thought opera wasn’t for the whole family, think again. The Enchanted Pig is a delightful story of animal capers and fairy tale romance, and singers from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (part of Birmingham City University) are reaching out to schools and families with the magical, fun family show at The Bradshaw Hall (8-10 June).
With its trotters in the worlds of opera and musical theatre, Jonathan Dove’s vibrant work draws on captivating Romanian and Norwegian folk tales coupled with a humorous twist for the whole family to enjoy. The Enchanted Pig tells the tale of Princess Flora whose world is turned upside down when fate leads her to marry a pig!
Mercifully, he is an enchanted pig, cursed by a witch, and becomes a handsome prince by night. Flora must travel to the ends of the Earth and across the Milky Way to save her husband from the evil spell.
As well as offering free tickets for Under 16s for the public performances, Conservatoire musicians have also been delivering free workshops to 350 of the region’s schoolchildren, introducing them to a world of opera which they may not otherwise have the chance to experience. Children from seven primary schools in Birmingham, Smethwick and Telford have enjoyed practising dramatic ‘freeze frames’, learning a short musical excerpt and giving a mini-performance at the end of the session, before being invited to a schools’ performance of the opera at The Bradshaw Hall.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s outreach work to engage the next generation with opera is helping to develop future audiences and performers, and ensuring everyone has a chance to experience opera regardless of background and circumstances. The Enchanted Pig is at The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire from 8-10 June, and at The Dream Factory, Warwick on 25 June.
