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2007
The Finnish Prisoner
In July 2007, The Paddock presented the world premiere of The Finnish Prisoner, a new opera by Orlando Gough and Stephen Plaice, written specifically for the community of the Lewes District, and concerning an episode in local history in which Finnish prisoners of war were kept in Lewes during the Crimean War and formed strong bonds with the people of the town. Seven performances took place in a disused warehouse in an industrial estate in Lewes and involved a cast of 80 singers (5 British principals, 8 Finnish principals, 28 adult community chorus, and 39 children), as well as four instrumentalists. Apart from the Finnish singers, all of the professional artists, the creative team, and amateurs were drawn from the Lewes District. Each performance was sold to absolute capacity, and attracted a widespread, highly enthusiastic audience base, including visits from visiting Finnish dignitaries. The opera was produced in partnership with Finnish National Opera and Finnish Chamber Opera, with additional aid from the Finnish Embassy in London and the Sibelius Academy. The Paddock also received funding towards this project from the RVW Trust, the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The PRS Foundation, East Sussex County Council and Lewes Town Council.
2004
Physical Music
Summer 2004
Exploring A Staging of 3 Cantatas by G.F.Handel Sonnerie, Yolande Snaith and Susannah Waters
Physical Music was a project supported by the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Arts Council, South East, in which we developed ideas for staging Handel cantatas for solo voice, exploring the ways in which artists from different disciplines could be exposed to and influenced by each other's approaches during the rehearsal period, with a particular emphasis on involving musicians more directly in the physical staging. This was done by including them in the elements of rehearsal process from which they are usually excluded, and by placing them centre-stage in a production rather than to one side. The multi-disciplinary staging of three G. F. Handel cantatas by the team involved in this research and development is a project we are hoping to develop further in the future. Back to the top
Back to the top
2003
The One I Love
A co-production with New Kent Opera
This music theatre piece created by the Paddock’s Artistic Director, Susannah Waters, is about the moral decisions made by conscientious objectors, and was originally commissioned by New Kent Opera, and premiered as part of their 2nd annual Festival at the Theatre Royal Margate. Built around a script constructed entirely of conscientious objector diaries, letters and trial documents, the evening has at its core a performance of four of Benjamin Britten’s Canticles –himself a conscientious objector during WW2 – illuminated by projections of over two hundred photographic images of war, including many of the famous Blitz photographs taken by Magnum co-founder George Rodgers. The premier performance involved the singers James Gilchrist, Andrew Watts, and Matthew Hargreaves, as well as the actors Joanne Howarth and Darren Tunstall. It is available for touring and one-off performances in music festivals.
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2003
The Regina Monologues
UK Tour
First commissioned by the Covent Garden Festival in 2001, this music theatre piece about Elizabeth I was co-created by the Paddock's Artistic Director Susannah Waters and the viol consort Concordia (www.violconsort.com), under the musical direction of Mark Levy, and toured to music and literary festivals around the UK, including the Brighton Festival, Lichfield Festival, King’s Lynn Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival, Queen’s Festival in Belfast, and the Hall for Cornwall in Truro. In a series of nine monologues, partnered with haunting music of the period, a 63 year-old Elizabeth ruminates upon the mixed blessings of power and the impossibilities of love for a woman in her position. During the 2003 tour, The Queen was played by Susannah York and Janet Suzman, sharing the dates. Designed by Shakespeare's Globe Associate Designer Jenny Tiramani, it also featured the counter-tenors Robin Blaze and William Purefoy. This piece was performed again in 2008, at the Middle Temple Hall in London, as part of the 2008 Temple Festival, starring Penelope Keith and the counter-tenor William Purefoy. It will be performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on March 15, 2009, once again with Penelope Keith playing Elizabeth I. (www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whatson.asp)
Back to the top
The Finnish Prisoner
In July 2007, The Paddock presented the world premiere of The Finnish Prisoner, a new opera by Orlando Gough and Stephen Plaice, written specifically for the community of the Lewes District, and concerning an episode in local history in which Finnish prisoners of war were kept in Lewes during the Crimean War and formed strong bonds with the people of the town. Seven performances took place in a disused warehouse in an industrial estate in Lewes and involved a cast of 80 singers (5 British principals, 8 Finnish principals, 28 adult community chorus, and 39 children), as well as four instrumentalists. Apart from the Finnish singers, all of the professional artists, the creative team, and amateurs were drawn from the Lewes District. Each performance was sold to absolute capacity, and attracted a widespread, highly enthusiastic audience base, including visits from visiting Finnish dignitaries. The opera was produced in partnership with Finnish National Opera and Finnish Chamber Opera, with additional aid from the Finnish Embassy in London and the Sibelius Academy. The Paddock also received funding towards this project from the RVW Trust, the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The PRS Foundation, East Sussex County Council and Lewes Town Council.
2004
Physical Music
Summer 2004
Exploring A Staging of 3 Cantatas by G.F.Handel Sonnerie, Yolande Snaith and Susannah Waters
Physical Music was a project supported by the Gulbenkian Foundation and the Arts Council, South East, in which we developed ideas for staging Handel cantatas for solo voice, exploring the ways in which artists from different disciplines could be exposed to and influenced by each other's approaches during the rehearsal period, with a particular emphasis on involving musicians more directly in the physical staging. This was done by including them in the elements of rehearsal process from which they are usually excluded, and by placing them centre-stage in a production rather than to one side. The multi-disciplinary staging of three G. F. Handel cantatas by the team involved in this research and development is a project we are hoping to develop further in the future. Back to the top
Back to the top
2003
The One I Love
A co-production with New Kent Opera
This music theatre piece created by the Paddock’s Artistic Director, Susannah Waters, is about the moral decisions made by conscientious objectors, and was originally commissioned by New Kent Opera, and premiered as part of their 2nd annual Festival at the Theatre Royal Margate. Built around a script constructed entirely of conscientious objector diaries, letters and trial documents, the evening has at its core a performance of four of Benjamin Britten’s Canticles –himself a conscientious objector during WW2 – illuminated by projections of over two hundred photographic images of war, including many of the famous Blitz photographs taken by Magnum co-founder George Rodgers. The premier performance involved the singers James Gilchrist, Andrew Watts, and Matthew Hargreaves, as well as the actors Joanne Howarth and Darren Tunstall. It is available for touring and one-off performances in music festivals.
Back to the top
2003
The Regina Monologues
UK Tour
First commissioned by the Covent Garden Festival in 2001, this music theatre piece about Elizabeth I was co-created by the Paddock's Artistic Director Susannah Waters and the viol consort Concordia (www.violconsort.com), under the musical direction of Mark Levy, and toured to music and literary festivals around the UK, including the Brighton Festival, Lichfield Festival, King’s Lynn Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival, Queen’s Festival in Belfast, and the Hall for Cornwall in Truro. In a series of nine monologues, partnered with haunting music of the period, a 63 year-old Elizabeth ruminates upon the mixed blessings of power and the impossibilities of love for a woman in her position. During the 2003 tour, The Queen was played by Susannah York and Janet Suzman, sharing the dates. Designed by Shakespeare's Globe Associate Designer Jenny Tiramani, it also featured the counter-tenors Robin Blaze and William Purefoy. This piece was performed again in 2008, at the Middle Temple Hall in London, as part of the 2008 Temple Festival, starring Penelope Keith and the counter-tenor William Purefoy. It will be performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on March 15, 2009, once again with Penelope Keith playing Elizabeth I. (www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whatson.asp)
Back to the top
2007
The Finnish Prisoner
2004
Physical Music
2003
The One I Love
2003
The UK Tour of
Regina Monologues
