Scottish Opera to stage more than 200 outdoor performances

Scottish Opera will stage more than 200 outdoor performances for around 12,000 people across Scotland as lockdown is eased.

The company will visit around 40 venues from June to September, performing to audiences seated in socially distanced “bubbles”.

The pop-up opera will run for four months and will feature shows such as The Pirates of Penzance, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, and Lolanthe.

The performing group will travel in two specially adapted trailers, starting from June 8.

The Scottish Opera headquarters in Glasgow will deploy its car park, which was used for a major outdoor production of Puccini’s La Bohème last year, for a new outdoor adaptation of Verdi’s Falstaff.

Scottish Opera’s general director Alex Reedjik said: “I’m delighted that we are preparing to bring live music back to audiences following almost a year without live opera.

“Falstaff will be a love letter to our glorious art form, with over 120 people working together on the production.

“Sir David McVicar offers an amazing vision for our car park as he directs and designs an ingenious show with exquisite 17th century period costumes, promising an evening of comedy, pathos, and pure entertainment.”

Stuart Stratford, Scottish Opera’s music director, said: ‘I’m so excited that we’re able to offer outdoor, live opera to audiences across Scotland once again, even more so that we have the opportunity to work with Sir David McVicar on Falstaff for what is sure to be a visual and musical feast.

“Sir David’s creativity and passion are immersed in every aspect of the production and his spectacular vision for our car park location will make the audience experience even more visceral and immediate, especially in this outdoor setting.

“As Verdi’s last great work the piece contains all the fabulous searing melodies, raw emotion, and comedy which brings together our incredible world-class cast and orchestra.”