Opera will return to the Winter Gardens in Morecambe with a special show aimed at introducing children to the genre.
London Festival Opera, one of the UK’s most prestigious travelling companies, will present ‘Opera Magic’ at the theatre on Saturday November 23.
The show will start at 11.30am and is for adults and children from five years and above.
It is described as "a programme of drama, humour, passion and audience interaction ensuring a positive first time experience at the opera that children will remember for ever".
Once a renowned venue for classical music, the Winter Gardens has hosted many celebrated musicians including the composer Sir Edward Elgar, the tenor Richard Tauber, the soprano Julie Andrews, and the D’Oyly Carte Opera company performing the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan during the years before it closed in the 1970s.
The baritone Philip Blake-Jones, founder and artistic director of London Festival Opera, spent his childhood in Morecambe and is a former pupil of St Patrick’s in Heysham and Our Lady’s High School in Lancaster.
He went on to study at London’s Royal Academy of Music before embarking on a professional career, making his debut with Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
Philip is a former principal and recording artist with the D’Oyly Carte and his passion now is to pass on a love of opera to the next generation and to help break down the misconception that it’s an elitist art from.
He said he was thrilled to be returning to the Winter Gardens where he competed in the original Morecambe Music Festival, and had inspiring performance experience with the Morecambe Amateurs and Morecambe Warblers as a child.
Professor Vanessa Toulmin, chair of Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, said: "We are truly excited to play host to the London Festival Opera through our Young Creative partnerships and gives us the opportunity to show what the future could hold for the theatre once our extensive building work is complete.
"The funding from Arts Council England, UK Shared Prosperity through the Cultural Development Fund is securing the infrastructure, support, and partnerships to enable performers to shine and the specialist trained staff to help deliver this."
Lee Bradbury, chair of Morecambe Town Council’s Festivals, Sponsorships and Events Committee, said: "A magical cultural experience in childhood can be the catalyst for a life-long passion – but that’s only possible if these opportunities are there, accessible, and affordable in the first place.
"Therefore, Morecambe Town Council is pleased to be playing a small but meaningful role working in partnership with London Festival Opera and Morecambe Winter Gardens to enable thousands of children in Morecambe to experience opera for the first time."
The project has also received additional support from The Thistle Trust, the Midland Hotel and Morecambe Town Council with venue support through the Winter Gardens Young Creatives funded through Arts Council England.
Tickets for the show are available HERE.
Restoration work has been taking place on the Grade II* listed building, which closed in 1977 for many years.
The theatre continues to open during the spring and summer months at weekends, and for one-off events.
The first new sound and lighting system in more than 50 years was recently installed at the Winter Gardens.
Terry Allum from the theatre is pictured below with the new system.
In August, the Winter Gardens applied for permission for the next phase of a plan to restore the theatre to its former glory.
Planning applications have gone in to Lancaster City Council for the next stage of a comprehensive plan to repair and fully use the building, which closed in 1977.
This latest phase will allow the Marine Road Central venue to significantly increase its capacity from 970 to 1,600 audience members.
The proposed work will include demolishing a former substation, building a part two/part three storey side extension, installing a replacement window, doors and stage door at the back of the theatre, refurbishing floors, ceilings, the Circle seating area and bar area, installing a lift, and electrical and fire alarm systems.
Since 2006, the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust (MWGPT), a volunteer-run group, has owned the Winter Gardens on a freehold basis and since has worked hard to secure and stabilise the building’s condition.
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