In the half term I took part in a project with the English national opera called The Magic Flute Youth Project from the 20th February to the 23rd . We were separated into two units: performance and production. I was part of the performance unit which was where the music for our piece and the movements and lyrics were made. The production unit would instead use their creative skills to create our sets and bring the music to life. The piece was created over four days in the term break, the days ran from 11am-5pm and lunch and refreshments were provided. On the fourth and final day the time was extended by two extra hours so friends and family members could come and watch the finished piece. However , after this we would be opening the performance of The Magic Flute with a part of our piece at the coliseum.
After the four days in half term the company came together again on the 9th of March and we practiced our shortened part that we would be performing in only a weeks’ time. After that there was an unplugged session on the Monday and we were able to meet the director of the show, meet the Foley artists behind the production and see some of their rehearsal which was overall really interesting and informative. When it came around to the performance, we had only had that day to figure out the staging for our piece on the actual stage which gave it a different feeling and forced us to project upwards to be heard. When the performance was over, we were all allowed to sit in the audience and watch the show. The show was a modern approach to the story of The Magic Flute and was very entertaining. I recommend ENO projects if you are looking for a creative outlet and are willing to meet new people along the way.
