Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival on 17th September (live) and 19th September (online).
Sonopera presents The Trilobite, Or The Fall of Mr Williams, a fast-paced,
dizzying piece that tells the gripping tale of a hapless geography teacher
falling off the highest cliff in England. As he falls, two angels torment him
intent on crushing his soul.
The Trilobite combines live action and song on stage with an immersive
soundscape harvested from the cliffs of North Devon, and woven into a
complex web of instrumental and vocal textures.
Video projection and sound reveal the innermost thoughts of the plummeting
Mr Williams. This is ground-breaking, cutting-edge opera, reimagined for the
Covid age.
The Trilobite, Or The Fall Of Mr Williams
Live Performance 19:00-19:30, Thursday 17th September 2020, The Cockpit
Interactive Broadcast 18:00-19:00, Saturday 19th September 2020 online
The Trilobite, Or The Fall Of Mr Williams, is the third opera in the Sonopera
triptych. Duration 25 minutes approx. This production is supported by Arts
Council England, and is presented as part of the pioneering Tête à Tête: The
Opera Festival 2020.
Synopsis
Glyn Williams is falling off a cliff. Two angels torment him about his failings.
They force him to relive his disastrous infatuation for Melanie, the French
teacher who ran off with Guy, the gym teacher and total prick; his failed
attempt to impress the scientific community with his theory of the origins of
the North Devon trilobites; and the fateful field trip to Exmoor with his stupid
sixth formers that got him into this predicament. As he falls, he tries to distract himself by delivering the lecture to the Royal Geographical Society in London concerning his trilobite theory that he
always aspired to give. The angels tell him he will never give that lecture. But
are they right? Perhaps those sixth formers aren’t so stupid after all…
Sonopera
Sonopera CIC is an emerging company incorporated by Elfyn Jones [pictured] in 2019
following the success of Vicky and Albert (2018) and Her face was of flowers
(2019). Sonopera presents innovative opera with integrated sound design,
and creative music and sound design projects in community and education
settings.