Part of Made in Scotland, this journey through humour, anger and ultimately hope, STUMPED is ideally suited to both existing opera fans and newbies. Performed by a stellar cast and ends with a short reflection from an invited forest expert.
A brand-new miniature opera exploring deforestation through scenes from five ancient stories that centre on what happens when you mess with trees. These stories alternate with conversations between two users of an internet forum on an overnight work binge, until gradually the two worlds begin to merge.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
Our show is STUMPED, a brand new miniature opera that explores the issue of deforestation by bringing together five old stories from various times and places, which are united by the theme of what happens when you mess with trees. The old stories alternate with discussions on an internet forum between two people on an overnight work binge. As the show goes on, these two worlds start to merge. It draws on issues that are at once thousands of years old and deeply contemporary. The whole thing is performed by two singers and a band of four instruments, so it’s really intimate, personal and heartfelt.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
STUMPED was a lockdown creation, inspired by spending a lot of time online worrying about the state of the world, getting angry about misinformation, and seeking out hopeful stories. The music and script are by me, Lewis Coenen-Rowe, making this my fourth opera, and there’s a recycled-wood set and projection designed by Hunter Muir. We’ve got a fantastic music director in Thomas Butler, who holds everything together, and Edie Bailey is our new artistic director, stepping in for Cecilia Stinton who we worked with on developing the staging for the piece. We’re a completely independent team who have come together specially to make this show. It is a labour of love.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
Most of us have never taken a show to the Fringe before although we have all attended many times. It’s pretty scary, but we’re excited to have been selected to be presented as part of the Made in Scotland showcase this year, which has really helped provide the security for us to make this happen.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
There are not going to be many brand-new operas at the Fringe this year! We’d really encourage people to come and try it for a completely different kind of experience: storytelling sung with music throughout is quite an amazing thing and it really packs an emotional punch for people who are up for ‘going there’. STUMPED is also about highly relevant contemporary issues like deforestation, online misinformation, and how to bring about positive change as one individual among huge forces. I think there’s lots there for people to relate to it also may be the only show at the Fringe this year to feature a sub-plot about autocannibalism, so there’s that too…
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
We hope people will leave feeling as passionate about these issues as we are and empowered to do something. We’re inviting a different local speaker to come and say a few words at the end of each show about things people can get involved with and we’re event planning to give out some seeds, so people will have a very literal takeaway from the show.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
We want people to come who have never been to an opera before. For those who are into theatre, musicals or storytelling, or are at all interested in environmental issues, this show is a great bet. Running at less than an hour, it’s a great introduction to the world of opera. And for those who are already opera fans, well, you don’t often get the chance to see brand-new contemporary operas like this in Edinburgh, so it’s a must see for that crowd as well.
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
There are so many shows we want to see! We met some of the people behind The Other, which is also on at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and looks fantastic. Elsewhere, we’ve also got our eyes on other new environmental-themed work like The Last Forecast.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
I would love to see more crossover between the classical music world of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe. We’re really pleased to be taking an opera to the Fringe, but there aren’t many of us doing it. I’d really like the contemporary theatre and opera worlds to work together more. We’ve got a lot in common.
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’