World-first community opera in Sheffield stars 100 local performers

Epic production The Monster in the Maze by Jonathan Dove, only staged once before in the UK, will receive its Sheffield debut at The Crucible on 1 November.

This reimagined version is a world-first, thanks to the approach from Sheffield’s Music in the Round collaborating with singing groups, students, professional musicians, Sheffield Music Hub and Sheffield College.

Dozens of singers, an orchestra and an off-stage band will accompany the stage action. Sam Carroll, aged 18, became involved through volunteering with Sheffield Music Hub and singing in the Concordia Voices youth choir. The Tapton School sixth form student, who is on a gap year, said: “I only started singing last year so being in an opera at The Crucible is huge.

“I usually sing more pop and indie, so opera is out of my comfort zone, but it’s been great to explore my voice’s capabilities. “People have been surprised and proud when I have told them.

“I think the audience will be blown away. “It’s not every day you see a group of young people coming together to sing an opera, especially with the amount of people who are involved.

”The Monster in the Maze is based on the ancient Greek myth featuring the half-man, half-bull Minotaur and Athenian hero Theseus.

It was first performed in London in 2015 by the London Symphony Orchestra with the world-famous conductor Sir Simon Rattle.

This version has been created for, by and with people of all ages from Sheffield, with parents performing alongside their children and people singing in a choir for the first time coming together with professional musicians to create an unmissable spectacle.

The production features professional singers as Theseus, Mother and Daedalus, and an actor as King Minos.

Participants have been drawn from Sheffield Music Hub groups who will perform alongside a chorus of adults from Sheffield, Music in the Round’s Ensemble 360, Bridge Ensemble, Consone Quartet and a ‘Minotaur Band’ of brass players.

Director Rosie Kat said the project had involved working with students from Sheffield College to create costumes, including a minotaur.

She added: “We're adding movable set pieces and have really interesting costumes and art elements to it that are larger than life, much like the music.

“The exciting thing about it is we've involved people from different walks of life, of all ages.

“We've reached people who may not otherwise have imagined being part of an opera."

Supporters in Sheffield helped to raise £15,000 for the opera through The Big Give fundraising campaign last year.

The Monster in the Maze takes place on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2.It is part of the 40th anniversary year of Music in the Round, the leading national producer of chamber music.

All tickets cost £5 and can be booked at https://musicintheround.co.uk/events/the-monster-in-the-maze