STATION HOUSE OPERA

SIZE OF COMPANY
4–30 on the road

SCALE OF VENUE
Small-, middle- and large-scale

PERMANENT STAFF
Artistic Director
Julian Maynard Smith

Artistic Collaborator
Susannah Hart

Artists’ Producer, Artsadmin
Mark Godber

Director, Artsadmin
Judith Knight

ARTISTIC POLICY
Founded in 1980, Station House Opera has developed into an internationally renowned performance company with a unique physical and visual style. The work varies enormously in scale, appearance and location and uses spectacle to explore the intimate relationship between people and the environment they inhabit. Described as ‘visionary as it is stunningly visual’, the company have created spectacular projects in a variety of locations all over the world, from New York's Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage to Dresden's historic Frauenkirche.

REVIEW EXTRACTS
‘This fusion of theatre and technology can become something extraordinary.’ The Straits Times, Singapore (Play On Earth)

‘By subverting the rules of space, time and narrative, Roadmetal, Sweetbread transforms the known space… into something entirely unfamiliar.’ BBC Online (Roadmetal, Sweetbread)

‘A blisteringly good piece of work.’ The Guardian (Roadmetal, Sweetbread)

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Mind Out A small-scale performance, with an accompanying week-long workshop project. Laced with a cruel humour, and exploring the separation of mind from body and character from performer, Mind Out continues Station House Opera’s fascination with shifting and complex ideas of identity in performance. (75 mins approx, 5 on stage, 6 on the road, contains some strong language.)

Roadmetal, Sweetbread A performance recreated specifically for each venue. Projected life-size, the performers’ video images compete with their live counterparts for attention and authenticity. Multiple versions of the two characters regard each other with conflicting emotions. (75 mins, 2 on stage, 4 on the road, contains some nudity.)

Play On Earth/Live From Paradise Three simultaneous live performances around the world, each with its own local audience, are linked by video streaming to create a larger fourth performance, telling a story which is both universal and true to its own locality. (60 mins approx, 3 on stage, 5 on the road in each location.)

FUTURE PRODUCTIONS
Site-specific Foyer Project (title tbc) The foyers and public spaces of arts buildings are populated by live footage and recordings of performers projected into real and visually constructed architectural spaces. A whole world is gradually revealed. In development for 2008–09.

The Block A high-density performance for large venues. A 10-metre square, six-storey structure is seen in the round as a performance arena for 200 performers, professionals and amateurs. In development for 2010.

WRAP-AROUND
Post-show talks and Q&A sessions for a general audiences; talks and workshops (from half-day to week-long) for artists, performers and performing/visual arts students.

RECENT INTERNATIONAL WORK
2007 Azerbaijan (Roadmetal, Sweetbread)
2006 Brazil, Singapore (Play on Earth), France, Slovenia (Roadmetal, Sweetbread), Germany, Netherlands (The Other is You), Greece, Lithuania (Roadmetal, Sweetbread)
2005 France, Germany (Roadmetal, Sweetbread)

TOURING AVAILABILITY
Mind Out from May 2008
Play On Earth/Live From Paradise from autumn 2008
Roadmetal, Sweetbread throughout 2008