Last two performances of the new opera Becoming Tosca are in Hastings on 23rd and 24th July

Becoming Tosca: a new opera for Summer 2024 with two final performances soon in Hastings

Hastings-based Prologue Opera is presenting its new production of Becoming Tosca. After two successful early July performances it will be put on at The Stables Theatre in Hastings on 23rd and 24th July.

For more about Prologue Opera and to obtain tickets for the final performances click HERE.

Becoming Tosca is an innovative and unique piece of drama, illuminating the earlier lives of the characters from Puccini’s original score and propelling the audience into the world of Floria Tosca. Becoming Tosca will bring an evening of revolution, romance and tragedy, combining newly composed music with a tango flavour and an abridged version of Puccini’s score.

An experienced team of local Hastings creatives are bringing Becoming Tosca to life. The founder of Prologue Opera, Anthony Flaum, will be performing in and producing the piece alongside a stellar cast of professional singers. Many of the cast and crew are local East Sussex residents, including operatic tenor Anthony Flaum, highly acclaimed composer Frank Moon, Designer Viva Halton Wright, Stage Manager Jane Richardson and Lighting Designers James Dean and Jonathan Richardson. In addition, cast member Harry Gentry is a new talent from the White Rock Youth Theatre and will be playing the young revolutionary Angelotti.

About Becoming Tosca: Catholicism and the appeal of dictatorship are never far from the surface in Puccini’s Tosca. Can revolution or religion change human nature? Can art be the agent of either or does it merely passively record the process? Becoming Tosca relocates the action to a Latin American setting in the twentieth century; a nation founded on Jesuit colonisation, where religion now jostles with the politics of capitalism and self-interest. It is a society dominated by the struggle to exchange poverty for influence, still seeking solutions to all-pervasive inequalities and oppressions. Does the church love repentance or does it prefer punishment? Is brutality a necessary weapon to control a turbulent population? Even now, we do not have answers and until we do, these questions must continue to be examined.

The production has been developed by Prologue Opera’s CEO, Anthony Flaum. He commented: ‘We have created Becoming Tosca with the aim of bringing a traditional opera to new, local audiences. Our take on the classic Puccini opera is a vibrant interpretation of the earlier life of these powerful and intriguing characters with an exciting score with some Latin infusion, perfect for a summer evening’s entertainment.

The majority of our cast and crew are East Sussex residents and we have a combined passion to bring a new type of art to local theatres. We are also thrilled to be investing in local talent and the addition of Harry Gentry from the White Rock Youth Theatre underlines our mission to create innovative arts experience for the local community.’

Cast list:
Tosca – Anna Sideris
Scarpia – Brendan Collins
Cavaradossi – Anthony Flaum
Spoletta – Jonathan Cooke
Angelotti – Harry Gentry

Director, Script and Translation – Christopher Cowell
Designer – Viva Halton Wright
Stage management – Jane Richardson
Lighting designer – James Dean, Jon Richardson
Composer – Frank Moon

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