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INTERVI EW LONGBOROUGH F E S T IVAL OPERA


“ 48


I’VE BEEN TALKING TO THE MUSICAL DIRECTORS ABOUT HOW TO OVERCOME CERTAIN CHALLENGES AND WE HAVE


CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR ALL ASPECTS. WE ARE LUCKY WE HAVE A VERY EXPERIENCED TEAM OF CREATIVES HERE AND WE ARE CONFIDENT WE CAN MAKE IT WORK.


It’s not just the physical theatre and seating capacity which has had be adjusted but also the way the performers behave on set – no touching or close physical contact – and that has created an- other set of challenges.


Polly is no stranger to an artistic challenge though. As well as being brought up with the festival on her own doorstep, she also trained at RADA. She currently works as a freelance director and includes work with the Welsh National Opera and the Vienna State Opera among her repertoire.


The Big Top will have seating capacity for 200 people, all socially distanced, and Polly is hopeful the shows in both that and the theatre will all be able to run.


“This season is more labour intensive than anything the industry has ever faced before as you need to have a plan a, b, c and d. It is hugely difficult and time consuming but it’s also really exciting.”


The festival works with seasoned performers and technical staff and she is confident they can meet any acoustic difficulties the new venue might present head-on.


And this year it is set to be bigger than ever with a brand new, additional stage.


Polly explained: “We have decided to have two venues this year. With the ongoing uncertainty around Covid-19 we are wanting to keep our audiences as safe as possible.


“From feeling we didn’t want to cancel again this year, we wanted to come back with a bang, with something exciting and interesting.”


With this in mind, most of the programme this year will be presented inside a spectacular circus-style Big Top, which is being placed over a brand new, purpose-built amphitheatre. Exciting indeed.


“The current difficulties have forced any artistic director to have to think outside of the box a bit,” Polly said. “My idea for this Big Top actually goes back to pre-Covid times as I love theatre in the round and this will allow us to achieve that. It’s a completely different experience for the audience and destabilises the action but in a good way.”


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“I’ve been talking to the musical directors about how to overcome certain challenges and we have contingency plans for all aspects. We are lucky we have a very experienced team of creatives here and we are confident we can make it work.”





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