Reaching for the stars in Stratford with a space odyssey

Apr 16 2010 By Christopher Morley

Children from all walks of life are breaking barriers with a collaborative community opera, writes Christopher Morley.

Stratford-upon-Avon’s Civic Hall will be transformed into outer space next week when a new community opera based on the story of Homer’s Odyssey is premiered there.

Space Odyssey – an Intergalactic Opera is the brainchild of David Curtis, conductor and artistic director of the Stratford-based Orchestra of the Swan which has been working for several years on various projects at Welcombe Hills School in the town, a rare specialist arts college for children with special needs.

He had the idea of integrating the work of these five to 19-year-olds into a collaboration with mainstream schools, involving children, teachers, carers and parents, and thus the idea of this operatic project was born.

“No matter what their level of ability, everyone will be able to participate at an appropriate level, and the aim is to increase self-esteem and encourage social interaction,” he says. “I hope this will create a legacy where musical skills and confidence will be ongoing at the school.”

David approached the Talking Birds theatre company, based in Coventry, with his Odyssey idea, and Nick Walker, writer with the company, was enthusiastic.

“How about doing it in space?” was his response. “Homer was the father of the epic, but he’s not too good at jokes. I’m hoping he’d have enjoyed the lighter touch we’re bringing to this story.”

So Ulysses is a space-ship commander victorious in an intergalactic war, desperately trying to navigate home to his wife Penelope in time for tea and to avoid the blandishments of Planet Siren and the threats of the space beast Scyllar. Walker’s text is witty, allusive, and appeals both to the children and to knowing adults.

And Derek Nisbet’s score is catchy and clear. When I attended a rehearsal at Welcombe Hills (in the school hall, with lunch quietly being served from the cafeteria at the back of the room, the dinner-ladies enthralled), I left afterwards with two memorable earworms slugging it out in my head.

The mainstream schools involved are Thomas Jolyffe and Wilmcote primary schools, and the results of the interaction have been heartening.

“It’s lovely the way the children have integrated,” says flautist and workshop leader Diane Clarke.

“It’s been a great leveller. It doesn’t matter if they’re going to get five straight As at A-level, or whether they have Down’s Syndrome”.

Simon Chalk, principal second violinist in the Orchestra of the Swan, also a workshop leader (and, incidentally, music director for the likes of Chris de Burgh and Il Divo), chips in, referring to the regrettable discomfort mainstream children feel when faced with those with special needs.

“We had a rehearsal and afterwards some of the kids came up and said ‘we made two new friends today’ – when often people just ignore each other in the street. And you don’t have to compromise standards here.”

David Curtis grins with enthusiasm over the way things have gone with this project. “We’ve all learned so much, and this is certainly not a children’s am-dram production.