A TRIP TO THE MOON

30 July – 31 July 2024

Georges Méliès’ seminal 1902 silent film is the inspiration for this year’s Community Opera. Garsington Opera is proud to open our stage to the inter-generational voices of our communities, working shoulder-to-shoulder with professional singers and creative teams.

Do you speak Moonish? Neither do the astronomers who have managed to crash-land their rocket on the moon in this fantastical opera for all ages by Andrew Norman. Linguistic barriers must be broken down so that Earth people can communicate with Moon people, who have their own lyrical lunar language. The Moon woman Eoa is fascinated by the Earth that she can only see from a distance, but she and her people are facing an unknown force that endangers their children. Eventually they all learn to rise above their mutual mistrust and come together to overcome the mysterious threat.

Douglas Boyd conducts and Creative Director of Learning & Participation, Karen Gillingham, directs this whirling, family-friendly space opera. The cast are comprised of Garsington Opera’s Youth and Adult companies, children from two local primary schools, and world-class professionals.

Sung in English and Moonish with supertitles