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28 Dicembre 2021 PRIMO CONCORSO PER LIBRETTISTI "ARRIGO BOITO" 

Gli ultimi due anni sono stati molto difficili per tutte le istituzioni culturali, ovunque nel mondo. Per questo motivo, noi di T-Art, dopo oltre un decennio di lavoro nel Regno Unito, abbiamo deciso di ritornare in Italia, in provincia di Trento, per la precisione. 
In questo periodo abbiamo stabilito nuove collaborazioni e trovato nuovi amici, oltre ad un inaspettato supporto alla nostra idea di portare il genere dell'opera fringe anche in Italia. 
In partnership con il Festival Innamorarsi della Musica e Levico Creativa, abbiamo in programma la produzione di Così fan tutte - Il Remake, Capitolo I: La Scommessa durante la stagione 2022 del Festival. 
Stiamo quindi cercando un'autrice / autore che crei per noi un nuovo libretto in Italiano. Siamo onorati di aver ricevuto dall'omonimo Comitato Nazionale la possibilità di intitolare il concorso ad Arrigo Boito, senza dubbio uno dei più grandi librettisti di tutti i tempi. 
In una prima fase del concorso, la giuria, composta da professionisti provenienti da importanti istituzioni musicali italiane, selezionerà quattro candidati che vinceranno una borsa di studio per partecipare ad un workshop di scrittura per l'opera con il regista e librettista di fama internazionale Fabio Ceresa. Tra questi, saranno poi nominati uno o due vincitori che otterranno la commissione del libretto per il Remake. 
Per tutti i dettagli, consultate il bando scaricabile al link sottostante. 
Termine ultimo per la presentazione delle domande è il 10 Febbraio 2022. 
Il concorso è amministrato dall'Associazione Culturale Levico Creativa. 

28 December 2021 FIRST LIBRETTISTS COMPETITION "ARRIGO BOITO" 

The past two years have been very hard on cultural organisations all around the world. T-Art's managing team have made the difficult decision to leave the UK and move back to their native country, Italy. We have now established our headquarters in Trento, near the Dolomites. 
In the past few months we have worked hard to make new connections and new friends, and have found incredible support and ecouragement to bring fringe opera here. 
In partnership with Festival Innamorarsi della Musica and Levico Creativa, we are planning to stage Così fan tutte - The Remake, Chapter I: The Bet in the 2022 season of the Festival. 
We are therefore on the lookout for a writer who can create a new libretto for us in Italian. We are honoured to have been granted permission from the homonimous National Committee, to dedicate the competition to one of the greatest librettists of all times, Arrigo Boito. 
The competition will see a panel of professionals from the most renowned Italian opera houses and orchestras shortlist four candidates who will take part in an intensive R&D workshop and masterclass with international stage director and librettist Fabio Ceresa. At the end of the immersive weekend, we will appoint one or two winners who will be commissioned the new libretto for the Remake. 
For full details and to apply see below (in Italian, since applicants will have to demonstrate proficency in the Italian language). Deadline for applications is 10 February 2022. 
T-Art Productions e il Festival Innamorarsi della Musica, in collaborazione con l’Associazione Culturale Levico Creativa, indicono il primo concorso per librettisti “Arrigo Boito”, riservato ad autori di lingua italiana, di ogni nazionalità e senza limiti di età, che vogliano cimentarsi nell’opera e nel teatro musicale. 
 
Il 1˚ Concorso-Residenza per librettisti “Arrigo Boito” è un progetto di formazione artistica che si propone di supportare la creazione di una nuova generazione di autori a cui offrire opportunità professionali sia all’interno del Festival Innamorarsi della Musica che attraverso collaborazioni con altre istituzioni volte alla promozione di opera contemporanea e fringe. Il concorso è volto ad individuare quattro candidati che parteciperanno ad un laboratorio formativo per librettisti, tra i quali saranno selezionati uno o due vincitori per la commissione del libretto di Così fan tutte – Il Remake, Capitolo I, secondo le procedure indicate dal regolamento scaricabile dal link sottostante. 

20 November 2019 THE TERRIBLE STORY OF LITTLE SHE 

We are very excited to announce that we are now working as sub-agents of Stockholm's Columbine Publishing for the UK promotion of children's opera The terrible story of Little She
 
We met composer Magnus Båge and librettist Lena Ollmark at the Classical:NEXT conference in Rotterdam, and we have liaised ever since to make this happen. Little She is an awful and horrific little tale; but it is also exciting and fun. And it all ends quite happily. At least for some... 
Most importantly, this piece wants to open a conversation about bullyism. A recent survey revealed that nearly 3 in 10 (29%) secondary school teachers in England said bullying occured at least weekly among students. 
 
We would like to do our part to help young children overcome their fears and the anxiety bullying can cause. Magnus Båge's Little She is a short horror opera that aims to do just that.  
 
If you know of anyone (schools, theatres, etc) who might be interested in producing it, please put them in touch with us

 14 May 2019 COSI FAN TUTTE – THE REMAKE 

Back in April, we had an intensive and immersive 4-day R&D workshop for our Remake of Cosi fan tutte, where we explored the new score and libretto with our creative team and a fantastic pool of performers. 
 
You can get the flavour of the project in this promo video, which we have filmed during the final session of the workshops. The level of progress we have been able to achieve in such a short amount of time is amazing and we hope you’ll enjoy the snippets, while we look forward to telling you more about the next steps. 
 
 

04 January 2019 MORE AUDITIONS FOR THE REMAKE IN BIRMINGHAM! 

 
We are glad to announce another round of auditions/workshops for Cosi fan tutte – The Remake. If you fancy taking on a new challenge, this might be just the right project! The auditions will be held in Birmingham, in the Five Ways area, in the week of 21 January. Please be aware that these are not “normal” auditions, but vocal workshops with the composer, Luca Tieppo, where you will be working on the new score, for both solos and ensemble pieces. 
 
Before applying, please read details of the production here – this is by no means a traditional Cosi fan tutte ! The story and the libretto are being re-written to make the opera relevant to a modern audience and the original score is also being re-composed with jazz and pop influences and harmonies. The Remake invites the conversation about human relationships and sexual identities; it neither glorifies or vilifies one or another party but instead focuses on the concept of consent and communication within love. Without spoiling the finale, in this production the girls will make a play with the boys swapping roles (and music!) with them. 
 
If you would like to be a part of this fun and inclusive show, drop our producer, Tamara an email with your CV and a link to some singing of yours, and let us know what available dates you could offer in the w/c 21 January. Tamara will be in touch to send you full details of the audition/workshops and the score. Application deadline 16 January 2019. 
 
We aim to find potentially 2 casts to take part in the second phase of development, in early March 2019. This phase will consist of a 5-day workshop period (paid) with the whole creative team, that is the composer/MD and the two librettists/co-directors. During these workshops, the performers will have the opportunity to work on an extended section of Act 1. The final session will consist of an open workshop where we will invite promoters, producers, funders, etc. Full production is being planned for the Autumn 2019 in the Midlands. 

Audition workshops in Birmingham for Cosi The Remake 

21 October, 2018 
 
We are very excited to announce audition-workshops for our new project, Così Fan Tutte – The Remake. The workshops will be held in central Birmingham on 19th, 20th, 21st November (morning and afternoon slots; some travel expenses paid). From these sessions, selected performers will be asked to attend a second stage of development in early February 2019 (paid) with a final workshop open to the public and potential promoters. A run of the show is currently being planned for autumn 2019 in the Midlands. At the forefront of this new production is BAME casting and inclusion of performers from diverse artistic and cultural backgrounds. 
 
See below a brief abstract of the story and characters breakdown. Please note that those are ideal casting suggestions but at this stage of development we would like to hear from as many performers as possible, from all musical backgrounds (jazz, musical theatre, opera, etc.) as long as confident music readers, to workshop extracts from the work-in-progress score with the creative team. We would consider adapting the score and/or the libretto for the right candidates. 
 
So if you would like to be involved, please drop Tamara a line with your CV, a link to some of your singing and specify what role you would like to audition for. 
 
Any questions get in touch! Deadline for applications is 10th November. 
 
THE STORY 
 
Young barristers, Will and Fida are the luckiest men in the world. They have great career prospects and more than anything devoted girlfriends, Bella and Lily, both in the final year of English Literature degrees. They have it all. But jaded and bitter divorce lawyer, Alfonso, and anti-establishment university lecturer, Regina (Despina) – who share an open sexual relationship – hatch a plan to disrupt and upend the youngsters’ notions of love and fidelity. 
 
CHARACTERS 
 
Alfonso – A jaded and bitter divorce lawyer in his mid-fifties. Alfonso is Italian-British and is one of the most sought after divorce lawyers in Temple. He is successful, ruthless, and approaches his personal and professional life with rigour. 
 
William – A young arrogant man in his mid-twenties that comes from wealth and a long line of successful men. William graduated in the top of his class with an MA from Cambridge University. William “Will” comes from a conservative West London family that has traditional values, though on more than one occasion Will pushes the boundaries as sometimes he feels hemmed in by his class, upbringing, and social status. 
 
Fida – A young and deeply proud Pakistani man in his mid-twenties. Fida is the crown jewel of his deeply religious and conservative Islamic family. His success in attending Cambridge, becoming a barrister, and now the fact that he has met and plans to wed Lily is held in the highest of regards. Fida is very resistant to change and is seriously troubled by the statements of Alfonso. 
 
Bella – A North London Afro-British woman in her early twenties. Bella is from Crouch End, her parents vote Labour and David Lammy is a household hero. Her parents is a self-made and part of the Windrush generation. Bella assumes traditional ideas of fidelity but would 
eschew them publicly. 
 
Lily – A Malay-Chinese Muslim girl with all the tropes of an Asian upbringing. Lily has been encouraged into learning violin, pursuing 
academia, and finding a husband. Lily’s escape has been English Literature. She is sexually meek, prudish, and mild-mannered. Lily’s understanding of love comes from her books and as such she is sexually repressed. 
 
Regina/Despina – An energetic, impassioned, and compellingly beautiful woman in her early seventies who has held tenure at the university for a long time. Regina is anti-establishment despite working for King’s College and displays this by staging guerrilla feminist activist events, chairing meetings and talks on sexual liberation and rights for women. She has cast off her own name which is linked to ideas of monarchy, patriarchy, and wealth, instead assuming Despina, the feminine of despotism. 

Hinckley OFF – Opera Fringe Festival 

6 May, 2016 
 
T-ArT 2016 grand re-opening will be in style! 
 
We’ve recently relocated lives and jobs to the Midlands, and just couldn’t miss the opportunity to bring opera and new music (read ‘opera fringe’) with us. After a few months of networking, friendship making and – above all – thinking, we are now very proud to announce the launch of Hinckley OFF – Opera Fringe Festival. On Friday 1 and Saturday 2 July, in partnership with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, we stage the first edition of what we hope will soon become a regular seasonal happening. 
 
OFF will be the first festival of its kind, a fringe event exclusively dedicated to opera, a platform where composers, librettists, directors and creative artists will be able to showcase the best that the genre has to offer. We’ll show you works with a strong sense of theatricality, that speak to their contemporaries and sit outside our preconceived definitions: to be accessible, a work needs to break boundaries. 
 
More info will be available soon, but the programme of this year edition of Hinckley OFF will be as follows: 
 
Friday 1 July | 6.30pm | Hinckley College Theatre | Lower Bond Street | LE10 1QU 
Secret Opera presents Bizet’s CARMEN (adult themed – all male cast) 
 
Saturday 2 July | 11am to 1pm | Café Español | Atkins Building | Lower Bond Street | LE10 1QU 
 
Film, Talk & New Opera 
Everyday Arias presents Film Shorts & Opera 
 
Introduction to Hinckley OFF & Breakfast 
T-ArT Productions presents Lady Shakespeare – extracts from a new opera by Luca Tieppo with libretto by Becca Marriott 
 
DON’T MISS IT!! 

Agency launching soon 

12 January, 2015 
 
Happy New Year! We’ve been absent for some time thinking about and working on new projects, one of which is T-ArT Agency. 
 
Building on our network of personal contacts in the classical music industry in Europe and beyond, we want to be the link between performers and composers, between artists and companies.The Agency service will be launched soon, and will be dedicated to singers, conductors and directors specialising in contemporary music and seeking representation. If you’re one of them, please do get in touch with your biography and links to your work. 
 
We look forward to hearing from you! 

Suggestions of Love on Indiegogo 

6 December, 2013 
 
Become a co-producer of Suggestions of Love for as little as £5! 
 
We have LOVELY perks to thank you for your support, from a singing lesson to a private chef for two. Or why not try Sausfest’s handmade Wild Venison sausages, made exclusively for us and for you? 
 
Help us produce four more shows of this magical piece of theatre at Barons Court, London, from 18th to 21st December. You won’t regret it! 

4 STARS for Suggestions of Love 

23 September, 2013 
 
«A powerful production filled with emotions, music and magic. […] 
 
The character Mr Wyrd – the main protagonist played by director Iskandar R. Sharazuddin – introduces the first of the two realities the play is built around. The first is the magical setting where Mr Wyrd controls and plays with human destinies and encounters. The second is the human world, in which He (played by Nir Kitaro) and She (Claudia Jones) exist. These two realities look into each other and are intimately intertwined. By means of witching boxes and occult mechanisms, Mr Wyrd bends chance to produce the beginning of a love story between He and She. 
 
There’s something very magical about the way the two scenarios are presented. The human world, which is the one we should be able to better relate to, is in fact the more abstract reality. It is only through musical numbers that he and she express their emotions, their fears of being alone and the necessity to connect with another human being. There are no names and no dialogue, only music and feeling. This is a stark contrast with Mr Wyrd’s world, in which ‘scientific’ conversations happen. The audience connects more easily to this magical world, and it is in the human world where our instincts take over. In music lies the most basic of human emotions and it is (very intelligently) the chosen way for He and She to transmit their feelings. In essence, the human world is now ethereal, backed up with blue lighting, white costumes and slow elegant dancing. […] 
 
Overall a wonderful experience.» 
 
Read the full review from Everything Theatre directly from their website. 

Brave new world for Opera 

August 13, 2013 
 
As a hardened opera fan I cannot deny enjoying the standard top ten repertoire. Despite being immersed in the art form since birth, I still love a good cry at an ill fated hero or heroine even if I know they had it coming. Additionally I like hearing those good old arias being blasted out at full pelt. 
 
However I would like to make a point that although these masterpieces deserve admiration, we need to start embracing new works. Although there are great efforts made to update old shows, there is no harm in experimenting with new musical and theoretical ideas that resonate with the now. Arguably if we never commission new music that reach to bigger audiences, opera will become a mausoleum. 
 
Brave new world or poorer new world the fringe production is a great place to see exciting and unique creations. Fringe theatre since the 16th century was a popular amongst people from all classes. During this time fringe usually meant free meaning that the playwrights were not under royal commission. This certainly gave them wider scope to explore subjects that may have otherwise been censored. While now we are not operating under such strict guidelines, the fringe production does remain dedicated to bring original works to a more diverse audience. 
 
Whilst this has been a tradition in theatre, opera until recently has remained a somewhat fringeless within the UK. Despite the popularity of the “beggars opera” in 18th century London, only within the past decade we have seen a real demand for fresh new takes on opera culture. 
 
T-ArT Productions are passionate about devising and developing new works that will regenerate opera and stop it from becoming antiquated. Don’t stop loving the classics but broaden your horizons and see something different. 
 
Francesca Levi 

Suggestions of Love Without Décor 

We are very proud to finally land at the King’s Head Theatre with Suggestions of Love as part of their Without Décor programme. 
 
Three shows on Saturdays at 3pm on August 31st, September 7th and 14th. A cast and production team coming from all over the world, including New Zealand, Bahrain, Italy, Persia, Britain and Israel. Iskandar Sharazuddin‘s direction is inspired and magic, Claudia Jones‘s and Nir Kitaro‘s voices blend perfectly to represent the universal characters of two persons in love, and Jeremy (Jez) Hancock‘s Mr Wyrd is extravagant and engaging as it should be. 

Iskandar R. Sharazuddin, director of ‘Suggestions of Love’ 

18 July, 2013 
 
Our hunt for a director for the forthcoming production of Suggestions of Love at the King’s Head (and for the autumn performances in a venue we can’t disclose yet, and hopefully for many more to come after those!) has received an incredible response and produced interesting links and collaborations with an amazing bunch of creatives. 
 
But first and foremost it brought to us the young and talented Iskandar Sharazuddin, a writer, director and actor who trained at the Film & Television Institute of Western Australia, and is the current Artistic Director of Ellandar Productions, an independent cross-platform production house based in Perth, Western Australia and London. 
 
Since 2010 Iskandar has curated the artistic programme of Ellandar Productions and delivered three critically acclaimed seasons. Most recently he was present at the Fringe World Festival 2013 where the original show “Pity” from Ellandar Productions was awarded second runner-up for Best New Work. In 2012 Iskandar was a member of the original cast of the DreamWorks Theatricals production “How To Train Your Dragon: Live Spectacular” for which he was appointed Dance Captain and Show Swing for the North American leg of the tour. Previous credits with Ellandar Productions include writing and directing the original cabaret musical “A Night of Deceit” in 2010 and being invited to revive the work at the 2012 Fringe World Festival as part of the hub programming and writing and directing “A Gigantic Fuck You To You All” at the award winning comedy venue Lazy Susan’s Den. This year Iskandar is under commission to PhillipsMcIntosh Inc. to write the book for a new musical in 2014, is currently working as the international producer on “Dark Stars” being presented at the United Solo Festival in New York and is writing new material for international choreographer Para Isidro in their second collaboration since 2010’s “Valentine In November” Off-Broadway. 

Male singer needed for ‘Suggestions of Love’ 

1 July, 2013 
 
Suggestions of Love is going to the King’s Head Theatre in September within Without Décor. 
 
We need a tenor to join us in the leading role of He for the first two performances, on August 31st and September 7th. The ideal candidate will be an excellent musician, happy to use and combine different vocal techniques to fully express the score, with a playing age 27-35. 
 
If you think you have what it takes to be part of our show, please email tamara@t.artproductions.co.uk your CV, photo and a web link to an audio recording of yours. Rehearsals and performances will be in London. This is a paid position (flat fee per performance + profit share). 

Director needed for ‘Suggestions of Love’ 

21 June, 2013 
 
DIRECTOR required for London performances in September 2013 
 
T·-ArT is looking for a director to join our production of Luca Tieppo’s Suggestions of Love
 
Two weeks rehearsals (one in late July / early August, one from August 26th) and in between performances as necessary. Performances at the King’s Head Theatre on August 31st, September 7th and 14th at 3pm. 
 
Synopsis 
 
Storytelling fuses with contemporary music in this new work by Luca Tieppo (music) and Riccardo Bentsik (texts) for female singer (She), male singer (He), spoken word (Mr Wyrd) and piano (ca 75′). 
 
She and a He, and Mr Wyrd, a sort of fate that seems to hesitate between freedom and accident. Wyrd is introduced while tending to complex mechanisms and music boxes, which represent life’s continuous routine that can only be broken by an unexpected element: he combines such elements. At the beginning, She and He are alone but Mr Wyrd’s fanciful and bizarre mechanisms allow them to meet. The first brief encounter leaves behind itself a phase of reflection: She and He sing their dreams but also their fears for the price that Love would ask them to pay. In the second half, Wyrd decides to give a little boost for a new and more promising meeting opportunity. All the rest is a matter of course: from the sweetness of courtship and consolation to the explicit abandon of the lovers’ bodies. 
 
Job description 
 
The ideal candidate will be a story-teller, will enjoy working as part of a team, and will have the vision to bring a new work on stage. Experience in musical theatre and/or working with singers is essential. Training / Experience in physical theatre desirable. This is a paid position: £100 + profit share. 
 
To register your interest, please email CV and covering letter to Tamara Tempera: tamara@t.artproductions.co.uk by 5pm July 1st. 
 
Interviews will be held in Dulwich (SE London) shortly after the deadline. 

Uphill – watch the trailer! 

June 1, 2013 
 
Watch the trailer of our current dance project, Uphill, choreographed by Jessica Edgley on music by Luca Tieppo. The video was filmed on May 19th at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London during a workshop of three of the five pieces forming the whole show: Not to see or to see, Struggle to be, Cog no more. 
 
Extracts of Uphill will be performed in the Linden Studio, Royal Ballet Covent Garden, as part of the International Dance Teacher Conference this coming August. 

The Startup Showcase 

15 March, 2013 
 
We are very excited to be part of this year’s Startup Showcase at Somerset House next weekend Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th of March. 
 
The Startup Showcase is a two-day creative festival celebrating the best and brightest of London’s new creative startup scene. The event features a truly unique pop-up marketplace with over 100 creative businesses showcasing the hottest new products and services of 2013, including T-Art! Drop by to meet us and discuss your musical projects with us. Tickets are on sale on School for Creative Startups website. 
 
During a private VIP preview on the evening of Thursday 21st, we will be honoured to present our guests highlights from Suggestions of Love, with Amy J Payne as She, Philip Lee as He and George Collie as Mr Wyrd. 
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