The Trouble with Virtue – Tour February 2020

Trouble with Virtue:…Opera Workshop is on tour with their anit-Valentine’s concert of opera and song in February 2020.

The Trouble with Virtue – Tour February 2020

Being good is never easy….

The Opera Workshop Ensemble are revising their popular cast devised show for performances in Limerick, Kerry and Offaly in February 2020.

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The cast of five singers is accompanied on piano for a light-hearted, fast-moving show that draws on popular opera favourites and the world of literature.

Opera Workshop is troubled by Virtue. Or rather, by how to hold on to their virtue. They are rather a chaste lot… sometimes…

They play with and wonder at the battle between virtue and temptation; at the wilful denial of passion and the ultimate fall from grace by so many characters from the world of opera.

Is it one rule for men and another for women? Why is temptation so, well… tempting? Should they uphold Virtue, ignore it, mock it or value it? Is it all it is cracked up to be?

Shakespeare, Wilde, Yeats, they all have something to say on the subject and their words and poetry are laced through this Opera Workshop production with the songs, scenes and arias of Mozart, Bizet and Saint-Saens among others and with contemporary works by Limerick composer Fiona Linnane.

The cast for Trouble with Virtue includes Ruth Kelly, Kevin Neville, Sarah-Ellen Murphy, Eve Stafford, Catriona Walsh with director Shirley Keane.

About Opera Workshop

Opera Workshop is a not for profit CLG based in Limerick. Set up in 2017 by singer and director Shirley Keane, Opera Workshop aims to become the focus for a collective of like-minded artists interested in testing their skills, developing new productions, seeking opportunities to experiment, develop and share innovative ideas in opera performance.

Their first production, The Countess’ Salon, set in the beautiful Georgian drawing-room at No 1 Pery Square Hotel received overwhelmingly positive feedback from audiences and the show quickly sold out on its revival in 2018. 

The company subsequently performed to sell-out houses at The Hunt Museum and Dolan’s Warehouse, surprising and charming audiences with their accessible, fun and high-quality performances. 

Opera Workshop is keen to spread its wings and to develop on previous trips outside of Limerick city having already performed at Friar’s Gate Theatre, Kilmallock and St. John’s Theatre, Listowel in 2018.

Opera Workshop broke new ground with a site-specific production at The Old Sailor’s Home, O’ Curry Street Limerick (2019) showcasing new contemporary operas by Fiona Linnane and Sophie Dupuis.

The company is currently researching and developing a new site-specific production with funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and The Limerick City & County Arts Department. 

No 2 Pery Square is a restored Georgian townhouse run by the Limerick Civic Trust and will be the scene of the company’s new opera, written by Fiona Linnane.

Dates, times & venues for 2020.

Wednesday, February 12 at 8 pm in St John’s Theatre, Listowel, Co Kerry

Friday, February 14 at 8 pm in Friar’s Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, Co Limerick

Saturday, February 15 at 3 pm in The Hunt Museum, Limerick

Sunday, February 16 at 8 pm in Birr Theatre & Arts Centre, Birr, Co Offaly

Tickets €20 available from the venues

Tickets for The Hunt matinee performance – [email protected]

Running time of 80 to 90 minutes, without interval

For information please contact Shirley Keane at [email protected] or 0873395460.

For more information click here.

For more opera stories, click here.