Follow the journey of a young person living in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Italy and the UK – from Dawn to Dusk. Through film and new technology, young people will co-create a hybrid live/digital youth opera, telling their stories through their eyes.

Dawn to Dusk supports intercultural dialogue using new digital technology. More than 200 young people aged 9-18 connect via shared virtual space, exchanging ideas, developing new skills, performing and learning from each other. A new youth opera will be written accompanied by a digital 'Opera Pack' to enable each partner organisation to perform their own live version in their setting. A film will be made editing footage that all of the young people have captured that will feature as a video design within each realisation of the opera. Once all of these performances have happened, a touring digital installation piece taking footage from each interpretation creates a legacy for the project.

Why it matters

Young people have a desire for global connection, inclusivity and a sense of belonging. Digital technology establishes creative relationships between young people from different cultures who cannot be together. In the past, opening up channels of communication leading to positive change has taken generations. Now we can achieve dynamic interaction through this innovative work in a digital instant.

The project provides a platform for participants to record and share their hope for the future – and for some, hope is the only thing that sustains them from one day to the next. Within their films we will see contrasting experiences mirrored; we will also recognise the similarities. Our goal is to maintain an open, creative dialogue, so people will understand what unites them.

Creative team

Composer: Richard Taylor
Librettist: lisa luxx*
Designer: Ruth Paton
Director: Karen Gillingham

Dawn to Dusk will show that music is a universal language that connects all of us as human beings.

A series of workshops will engage and connect young people in the UK, Italy, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon to co-create a hybrid live/digital youth opera and touring installation piece that uses film and new technology to tell their stories through their eyes, so their voices can be heard throughout the world.

Working collaboratively with the Amwaj Choir, Hebron, Palestine; Al Farah Choir, Damascus, Syria; Alsama Project, Lebanon in partnership with Mascarade Opera; Italian Dawn to Dusk Partnership, Italy and Learning@TheGrange, Hampshire, UK, we will use innovative digital technology to enable participants to be involved in all aspects of creating an opera – devising, writing, composing, singing, acting, dancing and performing – no matter where they are.

After the devising process a digital ‘Dawn to Dusk Opera Kit’ will provide a toolkit for each group to create their interpretation of the work in a way that is unique to their setting and personal experiences.

The creation of a digital installation piece will create a legacy for the project and inspire audiences around the globe.