Music Theatre Wales (MTW) will bring Street Art Opera to Newport Live Act Fringe Festival this month on Saturday 21st March 7pm – 8pm at The Place, Bridge Street, Newport.
Presented by Newport based community music charity Operasonic, MTW’s Street Art Operas offer audiences a completely fresh way to discover and enjoy opera, free of charge and in a totally accessible and innovative way and in a short 10 minute format.
Bold animation, music, striking street-art will be projected onto the external urban walls of The Place in Newport after dark creating a unique style of storytelling and listened to on silent disco headphones.
Music Theatre Wales aims to breathe new life into opera, presenting it as storytelling in music that relates to the world around us, working with artists who bring new stories to opera, igniting the power and passion of opera for a much wider audience.
Now in its second year, the Newport Live Act Fringe Festival (20-22 March) is produced by Tin Shed Theatre Co. and will be staged across six Newport venues in total aiming to put a spotlight on bold, experimental and work-in-progress performances while celebrating the role independent spaces play in the city’s cultural life.
Michael McCarthy, Artistic Director of Music Theatre Wales said “People have preconceptions about how performances can be seen and heard. At Music Theatre Wales we constantly ask, what is Opera, who is making it and who is it for? We are delighted to be part of Newport Live Act Fringe and bringing these two works to fringe audiences to experience in such a new and exciting way, available for so many to witness and enjoy. Like all Street Art, these pieces tell stories about the time we currently live in, with strong social and personal messages at their core.”
The two works featured are created by unexpected opera makers telling new and relevant stories from a powerful female perspective.
Out of Time is created by Claire Victoria Roberts, Giselle Ty and Lauren Orme with music performed by Sinfonia Cymru.
The piece was Winner of Best Welsh Performance Film at Focus Wales 2025. It is a darkly comic and fantastical tale of a future apocalypse in which nature reclaims its beauty and abundance. Instead of human destruction and depletion, plants and animals rebel against extinction, disrupting everyday life to saturate streets and cities with kaleidoscopic colour. As the natural world thrives, is it too late to apologise to the Earth? From whimsical to psychedelic, an operatic rage ensues.
Rahmat-Mercy-Trugaredd is created by Amelia Unity, Eadyth, Sam Hussain and Jamie TC Panton. Vocals are by Eadyth, Sam Hussain and Richard Parry.
Inspired by Sufism and hip-hop culture, Rahmat-Mercy-Trugaredd reveals how creativity can be harnessed as a spiritual practice, following Sana as she pushes back against cultural and societal restraints to explore her innate creativity and claim her place in the world. In blending henna and graffiti-inspired visuals with powerful, soaring music, this uplifting work celebrates Sana’s journey of empowerment, as the world around her blossoms.
Featured artist in the piece, Sam Hussain, is a Newport based batik and mural artist, singer, songwriter and drummer. She is passionate about improving wellbeing through mindfulness and creativity and increasing representation in the arts. Sam said:
“It’s been such an amazing experience of growth and enlightenment working on this piece and hopefully many will enjoy and benefit from seeing it. It feels emotional to be sharing it with the rest of the community. It feels incredibly meaningful to bring this work to Newport, a city rich in creativity and diverse voices.
I’m excited for the audience to experience the emotion, music and visual storytelling that sits at its heart. I hope it sparks something powerful for women and girls, a reminder that their creativity, stories and cultural heritage are deeply valuable and deserve to be seen, heard and celebrated.”
For more information on Street Art Opera and Music Theatre Wales:
Audience Reaction to Street Art Opera at Focus Wales in Wrexham
For more information and tickets for Newport Live Act Fringe: