About
Streetwise Opera performers have been collaborating with leading composers and directors to reinterpret two iconic operas: Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
Together, they will create bold pieces of music inspired by these works. The performances, supported by the orchestras of English Touring Opera and Opera North, will sit alongside major productions in Nottingham, Manchester and London in spring 2026.
At its heart, the project invites audiences to experience opera through a new lens, seeing familiar stories that have been reimagined to respond to society’s ever-changing landscape.
For more than two decades, Streetwise Opera has opened the doors of the opera world to people with lived experience of homelessness, creating space for them to find inspiration, regain confidence and make long lasting connections.
With Reimagining the Classics, that relationship evolves. Streetwise participants now step into a position of influence, shaping the stories, challenging old narratives and leaving their mark on these operas.
In doing so, they bring powerful perspectives to an art form that has too often overlooked them.
Nottingham
The weekly Streetwise Opera group led by Tim Lole at Nottingham Playhouse is collaborating with composer Alex Ho and director Rosie Kat to reimagine The Marriage of Figaro.
Composer Tim Lole worked with clients of The Friary, a drop-in service for people experiencing homelessness, to co-create a special addition to the performance.
Audiences can witness this never before seen production on 7 March 2026 at the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, where it will be presented as part of a day of events that also features Opera North’s production of The Marriage of Figaro.
Manchester
The weekly group led by Jonathan Ainscough at Aviva Studios is working with composer Ellen Sargen and director Katherine Wilde to create music inspired by The Marriage of Figaro.
Composer Nicolas Lewis collaborated with clients of Cornerstone, a homelessness support centre run by Caritas in Salford, to co-create a special addition to the performance that encapsulates the true meaning of the play, while adapting it to modern theology.
The result will be shared at The Lowry on 14 March 2026, as part of a full day of events that includes Opera North’s production of The Marriage of Figaro.
London
The group led by Aga Serugo-Lugo at The Old Vic is creating music with composer Francesca Le Lohé and director Anna Morrissey, inspired by English Touring Opera’s production of Pagliacci.
Composer Electra Perivolaris worked with clients of The Connection at St Martin’s, a day support centre in central London, to co-create a special addition to the performance.
The work will premiere on 10 April 2026 at Hackney Empire, alongside ETO’s Pagliacci.