Watching - an opera about sleeplessness
Dee Isaacs – music
Katherine Craik - libretto
An opera about sleeplessness for large mixed ensemble and children’s chorus in the garden and glasshouses of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. 90 mins, with writer Katharine Craik.
Watching – an opera about Sleep – brought together musicians, actors, a director, choreographer and designers to produce an immersive and rich artistic experience for children in primary 7 and provide an opportunity for them to take part in a large scale professional theatrical production. Watching was supported by a Small Arts Award from the Welcome Trust, and received further funding from the Development Trust of the University of Edinburgh and a generous charitable donor.
“The Watching project was one of a kind. A thrilling exploration of sleep science through music, theatre and history, Watching demonstrated the real impact that art can have on public health. The creative team were uniquely equipped to generate fresh interest in the vital yet forgotten question of sleep’s crucial role in our lives. It was a pleasure to watch the project coming to fruition in schools, and at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens, in 2015.”
Russell Foster
Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and Head of Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford
“I have been reminded why I came into teaching – to help children by meeting their needs and supporting them and make a difference in their lives. The success of the project has inspired us all”
Class Teacher
“Great Spectacle! Great Achievement! Lots of good things to talk about, but more than anything I was struck by the commitment and sense of involvement on the faces of in all the participants, both the children and the musicians.”
Funder for MITC
“Watching has been a very big thing for me. It has helped me develop my confidence and has been a great experience for me. It has changed my life in an amazing way. My parents were so proud of me. I feel really sad that it is over”
“Standing on a balcony, high above the crowd inside a glasshouse, two soloists are singing. Down below, a two-year-old boy sits transfixed, unable to take his eyes off them. Their pure voices, backed by a harpist and choir on the ground, are like a siren song compelling us to listen, but for all the right reasons.
It is moments like this, that prove the importance and impact of work of this nature. Projects rooted in the community, supported by talented artists who introduce young audiences to hitherto unknown pleasures.
A collaboration between the University of Edinburgh’s Music in the Community course, the Royal Botanic Garden and pupils from Leith Walk Primary School, Watching gets so many things right.The location is sublime. Walking around the Garden after dark, happening upon one visual and aural feast after another is truly magical. Whether it’s a group of primary sevens dressed as nocturnal animals, students singing and playing over ten different instruments, or the beautifully lit glasshouses, the design elements have all been cleverly thought through. So too the music, which is both accessible and engaging.”
Family Opera Watching,
Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
Scotsman Review 21 March, 2015