Watching linked videos is only available to logged-in DONORS
Become a donor for as little as 10 Swiss Francs (~ 12$) for website lifetime
and get AD-FREE too.
DONATE HERE
FULL THE WATER PALACE (Stephen Shulman) London 2015 Paula Sides, Benedict Nelson, Elizabeth Cragg, Joanna Foote
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: The Water Palace
- Composer: Shulman Stephen
- Libretto: Sam Brown Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: George Bernard Shaw Theatre, RADA, London, UK
- Recorded: July 28 & 29, 2015
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Paula Sides, Benedict Nelson, Elizabeth Cragg, Joanna Foote
- Conductor: Jonathan Gale
- Orchestra:
- Choreographer: Morgann Runacre-‐Temple
- Stage Director: Sam Brown
- Stage Designer: Loren Elstein
- Costume Designer: Bex Kemp
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Tête à Tête
- Date Published: 2025
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
Genesis
I first conceived THE WATER PALACE about eight years ago as a tone poem with narrative interludes, based on a dream-‐like fairy tale by Rabbi Nachmann of Bratslav in which a young girl is murderously pursued by her jealous husband, a king, and finds sanctuary in a mysterious and wondrous place, the Water Palace. Years later, when a dear friend described a haunting dream about being trapped in a mental hospital, it made sense to write an opera combining these two elements. Having cared for relatives who use NHS mental health services, I was keen both to channel some of my experiences and provoke discussion about a subject that is still taboo and tends to be hidden away. In Act 3, I have dramatised voice dialogue work, an exciting new technique whereby a patient can express their distressing voices directly to a third party.
Synopsis
In the opera, after a bruising interview with her doctor, the heroine Marina identifies so strongly with the Water Palace story that she becomes a part of it: it becomes her total reality. One of the other patients, Charlie, becomes her friend and mentor, both in the world ofthe hospital and that of the Water Palace.
The hospital environment in which the patients are expected to jump through hoops before they are considered well enough to leave is also a reflection of modern society, where the pressures to conform are enormous.