After years of upheaval, English National Opera is staging its first new opera in its northern base: the Pulitzer-winning Angel\u2019s Bone, about two angels brutally exploited by human traffickers. We talk to its creators<\/p>\n
I\u2019m peering into a vast hangar teeming with tech crew wearing hi-vis and hard hats. Enormous lighting rigs hang low to the ground. Somewhere out of sight is the biggest lift in Europe, allowing articulated lorries to drive straight in. This is the Warehouse in Manchester\u2019s Aviva Studios.<\/a> Since opening in 2023, this arts venue run by Factory International has presented gigs by major pop acts, the largest ever show by cult Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama<\/a> and a \u201csprawling four-hour odyssey through often naked rituals\u201d<\/a> by performance artist Marina Abramovi\u0107. Now, for the first time, it\u2019s hosting opera.<\/p>\n More precisely, it\u2019s about to host English National Opera\u2019s first production created in and for Manchester: the UK premiere of Angel\u2019s Bone<\/a> by Chinese-American composer Du Yun<\/a> and Canadian librettist Royce Vavrek<\/a>, staged by acclaimed Australian director Kip Williams<\/a>. The opera won the 2017 Pulitzer prize<\/a>, commended as a \u201charrowing allegory for human trafficking in the modern world\u201d following its 2016 world premiere in the US.<\/p>\n
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