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Postcards from Dumbworld

A Junk Opera inspired by hearsay, gossip and the mysterious territory where metaphor can become reality, the piece presented a number of interconnected stories and was performed by a band of 12, 9 singers and a community choir of 30.

Set in a world where bingo, bubbles and giant rabbits conspire to create unmeasurable happiness the opera follows the lives and struggles of several interconnected individuals: Shirley, a bingo caller distributing toasters nightly and seeking solutions in the random arithmetic of bingo numbers, Morris who tries to fnd purpose and hope in the making of endless ‘to do’ lists, Monika and Shane struggle to come to terms with love, marriage and fat-pack furniture – all the while being seduced by a secret monster.

Nominated for Best Opera – Irish Times Theatre Awards 2011

Premiered at the 2010 Belfast Festival at the Grand Opera House Belfast.

Writer/Director: John McIlduff

Composer: Brian Irvine

Designer: Diego Pitarch

A Dumbworld Production.

Commissioned by Wexford Festival Opera and Opera Fringe and funded by the The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Art’s Council of Northern Ireland.