Abomination: A DUP Opera
From The Belfast Ensemble. A high-impact fusion of opera, drag, cabaret, and political satire with a shockingly theatrical style
Fusing opera with drag, cabaret and political satire, this award-winning opera is a treat for regular opera-goers, but also for people who’ve never experienced an opera before.
Abomination: A DUP Opera centres on the scandalous live radio interview given by Northern Irish politician, Iris Robinson, when she referred to homosexuality as an ‘abomination’, instantly reigniting the equality debate.
With a high-impact, multi-disciplinary style, the Belfast Ensemble has taken this moment in queer Irish history and wrapped it within a web of incendiary historical comments by DUP members on the subject of gay rights and marriage equality. With shockingly theatrical effect they challenge the power of words in the hand of the powerful.
Contemporary, political, comic and emotionally complex, this riotous and revolutionary performance redefines what a 21st-century opera can say, and why...
Conducted by acclaimed composer Conor Mitchell, the cast includes the internationally renowned soprano, Rebecca Caine, and the orchestral forces of The Belfast Ensemble.
'A richly entertaining and significant work'The Guardian
'An outstanding new work'Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian
Originally produced by The Belfast Ensemble and Outburst Arts for Outburst Queer Arts Festival 2019, with support from The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and British Council. Supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and Culture Ireland.