An nine-year-old Ipswich boy is to take centre stage at Snape Maltings this month as the English Touring Opera (ETO) brings its season of “Kings and Queens” to Suffolk.
The group is presenting three new productions at the venue throughout April - Rossini’s Elizabeth I, Verdi’s Macbeth and Mozart’s Idomeneo.
Young actor Bruce Stacey, from Ipswich, is set to perform a pivotal role in Macbeth, playing the part of Banquo’s son.
Bruce is no stranger to the stage. He has been acting with drama group The Theatre Emporium since he was just four years old.
He has also just completed his first exam at the London academy of music and dramatic art.
Bruce will join some of the most established names in opera from as far away as Russia, Australia, India, the USA and Armenia, as well as from around the UK, when the opera comes to Snape.
Ahead of his big show, Bruce said: “I feel very proud and excited about performing in Macbeth. “Also I am looking forward to seeing the live orchestra.”
Macbeth is directed by James Dacre, who won critical acclaim with his Globe Theatre production of King John in 2015.
Making his debut for the ETO, Mr Dacre said: “Verdi’s Macbeth has such powerful resonances for today both in its portrayal of a nation on the brink but also in its intimate depictions of the inner psychological turmoil of out leaders.”
The ETO are the most prolific touring opera company in the UK, travelling to around 70 venues each and every year - more than any other English opera company.
The season of Kings and Queens launches with Macbeth on Thursday, April 11, followed by Elizabeth I on Friday, April 12 and Idomeneo on Saturday, April 13.
Each performance will include a pre-show talk an hour before the curtain goes up.
The opera group are also bringing a children’s opera to Suffolk – Hanbury and Groves’ Paradise Planet – a collection of ocean stories aimed at children aged 7-11.
It comes to Snape Maltings on Saturday, April 13 with tickets priced at £6.
For more information and to book tickets for the opera, visit www.snapemaltings.co.uk or call its box office on 01728 687110. For more on the ETO visit www.englishtouring opera.org.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here