MEETING - Wednesday 18 June 2008 : PAINTING THE STAGE - Designs, props and paintings by great artists
LECTURER: Sarah Lenton
Sarah Lenton will present a wide-ranging lecture giving an entertaining overview of how and why opera, as well as painting and architecture, are the way they are, having cleverly adapted to changes in fashion and politics down the centuries. She illustrates her talk with slides and musical clips from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Sarah read theology at Kings College, London and has spent her working life in the theatre, principally the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the English National Opera . She writes programme articles, presents lectures & study days, takes backstage tours and writes and directs shows for the Linbury theatre at Covent Garden. She also gives the interval talks during live opera broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 - and has another sideline as a cartoonist!
Sarah Lenton has produced a series of opera packs for schools under the auspices of the ENO. These packs provide lively introductions and background information on productions in ENO's repertoire. Designed as an introduction to characters and plot, they are written in an informative but relaxed style for secondary students attending opera with particular reference to the ENO production. See the full range here
She has also produced 4-page cartoon strips for young children to take home after performances by the English Touring Opera which retell the story in a fun, accessible way. See more at Current Education Projects of the English Touring Opera.