Shut Down The Club

An Electronic Nightlife Opera by Warboy & Stewart

Slam! Doors shut. Music slurs to silence. Mirrorballs stop turning as dust covers the dancefloors following the Government’s decision to close nightclubs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Shut Down The Club is a 40-minute electronic opera combining electronic dance music and contemporary classical influences with operatic, spoken word, and rap vocals on an emotional journey that explores the impact of the pandemic on seven characters working in nightlife.

The simple but dramatic staging is centred on performers bathed with warm red light in front of bold, large format video projections flanked by monochromatic paintings that depict entwined bodies custom designed by artist Joseph Icaro. 

A cast of cultural leaders from London’s LGBTQ+ nightlife community portray a spectrum of reactions: personal resets to plague raving; defiance; loss; rage; celebration; and ultimately philosophical hope as they come to terms with the extraordinary challenges faced by the night time industry.

Cast

Adam Perchard • Bestley • Bishi • Fi McCluskey • Lewis G Burton • Neco London • Samantha Togni

Warboy & Stewart

Composers Warboy & Stewart have an extensive history of producing cutting-edge projects that showcase unique ideas and emergent artists in music and performance. 

Their work has been featured by BBC; The Sunday Times; The Observer; Vogue; Harper’s Bazaar; i-D; Time-Out; Arte; DJ Mag; Mixmag; Ministry of Sound; Gay Times; Pop Magazine; and more.  

2021. ‘Shut Down The Club’ live premiere at Téte-a-Téte opera festival, London. 

2020. ‘Symphony Of Opinion’ live performance at The British Museum, London.

2019. ‘Symphony Of Opinion’ live premiere of a site-specific operatic response commissioned by Scottee & Friends for ‘The Queer Wall’ project for Camden Alive.

 

Music

Libretto

View and download the libretto here

“I hardly remember seeing this energy and passion in music since punk rock first arrived. It was so visceral and raw.”

Bill Bankes-Jones
Artistic Director, Téte-a-Téte Opera Festival

For more information, please email:
[email protected]