The Promise – an Operatic Adaptation

Lucy Bradley

Family, Music/Sound, Theatre

A multi- dimensional outdoor opera for families, which asks its audience to engage with themes of re-forestation and to come together as a community to plant trees and take collective action on the climate crisis.

A young girl lives in a hard city, nothing grows and there is no kindness here. One lonely night, the girl meets a woman and makes her a strange promise. Colour, warmth and music return to the world, a forest grows and a community is forged.

Inspired by the much-loved children’s story, The Promise is a new family opera created by Nicola Davies, Daniel Saleeb, Lucy Bradley, Ruth Paton and Sascha Gilmour. Part performance, part environmental act, The Promise asks its audience to plant seeds, to come together as a community and to make their own promise to protect the environment.

About the Artists

Led by director Lucy Bradley, we are a collaborative team of artists comprising Nicola Davies, Daniel Saleeb, Sascha Gilmour and Ruth Paton who have come together to make The Promise.

Lucy Bradley is a director with over 15 years of experience in varied settings, from large scale Opera houses to fringe theatres and site-specific locations.

Funding, commissioning and partner credits:

Librettist – Nicola Davies
Composer – Daniel Saleeb
Director – Lucy Bradley
Producer – Anne Timpson
Designers – Sascha Gilmour and Ruth Paton
Original story by Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin, published by Walker Books.

R&D funding from ACE
Developed with Cumbria Music Education Hub and Workington Nature Partnership