Wednesday, 2 August
7:30pm – Happier or Better?
8:45pn – North Haven

Thursday, 3 August
7:30pm – North Haven
8:45pm – Bubble

Friday, 4 August
7:30pm – Bubble
8:45pm – Happier or Better?

Saturday, 5 August
6:00pm – Happier or Better?
7:30pm – North Haven
8:45pm – Bubble

Happier or Better?
By Lynda Radley
Directed by David Wood
Kate has done everything she was supposed to. But her education put her in debt, her employers are soulless destroyers, the world is run by morons, her friends are virtual and she doesn't measure up. She's just got to take responsibility, figure out how to be an adult, and realise her potential. After all everything that happens to her is a reflection of what she believes about herself. That's right, right? If you don't like the story change it. Here's a simple ten point plan...

North Haven
By Davey Anderson
Directed by Richard Cerato
A young woman washes up on a remote island, fleeing from the mainland’s empathy economy. A strange family give her shelter and promise to help her on her way to a place of refuge. But the guards from a nearby ‘camp’ are on her trail and her hosts seem in no hurry to let her go. Will she ever make it to North Haven?

Taking inspiration from fragments of Homer’s Odyssey, and responding to contemporary tales of entrapment and escape, this new play takes us on a journey to a not-so-distant world where human bodies and experiences are bought and sold, or plundered for parts, exploring the dark side to our empathic imagination.

Bubble
By Kieran Hurley
Directed by Shilpa T-Hyland
“Words aren’t things. They’re not violent. They’re the carriers of ideas.”

Professor William Barrett has made a bit of a silly boo-boo and now they’re calling for his job. Hannah and Jane have called an all-woman meeting about campus sexism and Connor’s band of free speech activists aren’t having it. The staff are anxious about “safe space” culture, Courtney knows a good story when she sees one, and Anna – well Anna literally couldn’t give a f**k. But with the spectre of “alt-right” Youtubber Randy P on the rise, what starts as a seemingly mild campus controversy soon escalates into a full-blown war of values and ideas.

Told entirely through social media posts and online interactions, Bubble is an explosive, experimental and topical new play about identity politics, modern community, and where we draw the line around protecting what we value most.

Each Play On with Guest Artists ticket permits entry to the Woodwind and Brass (Ledger Recital Room) and Strings (Jack Bruce Space) instrumental sharings at 1.30pm and the Orchestral Performance (Stevenson Hall) at 3.30pm.

Scotland’s professional touring company returns with Bizet’s masterpiece ‘The Pearl Fishers’.

In this moving tale, set in Ceylon, two men’s vow of friendship is threatened by their obsession with the same woman, a beautiful priestess, who battles to suppress her feelings of love in order to uphold her sacred oath.

Directed by former Scottish Opera young artist Lissa Lorenzo, a star-studded cast is led by Monica McGhee, who was part of the internationally successful opera group, Amore. Welsh tenor Thomas Kinch returns to Opera Bohemia in the role of Nadir, with Scotland’s Douglas Nairne and Michael MacKinnon as Zurga and Nourabad, completing the cast. The production also features the company’s first professional chamber chorus, and is accompanied by the Opera Bohemia Ensemble under the baton of Alistair Digges. With beautiful melodies, rousing choruses and opera’s most famous duet, this promises to be a magical night at the opera.

Sung in French with English Surtitles

Running time approximately 2 hours