The Powder Monkey

A new opera created and produced by Brolly, co-artistic directors Dominic Hingorani and Rachana Jadhav, in collaboration with composer Errollyn Wallen MBE in partnership with the National Maritime Museum and Opera North supported by Arts Council England.

Based on an original idea and concept by Brolly.

Set on board a slave ship in 1788 this new opera engages with the sensitive history of Britain’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and places the Black male enslaved character of the ‘powder monkey’ centre stage of a diverse cast. The Powder Monkey challenges the classical opera form by drawing on the cultural backgrounds of the characters to infuse the score with the traditional music and languages of West Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the folk forms of Northern England and maritime creole work songs and features non-western instruments such as the kora, sitar and djembe.