Current, Rising is 15-minute hyper-reality opera experience, combining virtual reality with a multisensory set, blending historic stagecraft with cutting-edge technology. It invites audiences to step into an immersive, atmospheric virtual world and experience a dream-like journey carried musically by a poem layered in song. Commissioned by the Royal Opera House, it is a radical new way of seeing opera in which the audience is at the centre of the performance.

Inspired by the liberation of Ariel at the end of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Current, Rising takes four people at a time into its magical universe, traversing together the landscapes of the night, from twilight to dawn. It was conceived two years ago, long before our Covid age, but is now serendipitously topical as it explores ideas of isolation, connection, and collective reimagination – a powerful experience for our time.

“Utterly extraordinary… it’s unforgettable and deeply rewarding” (The Stage)