Opera comes to cafes, street corners - and Hoghton Tower barn

Fancy a bit of Puccini with your panini?
Outreach Opera perform at a cafe in Bolton MarketOutreach Opera perform at a cafe in Bolton Market
Outreach Opera perform at a cafe in Bolton Market

A community opera company is trying to make their performances more accessible to the public by staging shows in unusual venues, including in cafes and on street corners .Outreach Opera, run by Higher Walton-based soprano Helen Latham and Georgina Rosanna Murray of Bolton, is now bringing its latest production to the barn at Hoghton Tower.And they hope the subject matter will make the opera more appealing to a wider audience - who will also have a chance to join in.Love, Lies and Tonic joins the locals down at the pub, offering a chance to witness clandestine conversations in dark corners, revealing the intricacy of community life.Helen (inset) said: “For this particular production, we are running an opera workshop, where keen singers can get involved, learning some of the music from the production, which culminates in them performing as part of the chorus for the final show on August 25. “Our opera workshops have proven really popular and we recently delivered one in a forest, which was a spectacular experience.“We perform in venues across the North West, presenting opera in an accessible and unique way. “Our aim is to offer a creative tool for the local community, which allows them to experience and discover the shaping and performance of opera.”The opera workshops for Love, Lies and Tonic, will take place August 16 and 17 at Brindle St James’ Church in Water Street, Brindle, near Chorley PR6 8NG.Anyone who is interested can call 07968 958 651 for more details.To book tickets for the performance at Hoghton Tower’s Great Barn, log onto www.hoghtontower.co.uk or call 01254 852986.Tickets cost £19.50. The performance takes place at 2.30pm.Audience members are welcome to bring a picnic for the interval.