Women Serial Killers Take Center Stage in New Opera, ‘The Hive’
By Afton MarkayHarvey Brough and Carole Hayman’s new opera, “The Hive” makes its world premiere on Nov. 8, at The Tung in Liverpool.
“The Hive” draws the research conducted by Hayman during her fellowship at King’s College, London, where she focused on real stories of women who have committed serial murder. The libretto fuses verbatim interviews with text drawing from dark fairy tales. Interviews featured in the libretto are the real voices of protagonists, survivors, families, police, and forensic experts, including many from the infamous Rosemary West case.
The work challenges familiar media tropes of the “female killer” and questions the cultural obsession with women at the center of violent crime. It aims to shift the lens away from sensationalism and invites audiences to understand, and possibly even empathize, before arriving at hope for redemption.
“The Hive” has been in development since 2016. A workshop performance of Act I was presented at Arcola Theatre’s Grimeborn Festival (supported by Tête à Tête). A half-hour extract of Act II followed in 2017 at the Tête à Tête Festival at RADA Studio, with a reprisal in 2020. The project returned to the stage at Hoxton Hall in July 2022, and now is ready to make its official premiere.
Currently the cast includes tenor Paul Curievici and mezzo-soprano Lydia Shariff, further roles will be announced in the coming months. Daisy Evans directs.
In 2024, the creative team behind “The Hive” led workshops during 16 Days of Activism, in collaboration with victim-survivors and service providers. Under the guidance of a trained art therapist, these workshops utilized music, art, and storytelling to inspire participants and foster change. Further workshops will take place this fall in conjunction with the premiere.
“The Hive” is presented in partnership with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Helene Mathiesen is the producer and funding is provided by an Arts Council England Lottery Grant.
Read Related Stories
Categories
IndieOpera
