As Anya17’s Librettist I was naturally very excited at the prospect of attending an Ensemble rehearsal at the RNCM in Manchester, where I would hear much of the music for the very first time.
It’s an odd sensation too; no matter how many times I start out to write the words for a piece, for some strange reason I can never believe that it’s really happening until I walk through the door to find myself seemingly surprised to hear the Cast and Musicians in full flood.
Friday March 7th will be a very special evening therefore, and not even a five hour drive Northwards through hundreds of miles of roadworks on the M5 and M6 could possibly dull my anticipation for the Liverpool premiere.
As I entered the rehearsal room a few days ago in Manchester I thought that I must have been dreaming. The music was magnificent and the Cast’s performances ranged from the chilling to the sublime. It was everything I could have hoped.
Perfect then that the rehearsal was attended not only by representatives from Anti-Slavery International and ACT Leeds (Stop The Traffik), but also by Tony Lloyd MP, who supporting the project from its inception dropped in to talk to the Cast. Tony also chatted to me during an interview describing his feelings on attending the rehearsal and also spoke about the importance of Anya17 in raising awareness of Sex Trafficking.
