Ruth Mariner is a writer and director whose work explores theatre making and participatory work within opera. She has written and directed for companies including The Royal Opera, The National Opera Studio and The Lawrence Batley Theatre. Recent work includes an outdoor pagan-retelling of Purcell’s Fairy Queen (based on the folk origins of A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and a devised performance with refugees from The British Red Cross for the main stage of Opera Holland Park. Ruth mentors writers and composers in Opera Making at The Royal Academy of Music.

British mezzo-soprano Bethan Langford is a graduate of the Guildhall School Opera Course and the National Opera Studio, and is a former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist. A versatile performer, her repertoire spans opera, art song, contemporary music and experimental music. Highlights so far include Hebe in Cal McCrystal’s new production of HMS Pinafore for English National Opera, her debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Maxwell's The Lost Thing, Second Lady in Tom Allen's Magic Flute for Scottish Opera, Angel II in George Benjamin's Written on Skin with the Melos Sinfonia at The Mariinsky Theatre, Dorabella in Così fan tutte for Bury Court Opera, Third Maid in Elektra under Esa-Pekka Salonen for the Verbier Festival, Noble Orphan in Richard Jones’ Der Rosenkavalier at the Glyndebourne Festival and the BBC Proms and the title role in the award-winning The Rape of Lucretia at Grimeborn. Bethan is excited to be playing the title role in Errollyn Wallen’s world premier and UK tour of The Paradis Files- Graeae Theatre Company’s first ever opera. A keen recitalist, Bethan has performed at many leading concert venues around Europe including the Wigmore Hall, Heidelberger Frühling Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Buxton International Festival, Ryedale Festival, The International Lied Festival Zeist and regularly at the Oxford Lieder Festival. Bethan is a Samling Artist, a Yeoman of the Musicians' Company and a proud past recipient of the Elizabeth Eagle-Bott award for partially sighted and blind musicians. She lives in Shropshire with her husband and cat, Crackers.


Laura Bowler, described as “a triple threat composer-performer-provocatrice” (The Arts Desk) is a composer and vocalist specialising in theatre, multi-disciplinary work and opera. She has been commissioned across the globe by ensembles and festivals including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House, London Sinfonietta, Manchester Camerata, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Quatuor Bozzini (Canada), Ensemble Phace (Austria), Ensemble Linea (France) and Omega Ensemble (Australia). In 2022, she will be Composer in Residence with Ensemble Mosaik (Germany), culminating in a portrait concert in Berlin. Her recent projects include: a music theatre work, Houses Slide, for ensemble and vocalist powered by 17 cyclists, commissioned by London Sinfonietta; Distance, a multimedia work for live streamed ensemble (Talea) and vocalist (Juliet Fraser) commissioned by the sound Festival; and her RPS Award winning Wicked Problems commissioned by sound Festival for herself (vocalist) and Ruth Morley (Bass Flute).


Ruth’s multi award winning company Gestalt Arts explores new forms of opera making which combine physical theatre and participation to uncover lost or hidden knowledge. Recent projects include: Unsung Heroes of the Planet, co-created with The Eden Project which uses polyphonic baroquechoral music, folk music and movement to explore the fascinating underground communication networks of the forest; and award-winning project A Shoe Full of Stars, which explored the impact of terrorism and the media on young people, co created with victims of the Manchester terror attacks and ex-taliban fighter Hanif Qureshi from The Active Change Foundation. ‘Gestalt’ means ‘The whole is more than the sum of the parts.’

www.gestaltarts.co.uk

INDUS - A theatrical experience for sighted and non-sighted audiences using song, sound and the collective imagination.

Bethan Langford Performer/Co-creator
Ruth Mariner Composer/Writer/Director
Laura Bowler Sound Designer