A NEW opera festival, which was to open at Humewood Castle Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, next week gas been cancelled.
The men behind the event are Mr Michael McCaffery and Mr Michael Scott, both well known theatre directors. They said the cancellation was due to the withdrawal, due to a change in personal circumstances, of a key supporter who was going to underwrite sponsorship Rehearsals were already under way in Dublin and expenditure had already been incurred on the creation of costumes and sets when the decision to cancel was made.
The event would have been the first of its kind in Ireland, offering three outdoor performances of Mozart's early La finta semplice in a "covered and heated" castle courtyard with seating for 400.
Tickets were priced at £45 and £40, and performances had been scheduled for a 6. 15 p.m. start, with a long (75 minute) interval for summer picnics.
Mr Scott said it is intended to present the work with the same cast at a future date. Plans remain in place for two associated concert recitals, by soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez, star of the film Diva, and pianist John O'Conor. Bookings for the two recitals have been heavier than for the opera performances.
