A street opera version of Die Fledermaus will be performed across Merton and Wandsworth this August thanks to a joint project between the Wimbledon Foundation, the charity of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships, and Baseless Fabric.

The Merton-based company, who bring opera and theatre directly into public spaces, was the first organisation to receive funding from the Wimbledon Foundation’s Arts and Community Engagement (ACE) Fund launched in 2018.

Baseless Fabric used the funding to create an engaging street opera version of Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus which is being performed in more than 30 high street venues including cafes, pubs, train stations, supermarkets and libraries across the two boroughs. 

As part of the project, Baseless Fabric also worked with two young people's groups from a local primary and secondary school in partnership with Merton Music Foundation and local children’s charity Jigsaw4u to create and perform their own versions of the classic opera.

Joanna Turner, Artistic Director of Baseless Fabric said, “Our high street adaptation of Die Fledermaus will enable everyone to experience high quality professional opera. Our performances aim to change attitudes to the art form and encourage people to realise that opera can be fun and not elitist, expensive, boring or irrelevant as it can often be perceived. We passionately believe music and theatre have the power build community and transform society.”

Helen Parker, Head of Wimbledon Foundation said, “We are delighted to be supporting Baseless Fabric and the way in which they make opera accessible for everyone from the very youngest to the very oldest in our community. We’re very much looking forward to seeing people experience the pop-up opera performances as they are waiting for the bus or doing their shopping.”

Performance Times and Dates