“No Irish opera has entered the standard repertory. But that is about to change.” – The Los Angeles Times

“The score unfolds like a series of weather fronts, each with its own kind of texture and force. More objectively speaking, the fronts are organized into modules, each one skillfully building on the last…Just as remarkable is O’Halloran’s sound palette, which mixes acoustic and electric strains in ways that one can’t always tell which is which.” – Musical America

'“O’Halloran shapes lucid, communicative vocal lines; the text always sings out.” – The New York Times

ABOUT TRADE / MARY MOTORHEAD

TRADE: In a guesthouse in Dublin’s north inner city, a vulnerable and confused young rent boy sits with a middle-aged client. The older man has blood on his shirt. A lot has happened since the two last met.

Mary Motorhead: In the compelling monodrama Mary Motorhead, a convicted murderer invites us to hear her secret history—the disappointments and betrayals that shaped her life—in the hope that it may shine some light upon the darkness of her actions. 

Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects, Irish National Opera, Trinity Church Wall Street, and Nancy & Barry Sanders. Produced by Beth Morrison Projects and Irish National Opera in association with Trinity Church Wall Street. Additional support provided by Virginia B. Toulmin Charitable Foundation, Antonia & Vladimer Kulaev Cultural Heritage Fund, Inc., Elizabeth Greenberg, Culture Ireland, and Charlotte Isaacs.

World premiere: 7 January 2023 / PROTOTYPE Festival / Abrons Arts Centre, NY, USA

Duration: 105 minutes

cREative team

• Composer - Emma O’Halloran

• Libretto - Mark O’Halloran

• Conductor - Elaine Kelly

• Creative Producer - Beth Morrison Projects

• Director - Tom Creed

• Electronic Sound Design - Alex Dowling

• Scenery - Jim Findlay

• Costumes - Montana Levi Blanco

• Lighting - Christopher Kuhl

• Sound Engineering - Charles Hagaman

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

26 October 2024 / Irish National Opera / Solstice Arts Centre, Navan (IRL)

23 October 2024 / Irish National Opera / Glór, Ennis (IRL)

19 October 2024 / Irish National Opera / Siamse Tíre, Tralee (IRL)

16 October 2024 / Irish National Opera / Cork Opera House, Cork (IRL)

11 - 13 October 2024 / Irish National Opera / Dublin Theatre Festival / Pavilion Theatre, Dublin (IRL)

8 - 11 August 2024 / Irish National Opera / Kilkenny Arts Festival / Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny (IRL)

27 - 30 April 2023 / LA Opera / REDCAT Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (USA)

7 - 14 January 2023 / PROTOTYPE Festival / Abrons Arts Centre, NY (USA)