Lovers of great drama and classical opera will be delighted to see the Olivier-Award winning English Touring Opera return to Blackpool Grand this May with a sensational double bill.

Lust, love, war and death rage through these two new spring productions of Iphigénie en Tauride and Don Giovanni, which are performed live on The Grand’s stage by exceptionally talented singers and a full orchestra.

Human sacrifice, shipwreck and bloodthirsty villains set the scene for Iphigénie en Tauride – Christoph Wilibald Gluck’s heart-wrenching masterpiece. Set in the aftermath of the Trojan War, this opera details the beautiful reunion of the powerful central characters Iphigénie and her brother Tauride following the turbulence of war. This is a moving work from the composer who would go on to influence some of the most popular names in classical music and opera, including Mozart and Wagner.

Don Giovanni is one of the world’s most charismatic and well-known antiheros. Audiences will find themselves torn between being charmed and repelled by the Spanish nobleman who seduces women all across Europe. However, when his actions lead to murder and eventually invoke vengeance from beyond the grave, what follows is a dramatic and supernatural conclusion.

Don Giovanni is perhaps the greatest work by one of the most famous composers of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Held up as one of the darkest, sexiest and most cautionary tales ever told, the question as to whether Don Giovanni is a hero or a murderous villain lingers throughout this engrossing opera.

A Grand Theatre spokesperson said, “English Touring Opera mesmerised us last year with La Boheme and The Siege of Calais, and we are delighted to be able to bring them back to showcase some new works. They are a company dedicated to bringing opera to the wider public and to pulling out all the stops for an intensely visual and dramatic evening out. We even have a multi-buy offer that allows customers to purchase a ticket for both shows and save money. Plus, our exceptional value student and under 26 tickets mean that our younger audience can try something new, and we can guarantee they will be blown away by ETO’s performance.”

English Touring Opera perform Iphigénie en Tauride on Friday 13 May and Don Giovanni on Saturday 14 May at Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Tickets are available from blackpoolgrand.co.uk or by calling 01253 290190.

‘ETO is as good as it gets.’ Whatsonstage

‘Exquisite.’ The Guardian

‘Enthralling.’ The Telegraph (reviews for ETO’s 2015 season)

Iphigénie en Tauride (sung in French with English surtitles)

Friday 13 May at 7:30pm

Don Giovanni (sung in English)

Saturday 14 May at 7:30pm

TICKETS

£17 to £33

Multi-Buy Offer: Book both operas and save £5 per ticket (stalls & dress circle)

Under 26s: 50 tickets at £12.50 per performance (T&Cs apply)

Students £7.50 (on the day of the show)

Group discounts available

Notes to editors

English Touring Opera

English Touring Opera is the leading touring opera company in the UK. ETO travels to more regions and to more venues than any other English opera company, touring annually to around 55 venues and presenting as many as 110 performances per year. The company’s aim is to offer opera to everyone, with a varied repertoire of high-quality professional productions featuring some of the finest talent in opera. ETO performed The Siege of Calais and La Boheme at Blackpool Grand in 2015.

Arts Council England

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Blackpool Grand Theatre – Arts Council England, National Portfolio Funding

In July 2014 the Arts Council England granted the Grand Theatre continued funding for the next three years to support and develop a programme of dance and physical theatre. Despite substantial cuts to many theatres, The Grand was one of only a handful of organisations that saw its National Portfolio Organisation Funding increase by 37%.

The Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations represent some of the best arts practice in the world, and they play a vital role in helping ACE meet their mission of great art and culture for everyone. ACE are determined to fund organisations at a level at which they can continue to produce the excellent and innovative art that audiences want and deserve.

Blackpool’s Grand Theatre – Heritage and History

The Grand Theatre was opened on July 23, 1894 by Thomas Sergenson who immediately dubbed the theatre ‘Matcham’s Masterpiece’. This title is even more merited now that there are few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the leading Victorian theatre architect. The theatre took just nine months to build and cost Sergenson £20,000.

By the early 1960s theatres across Britain were closing due to loss of audience to television and in July 1972 the then owners, the Tower Company, applied for permission to demolish it. In its place they proposed to build a department store. However, by then, following an application to the Department of the Environment, the theatre had been listed as a Grade II* building and there had to be a full public enquiry.

Early in 1973 the Friends of the Grand was formed and after legal and financial wrangling, they, together with EMI and the local council, put together a deal involving leasing the theatre for £10,000 per annum and final purchase for £250,000.