ABOUT My Father Cannot Speak

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‘Some years ago the museum locked its doors

And sealed, for good, the past within its walls.’

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‘My Father Cannot Speak’ is a new one-man, one-act opera created by acclaimed composer and conductor, Ben Parry and award-winning writer and opera director, Garth Bardsley

 

Inspired by remarkable true events, the work explores themes of family legacy and the fragile threads that bind us together. It is at once humorous, touching, whimsical, and profoundly human.

 

The opera follows a son grappling with the aftermath of his father’s stroke - an event that robs the father of speech and simultaneously reveals decades of unheard stories and hidden truths. As the protagonist confronts this loss of access to his past and the weight of unspoken history, he discovers that “love alone can bear the burden of truth.”

 

It is primarily a story about the importance of our shared history and the legacy we leave our children. ‘My Father Cannot Speak’ is an important and thought-provoking piece that will both engage and entertain.

 

Accompanied by a chamber ensemble. the piece will last approximately 75 mins and will be fully staged.