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Swallows & Armenians Flies South!

Keep the dates! London, 20 & 21 June; and Leeds, 27 June 2025.

Photo: Swallows and Armenians by Asadour William Guzelian in Appleby for Cumbria Opera Group’s Weekend of Outdoor Opera, 2022.

I’m thrilled to announce that a full-length actor-musician production of Swallows & Armenians will be flying South in 2025, made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery, through Arts Council, England and our supporters who so generously contributed the first £1079 through JustGiving!  Venues, creative team and performers will be announced in due course.

I start work immediately on extending the script, alongside Persia Babayan-Taylor who will be creating new musical compositions to add to her exceptional collection of songs for the show. Persia is also the Director for our production.

We will make this show the best it can be, honouring the Altounyan family and the role they played as the catalyst and inspiration for Arthur Ransome to write his first book of fiction for children. Click on the link for ‘Five Children’ sung by David Haller in 2022 as Arthur Ransome. https://vimeo.com/950542588

For those new to the project, Swallows and Armenians is a fascinating story of friendship and family, love and jealousy, with a good measure of sailing thrown in! It explores the close, complicated and often changeable relationship between the Altounyan family and Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows & Amazons.

I will be giving pre-show talks and reaching out to schools to offer workshops and special priced tickets to see the show. Please get in touch if you’re interested!

A projected element of images and text will add an exciting visual element to the play, micro exhibitions will pop up in the theatre venues themselves and we will be joined by the incomparable Shakeh Major Tchilingirian who brings her Circle of Life participatory circle dance event for all to enjoy to follow each performance.

This project reappraises a children’s classic of English literature, uncovering and celebrating diversity within British culture.