In a bleak, authoritarian future, society is ruled by an all-seeing regime that crushes individuality and dissent. Against this backdrop, the celebrated poster girl for the regime Floria Tosca and her lover, the rebellious artist Mario Cavaradossi, are caught in a struggle between love and tyranny.

 

Cavaradossi secretly aids a fugitive dissident, bringing him into conflict with Baron Scarpia, the ruthless Chief of Security. Scarpia manipulates events to ensnare Tosca, offering her a cruel bargain: her lover’s freedom in exchange for her submission. Torn between love and allegiance to the regime, Tosca is forced into an impossible choice.

 

What follows is a spiralling descent of betrayal, sacrifice, and resistance, set against the decaying ruins and surveillance-laden streets of a city where hope itself is a crime.

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Flat Pack Music return, with the Festival Orchestra, Durham Voices and MD Benjamin Ellin, directed by Sarah Helsby Hughes.