STREETWISE OPERA
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Mission Statement
Streetwise Opera is an award-winning charity that uses music to help people with experience of homelessness to make positive changes in their lives. We do this through a programme of weekly music workshops in homeless centres and arts venues across England, and by staging critically-acclaimed opera productions starring our performers. Our work improves wellbeing and increases social inclusion for some of the country's most vulnerable and socially excluded people. By developing new skills, meeting people, being creative and simply having fun, people feel better about themselves and are more able to take on life's other challenges - such as engaging with services, living independently, getting involved with community life and securing employment. "Coming here is a way to mould me back to being and feeling like a human being again. When you live on the street for a long time, people don't respect you. People think it's your fault and that you've put yourself in that situation, but when you come here everything's excellent." – Streetwise Opera Performer
About This Cause
Streetwise Opera is an opera company that enables people who have experienced homelessness to find inspiration and empowerment while they rebuild their lives and identities. We support participants to develop as creative people and, as we amplify their voices, change how society views homelessness. We engage world-class artists, both established and emerging, to co-create bold new work and reimagine traditional repertoire. We create opera that is for everyone and, by bringing together diverse voices, change how society views opera. We work with adults who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. Although anybody can become homeless, it is more likely to affect people who are already disadvantaged, particularly those who grow up in poverty (Shelter, 2022). Studies show that singing and creative community groups enable people who have experienced trauma to reconnect to themselves and other people, forging strong relationships that are vital for enabling people to feel part of society and able to participate in getting back into the ‘system’ of permanent housing (Arts in Homelessness Literature Review, 2020). “Streetwise is something I look forward to every week. It gives me confidence to stand in my truth. Yes, I might have been homeless but look what I’m doing...and these skills I can use elsewhere in different situations.” - Streetwise Opera Performer We run a year-round performing arts programme in London, Manchester, and Nottingham, reaching around 300 people each year. Activities include: *Streetwise Sessions: our regular performing arts sessions for people affected by homelessness hosted in leading arts venues. The backbone of our work, Sessions provide ongoing support for participants to engage in creativity, culture, and community. Sessions are led by teams of multi-disciplinary artists, offering a range of pathways for participants to develop new creative skills and explore responses to opera, leading to the co-creation of new works and reimagining of existing repertoire. *Work in frontline homelessness settings: we work with homelessness partners in each city to provide pathways for people with experience of homelessness to access our activities. The shape of these projects varies, and each is designed in collaboration with the service. *Productions and performances: we regularly present performances, often drawing on work created in frontline settings and Streetwise Sessions. These may include performances with live orchestral accompaniment in concert halls or smaller events such as carol concerts and community performances. *Streetwise Plus: an ongoing programme of supported cultural trips to opera productions, concerts, museums, and galleries. Our expert workshop leaders create the conditions for people to focus on the value of their creative ideas and voices, rather than on a ‘label’ of being homeless. We put people with experience of homelessness at the centre of the narrative, giving them agency over their own stories and representation on the UK’s stages alongside world-class artists. This unification of participant voices with ensembles and creatives at the very top of their game (such as the BBC Concert Orchestra) is unique within the sector; it challenges expectations and invites audiences to reframe their perceptions of both opera and homelessness, recognising the skills of overlooked people and the power of music to bring people together and inspire. “Opera really is for anyone and everyone. I spent my life thinking that I could never be part of that world. Until I came here.” – Streetwise Opera Performer