A new opera that illustrates a real-life campaign led by young people experiencing the housing crisis will have its world premiere this week in Belfast.
'Nobody/Somebody' is a powerful performance inspired by the Take Back the City campaign to build homes on the Department for Communities controlled Mackies site in West Belfast.
Staged as part of the Belfast Children’s Festival, the new production will take place in Elmwood Hall from 3 to 5 March.
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Composed by Neil Martin and playwright Fionnuala Kennedy, the collaboration between NI Opera and the Take Back the City is supported by local human rights NGO, Participation and the Practice of Rights.
In August 2022, a third controversial vote was held about the Mackies site where a majority of Belfast City councillors (12-1) voted in favour of rezoning the lion’s share of the site for a cycle lane and urban greenway.
Approval was made despite data showing there are 2,068 full-duty applicants who have passed all four tests for homelessness and have not yet been given a permanent social tenancy in the West Belfast area alone, which is a 49% increase since 2019.
Speaking to Belfast Live, playwright Fionnuala said that when she was approached by Northern Ireland Opera to create a piece for about young people, she was instantly inspired by Take Back the City who she had worked with before.
Fionnuala said: "They are an amazing group of people made up of people living with housing stress, people living in hostels, people who are taking asylum and refugees coming together to ask the people in power to build more social housing.
"The identify who the decision makers are and how they can appeal to them - they never take no for an answer."
The opera follows the journeys of three young people and their inspirational campaign to engage politicians and councillors to build more social housing on the Mackies site – land owned by the government.
It tells the story of campaigners who won’t take no for an answer and have engaged the support of international architects to develop new plans for the site.
"The people behind the campaign are so joyous - that is the thing, when people are talking about homelessness everyone is facing quite dark stations. I have been there before myself and I know that situation so I think it is such an incredible thing that they are doing by using their voices and telling their stories," she explained.
This is Fionnuala's first-ever opera and despite feeling "imposter syndrome" she has enjoyed taking on a completely new art form to tell such an important story.
She continued: "The composer Neil Martin has written opera before and he is internationally renowned and is an incredible musician an was really helpful in teaching me how to write in a certain rhythm and how to get the story across in that form.
"It has been a real learning curve but a brilliant one."
Through song and emotive lyrics performed by Ulster Youth Orchestra, as well as some satire, the new opera aims to provoke a conversation around the subject of how elected representatives and officials are making decisions regarding public resources.
Fionnuala said that audiences can expect a production full of emotions, music and heart and encourages those who may not be familiar with the art form to take it all in.
"The music is so emotive and so moving but there are also a lot of funny moments and joyous moments alongside the sad moments of course. The cast is just extraordinary too.
"I am someone who never thought opera was for me and hadn't even seen one before I started this so if anyone is like me, I urge them to give it a go and see for themselves."
Nobody/Somebody will run from March 3-5 at Elmwood Hall as part of the Belfast Children’s Festival. For more information, see here
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