The Magic Flute

Luca Silvestrini's Protein

A person lies on the floor wearing a tall birdcage hat with artificial birds, holding a feather and looking surprised.
Photo by Roswitha Chesher

About The Magic Flute

Family ticket: Two adults and two children for £45! Applies automatically at checkout

4 Stars

This colourful quest story is stylishly simplified for a young audience and an energetic cast... Completely charming

The Guardian

Step into Luca Silvestrini’s highly anticipated new dance-theatre adaptation of Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute, from award-winning company Protein Dance.

Join the fun-loving bird-catcher Papageno and the lost Prince Tamino as they set out to rescue Princess Pamina, uncovering the truth about the mysterious Queen of the Night and the powerful leader Sarastro.

The Magic Flute is brought to life with Protein’s playful mix of dancing, storytelling, singing and stunning visuals, with set and costume design by Dick Bird, rearranged Mozart and new music by composer Frank Moon, creative captions and video design by Douglas Baker and lighting by Rachel Shipp.

Following Protein’s award-winning family show The Little Prince, this enchanting new tale of love and friendship shining through darkness is perfect for children aged 5+ and their grown-ups.

Every performance is welcoming and accessible with integrated creative captioning, while selected relaxed shows also feature BSL Interpretation and Audio Description.

4 Stars

An artful piece of children’s entertainment without sacrificing adult appeal

The Times, on The Little Prince

5 Stars

Among the most inventive and ingenious mini-masterpieces you are likely to see this year

The Reviews Hub, on The Little Prince

Cast and Creatives

Adapted and directed by Luca Silvestrini

Devised and performed by Nathan Bartman, Jacob Lang, Donna Lennard, Faith Prendergast

Sung by Donna Lennard

Set and costume design by Dick Bird

Rearranged Mozart and new music by Frank Moon

Soundtrack performed by Frank Moon, Max Gittings, Boyan Ivanov, Bev Lee Harling, Max Baillie

Lighting design by Rachel Shipp

Creative captions and video design by Douglas Baker

Costume and props supervisor/maker Lorna Rivett

Production Manager Rachel Ship

Sound and Video Technician Yoji Yau

Stage Manager Rebekah Akingbala

Set painting by Belinda Clisham

Audio Describer Lily Norton

Audio Description Consultant Lesta Woo

Audio Description Coordinator Elaine Lillian Punia-Joseph

Community Connector Kavina Pound

PR and Communications Consultant Robert James

Tour booker Sarah Trist

Promotional photos and trailer Roswitha Chesher

Production photos Jane Hobson

Co-commissioned by DanceEast and The Place, The Magic Fluteis supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

With funding from Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust; Garrick Charitable Trust, The Lucille Graham Trust, Royal Borough of Greenwich and The Golsoncott Foundation.

Supported by Woolwich Works, Pavilion Dance South West and Dance City.

About Protein

One of the most distinctive voices in British dance theatre, Artistic Director Luca Silvestrini has been using a blend of original choreography, text, music and social commentary to engage and entertain audiences and participants for over 25 years. Protein’s work is moved by the desire to connect deeply with audiences, using storytelling, immersive locations, and audience interaction to remove traditional boundaries and nurture an inclusive, participatory experience.

Protein’s critically acclaimed wide range of productions and community projects are much admired and in demand across the UK and the world. Amongst them LOL (lots of love), Border Tales, May Contain Food, May Contain Food May Contain You, especially created for rural touring, and The Little Prince. Luca has also created popular outdoor shows, including On Display, (In)visible Dancing, Windows in Progress and the recent promenade experience En Route.

The company is a leader in producing transformative performance projects that bring together participants and artists of all ages and walks of life. Through its inclusion programme, Protein works with specific communities including children and young people in alternative provision schools and hospitals, as well as with elders in care homes and with refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Recent projects include, But I Am, May Contain You and There and Here, which won The Stage Awards Community Project of the Year in 2023.

Recipient of the Art and Entertainment Civic Award 2022 from The Royal Borough of Greenwich, Protein is a Resident Artistic Company at Woolwich Works and Artistic Director Luca Silvestrini is an Affiliate Artist at The Place.

https://proteindance.co.uk/

  • A performer jumps with both arms raised, wearing a blue tailcoat and yellow trousers and socks
  • A performer dressed in a waistcoat and shirt and yellow trousers and socks, dangles some grapes above their mouth
  • A man in a red and gold costume smiles while holding up a golden ribbon. Behind him, a person dressed in black wears a silver mask and holds up two additional silver masks on either side of the man. A projected forest background with a silhouetted figure appears behind them.
  • Two performers on stage, one in a black gown on wooden steps reaching forward, the other in a red-and-white dress with one leg lifted.
  • Two performers wearing colourful, folk-style costumes pose at the front—one with a wooden flute, the other with a mechanical prop—while behind them a performer dressed in flowing black and a metallic mask holds two additional veiled, metallic masks raised to create the illusion of three figures. A purple forest backdrop glows behind them with draped white fabric framing the stage.
  • Three performers leap onstage. The central person wears a red vest, white trousers, a small hat, and smiles broadly with arms spread wide. On either side, performers dressed in black wear large straw animal masks and hold long sticks. Behind them a glowing green backdrop featuring a tree-shaped shadow and three sets of small wooden steps.