'This is our arena. You are our judges. And if you are ready, let the games begin!' With these words, the overture of Pergolesi’s L’Olimpiade rings out, and Metastasio’s sparkling story about the trials of love is set in motion. 

It’s an unusual brief: direct a rare Baroque opera and, while you’re at it, replace all the Italian recitative with a new script in English. But then, Vache Baroque is hardly your average opera company and, as for me, it turns out that for some time I’ve been unintentionally carving a niche for myself in creating script for opera. 

'Inspired by Ancient Greek theatre and Metastasio’s own use of narrative devices taken from that tradition, I added a new element: spoken chorus characters,' Director Laura Attridge | Photo: Rhian Hughes

My journey as a writer had its foundations in poetry, which I’ve been writing from an early age, and for the last ten years I’ve also had the pleasure of specialising in working collaboratively with composers to create libretti, song and choral pieces. This kind of work allows me to draw simultaneously from different artistic toolkits - not only the crafting of words, but also skills in musicianship and dramaturgy - which is partly why I find it so stimulating. Similarly, I relish using the combination of these tools when it comes to directing opera. 

It wasn’t until Vache Baroque approached me to join the team for a new production of L’Olimpiade that it dawned on me: over the years, script has been slowly weaving its way into my primary practice as an artist. Most recently, for example, I adapted the French dialogue in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon into an English script for my 2021 production at Buxton International Festival, and only last year I created an original scripted narrative to frame the selection of scenes included in Scottish Opera’s Opera Highlights tour, which I also directed. L’Olimpiade was to be my most ambitious scriptwriting challenge to date: I was tasked to write around 30 minutes of dialogue based on Metastasio’s original libretto. 

While each one of these projects - Cendrillon, Opera Highlights, L’Olimpiade - has required a different approach, each has enabled me to really get the most out of the original material of the piece in question: adding clarity and depth to the narrative, characters and relationships, while making those things immediate and accessible (in the fullest sense of the word) for audiences. 

For L’Olimpiade, the intention was always to honour Metastasio's story, rather than start totally from scratch. To do this I began with a full translation of the original recitative text and focused my efforts on refining the narrative beats and character through-lines. The next step was to think about tone of language: how would these characters speak, and how could I make the transitions between spoken English and sung Italian feel seamless? I took my cues both from the style of the sung Italian text and from the work I was doing at the time with our designer, Caitlin Abbott, to build a cohesive world for the show. 

Finally, inspired by Ancient Greek theatre and Metastasio’s own use of narrative devices taken from that tradition, I added a new element: spoken chorus characters, who developed naturally out of two existing servant roles in the piece: Alcandro and Aminta. These two could help narrate, comment on the action, and guide the audience through the story. 

As I write this paragraph, it’s golden hour in the gardens of The Vache and I’m sitting under the stretch tent the company have erected for the audience. The cast have just departed to their dressing rooms after a last movement call, and our purpose-built stage outside the impressive Jacobean house stands briefly empty as everyone prepares for the evening’s dress rehearsal. 

Seeing my script brought to life by our exceptional cast, and my words in their turn bringing new life to the brilliance of Metastasio’s text and Pergolesi’s music, has been a joy in the studio, in tech, in our stage rehearsals. I can’t wait to see what audiences make of it. 

Pergolesi's L'Olimpiade is at The Vache on 31 August, 1, 7, 8 September 2024 (plus Relaxed performance on 7 September) | vachebaroque.com| lauraattridge.com