Orpheus Speaks is a series of talks by celebrated contemporary writers, inspired by the enduring and resonant Greek myth of `Orpheus and Eurydice'. The talks have been commissioned to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the writing of Monteverdi's opera, Orfeo, considered by many to be the first true opera. In the story, Orpheus refuses to accept that his wife, Eurydice, has died, and crosses into the Underworld to bring her back, with tragic consequences for all concerned.

We are delighted to announce that our guest speaker in Newcastle is the acclaimed novelist, Hilary Mantel, author of the award-winning novels Beyond Black and Fludd.

`I want to talk about mourning, memory and the work of salvage, from the point of view of a writer who is deeply concerned both with retrieval of the personal past and with the work of bringing history `back to life'. It is a universal human impulse to try to retrieve what is lost, to want to go back into the past and change it. But we create underworlds in our own lives, by the keeping of secrets and by consigning parts of our experience to the realm of the forgotten.'

Please note that Orpheus Speaks precedes an evening performance of Monteverdi's opera, Orfeo, given by Opera North at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle. Tickets for the opera are also available from the theatre box office.

Admission: £6 (£4 concessions)

Tickets available from Theatre Royal box office.

Theatre Royal
100 Grey Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 6BR
Tel: 0870 905 5060