Imagine the time right before you fall asleep, when you are alone and your mind plays tricks on you, it is not what is seen but what is heard; an opera singer’s voice electronically enhanced, an upbeat pop song of the era transformed into a sadistic lullaby, a rock n’ roll passage ripped out of context giving us the uncanny feeling that everything is not quite right. It’s America, 1952, and Nathanael is madly in love with Olympia but is being tormented by the Sandman. Terrified and determined to keep his eyes, Nathanael decides his only defense is to sleep forever.
Samantha Newton and Na'ama Zisser's Black Sand is a horror opera about a man so reluctant to confront his fear that it destroys him and everything he loves. Directed by Stuart Barker with a cast including Nick Dwyer, James Hall, Caroline Kennedy, Alexandra Mathew and Rose Stach.