Gianni Schicchi
or where there’s a will
I’ve been commissioned to write a new spoken-word overture for the exciting new OperaUpClose production of the Puccini classic Gianni Schicchi, or, Where There’s a Will. The show tours from March 2026.
Featuring some of the most famous music in opera and inspired by wildly popular modern-day ‘whodunnits’ such as The White Lotus and Knives Out, Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s A Will) brings Puccini roaring into the 21st Century.
Set in the fictional seaside town of Harmouth, a wealthy second-home owner is throwing one last seasonal soirée. As the evening quickly unravels, the local ‘fixer’ Gianni Schicchi enters the fray and things go from bad to worse for the entitled liberal elite. Who should be held to account in a world where everyone is out for themselves?
A stellar cast bring this brilliantly subversive and satirical take on Puccini's family farce to the stage, with a newly commissioned spoken-word overture, under the “sharp and intelligent” direction of 2025 Sky Arts Award winner PJ Harris.
The production has already received 4 star reviews in The Stage and The Times, and glowing feedback from reviewers and audiences alike.
Pride In The Shirt
a football & arts project for the LGBTQIA+ community
Pride In The Shirt is a sports & arts project, combining active and creative sessions for the LGBTQIA+ community across Hampshire and surround areas.
The project aims to understand the current barriers to inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ across the ages looking to get involved in sport and movement, using creative activities to open up conversations and look to change the national conversation.
From October 2025 to January 2026, Pride In The Shirt has worked with youth groups across the New Forest, including Breakout Youth and spudWORKS’s Together group, as well as AFC Bournemouth’s Community Trust at their Ringwood Hub.
These sessions culminated in the creation of a zine that tells the story of young people in a rural area like the New Forest looking to be active and move, with contributions, creations and ideas brought together by Holly Ward to create a vibrant, entertaining, moving story. There was also a commemorative football kit, interpreted by Megan Diehl from participant designs.
Work is currently ongoing to bring the project into its next phase, and to expand its reach into the Southampton and Bournemouth areas. If you’re interested in learning more about or supporting the project, please follow us social media, or email prideintheshirt@gmail.com
City Reflections
Illuminating Southampton’s Stories
Carrying on from February 2025’s City Reflections 1, which celebrated Southampton local heroes, Southampton Forward and partners brought a new series of exciting, dynamic light projections to Southampton for February 2026.
City Reflections: Illuminating Southampton’s Stories
Along with 5 other Community Curators, representing a community from the diverse Southampton area, I’ve been assigned the Southampton City Gallery Archives, representing the LGBTQIA+ community.
The project was beyond a privilege to work on, allowing me access to the amazing works stored in the city’s archives, and involving my community in the selection and curation of the items and stories to be celebrated. We’ve created a dynamic story inspired by our experiences, that can speak to the wider experiences of Southampton locals - of finding generosity, welcome and reinvention within this amazing city.
Huge thanks to the Southampton Gallery and City Council teams, to the Southampton Forward team, and to key artists such as Lucy Ash, whose work, creativity and allyship we could not do the project without.
City Reflections: Illuminating Southampton’s Stories is an animated light projection trail that will run across four evenings in February 2026, bringing the city’s history to life in bold and creative ways. Six historic buildings across Southampton’s Old Town and city centre will be transformed with large-scale projections, immersive soundscapes and storytelling inspired by the city’s art, maritime and archaeology collections.
