Woman at Point Zero

28 – 30 Jun 2023

Royal Opera House , Bow Street , London, WC2E 9DD

Bushra El-Turk’s multimedia opera, inspired by the seminal 1975 novel by Nawal El Saadawi, is presented in London in a poignant encore to this year’s Festival.

Following the story by Egyptian writer and feminist Nawal El Saadawi, Woman at Point Zero is a story of two women: Fatma, an activist imprisoned for manslaughter, and Sama, an ambitious documentary filmmaker.

They share their memories, experiences, and secrets – moving from distrust to curiosity, solidarity, and finally friendship, the story unfolding over one day.

From this universal story, four women artists – composer Bushra El-Turk, director Laila Soliman, writer Stacy Hardy and scenographer and film designer Bissane Al Charif – create a multimedia opera, reinventing the form and its language. Conducted by Kanako Abe, the music blends traditions and is performed on a mix of ancient folk instruments by musicians from all over the world.

Jerwood Arts supported the early research and development of Woman at Point Zero with a grant in 2017.

Women At Point Zero, Image courtesy of Britten Pears.