A crowded beach, the burning sun, bright bathing suits and sweaty brows and legs. Tired limbs sprawling lazily across a sea of towels.

The performance that stunned audiences at the 2019 Venice Biennale will make its UK debut this year at the Albany co-presented with LIFT and Serpentine. The main house of the Albany will be transformed into a crowded beach, complete with 10 tons of sand and 13 vocalists taking on the role of beachgoers enjoying the sunshine.

As part of the production we are looking for local community members and local choirs, of any age (at least 12 years old), gender, ability, racial or ethnic background and body type to volunteer, spend some time on the beach and join the performances from 23 June to 10 July 2022.

We are also looking for volunteer dogs!

Taking part – what will it be like?

Sun & Sea is a live performance that takes place over four hours. It features live opera singing from individuals and choirs too. In total there will be 25 performers (including volunteers) on the beach at any one time, and an audience of up to 150 people watching.

All volunteers will wear swimwear that they feel comfortable with on the beach. You will lie on the beach, and might occasionally go off stage to get sprinkled with water (as if you’d been in the sea) or to collect an ice cream.

Important to know:

  • No previous performance experience is needed.
  • There are a limited number of volunteer places so not all applicants will be able to take part.
  • The creative team for the production will be looking to form a group that is representative of Lewisham and the mixed community who live here.
  • Performances take place 6-10pm on weekdays and 2-6pm on weekends.
  • You will need to be free to take part for all of one of the following slots:
    SLOT 1: Thurs 23, Fri 24, Sat 25 June
    SLOT 2: Sun 26, Weds 29, Thurs 30 June
    SLOT 3: Fri 1 July, Sat 2, Sun 3 July
    SLOT 4: Weds 6, Thurs 7 July
    SLOT 5: Fri 8, Sat 9, Sun 10 July
  • You may be asked to provide your own costume in a certain colour palette. If you do not have anything in that colour palette we will be able to provide something for you.

How to apply:

For individuals:

please fill out and submit this google form by the deadline of Friday 29 April 2022. The information provided on this form will be stored confidentially and will not be shared outside of this production.

For choir leaders:

If you are interested in getting your choir involved in the project, or have any questions, please contact Matthew at sunandsea@thealbany.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Extra information for choirs: Rehearsals with the creative team will take place in the two months before opening. There will be an initial session between the creative team and choir leaders, to understand the score and another follow up meeting with the creative team. It will be the responsibility of the choirs involved to rehearse the material themselves, ideally within their regular sessions.

Si vous avez besoin d’une traduction de cette opportunité en français, veuillez contacter sunandsea@thealbany.org et demander en indiquant la langue dont vous auriez besoin.

Ti o ba nilo itumọ anfani ti a pese ni ede Yoruba jọwọ kan si sunandsea@thealbany.org ki o si beere fun iru ede ti iwọ yoo nilo.

தமிழில் வழங்கப்பட்ட இந்த வாய்ப்பின் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு உங்களுக்குத் தேவைப்பட்டால், தயவுசெய்து sunandsea@thealbany.org ஐ அணுகி, உங்களுக்கு என்ன மொழி தேவை என்பதைக் குறிப்பிடவும்.

Haddii aad u baahan tahay tarjumaad ka mid ah fursaddan lagugu siiyay af-Soomaali fadlan la xidhiidh sunandsea@thealbany.org oo codso in aad tilmaamayso luqadda aad u baahan tahay.

Bu fırsatın Türkçe tercümesine ihtiyacınız varsa, lütfen sunandsea@thealbany.org adresine ulaşarak hangi dile ihtiyacınız olduğunu belirtiniz.

Jeśli potrzebujesz tłumaczenia tej możliwości w języku polskim, skontaktuj się z sunandsea@thealbany.org i poproś o wskazanie języka, którego potrzebujesz.

Si necesita una traducción de esta oportunidad en español, comuníquese con sunandsea@thealbany.org y solicite indicando en qué idioma necesitaría.

Nëse keni nevojë për një përkthim të kësaj mundësie në shqip, ju lutemi kontaktoni sunandsea@thealbany.org dhe kërkoni të tregoni se çfarë gjuhe do t’ju nevojitet..

Ọ bụrụ na ịchọrọ ntụgharị ohere a ewepụtara n’asusu igbo biko gakwuru sunandsea@thealbany.org wee rịọ ka o gosi asụsụ ị ga-achọ.

Nếu bạn cần một bản dịch về cơ hội này được cung cấp bằng tiếng Việt, vui lòng liên hệ với sunandsea@thealbany.org và yêu cầu cho biết bạn sẽ cần ngôn ngữ nào.

The UK premiere of Sun & Sea is presented by LIFT, the Albany and Serpentine as part of LIFT 2022, Back to Earth and We Are Lewisham. We Are Lewisham is presented by Lewisham Council and the Albany as part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022.