IN THE LOCKED ROOM Introduction This one-act opera, an a daptation of a short story by Thomas Hardy, explores the power of the imag ination and the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Background Hu w Watkins is admired across the UK for his work as a composer and pianist,and has an impressive body of orchestra, chamber and vocal works. For In the Locked Room, he teams up with poet and librettist David Harsent, withwhom he previously collaborated in 2009 on the chamber opera Crime Fiction . Harsent’s work in opera also includes his libretto for Harrison Birtwistl e’s The Minotaur, which was given its premiere at the Royal Opera House in2008. In the Locked Room is brought to the Linbury Studio Theatre by Mu sic Theatre Wales in collaboration with Scottish Opera. The production is d irected by Michael McCarthy and Matthew Richardson. GHOST PATROL In troduction Three people trying to escape their past meet in a bar, wher e they uncover a terrible secret that unleashes an inevitable tragedy. Bac kground Following their collaboration on Remembrance Day in 2009 – a chi lling opera in which an elderly couple’s macabre past is uncovered by a nai ve teenager – Stuart MacRae and Louise Welsh once again join forces in an o pera that explores the overwhelming power of memories. Stuart MacRae hasreceived commissions from the London Sinfonietta and the BBC and was appoi nted Composer in Association with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Loui se Welsh is a celebrated crime writer; her novel The Cutting Room has won several awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Dagg er Award (2002). Ghost Patrol is brought to the Linbury Studio Theatre b y Music Theatre Wales in collaboration with Scottish Opera. The production is directed by Michael McCarthy and Matthew Richardson.