Flotsam - a new opera for young children
We raised £20,070 - Thank you!
As part of our core programme for 2026 we are thrilled to be developing and producing Flotsam, an opera made with and for very young children. Last year you helped us raise funds for a series of co-creative workshops, bringing the voices of children from schools on the Isle of Wight into the very heart of the piece. Led by the extraordinary creative voice of Dr Kerry Andrew, it’s now time to bring this work off the page and onto the stage!
BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2025
Introducing the creative minds behind Flotsam
Throughout the Big Give #ChristmasChallenge week we will introduce you to the creative minds behind Flotsam, a new opera for young children by the extraordinary polymath Dr Kerry Andrew, touring schools and theatres in 2026. So far we have Kerry Andrew, Nia Collins and David Wiesner - you can watch their interviews below - please do share them far and wide to help us reach more people.
ONE DONATION, TWICE THE IMPACT
Big Give runs match funding campaigns which raise millions of pounds for good causes. When the public donates to a charity through a Big Give campaign, they ask funders (philanthropists, foundations or corporates) to match that donation. So £50 from a member of the public, becomes £100 for a good cause.
We already have pledgers who have promise to match funds, and now we have from 2-9 December to raise the target funds to be matched. In other words, whatever you donate is matched / doubled.
Managing Director at Big Give, Alex Day, said:
“It's an absolute pleasure to have OperaUpClose join us this year for the Big Give Christmas Challenge! Any donations made to OperaUpClose during the campaign will be doubled, which will support a school tour of Flotsam, a new opera for young children."
What is Flotsam, the opera?
A new opera for young children by Kerry Andrew
David Wiesner’s much-loved picture book, Flotsam, will be brought to life in words and music, in partnership with Half Moon Theatre, reaching young children and their families across the UK.
Building on our reputation for creating “spell-binding, magical, inventive theatre for children and their parents” (A View from Behind the Arras), help us bring this beautiful story of discovery and underwater adventures to life in words and music.
What can audiences expect?
Kerry Andrew’s luminous new score and text blends music, movement, and storytelling to explore curiosity, connection, and the boundless power of imagination — a spellbinding adventure for audiences of all ages.
When a curious child discovers a mysterious camera washed up on the beach, the photos inside reveal a chain of children linked across time and space and an extraordinary underwater world. Turtles carry cities, starfish dance, octopi read by lamplight - but who took the pictures, and where will the camera travel next?
