Digital ProgramMessage In A Bottle

A Sadler’s Wells & Universal Music UK Production MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Directed and Choreographed by Kate Prince Based on the songs of Sting With ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company A Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK production co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome and The Lowry, Salford. Research and development supported by The MOVEment.

Run time

This performance will run for approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, and also includes a 20 minute interval.

Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.

Age

Recommended for audiences 7+.

Message In A Bottle contains some scenes of an adult nature.

A universal story of loss, hope, fear and love, Message In A Bottle, melds strikingly bold choreography from renowned choreographer Kate Prince with the anthemic nature of iconic artist Sting’s music, to create a deeply evocative narrative exploring connection and belonging. With its fusion of art forms and contemporary themes, it is a spectacular addition to the Contemporary Performance program. We’re delighted to bring a globally renowned work from Sadler's Wells to the Opera House for its Australian premiere as part of our 50th birthday celebrations and hope you find it as uplifting as we do.

Ebony Bott
Head of Contemporary Performance
Sydney Opera House

We live in a world where one person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution. In 2022 statistics show that over 100million people around the globe had been forced from their homes. More than thirty-two million of those people are refugees, and half of them are under eighteen years old. We are confronted by stories of displacement every day - in newspapers, on television and on our streets. We regularly hear about migrants fleeing oppressive regimes, but the focus is often on the catastrophic political in-fighting and violence and we lose sight of the people affected. Message In A Bottle is an imagined story about one family. In a village in a country far away, the community live well and support each other. But when civil war breaks out this idyll of existence is devastated as the community is broken and homes destroyed. We follow the fortunes of a father, mother and their three teenage children – Leto, Mati and Tana – who face this brutal reality together. They are confronted with impossible choices in order to survive. They must leave their homeland and undertake a perilous journey to safer shores. Along the way they will be separated from each other and have to persevere alone. Inspired by the passionate, evocative and iconic music of Sting - Message In A Bottle is a universal story of loss, fear, survival, hope and love.

Lolita Chakrabarti
Dramaturg
Message In A Bottle

Act 1

Desert Rose
I dream of love as time runs through my hand.

If I Ever Lose My Faith In You
There’d be nothing left for me to do….

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
I resolve to call her up, a thousand times a day, and ask her if she’ll marry me, in some old fashioned way

Fields Of Gold
Will you stay with me, will you be my love… as we lie in fields of gold.

King Of Pain
There’s a little black spot on the sun today.

Fragile
If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one, drying in the colour of the evening sun, tomorrow’s rain will wash the stains away, but something in our minds will always stay.

Don’t Stand So Close To Me
To hurt they try and try

Invisible Sun
And they’re only going to change this place, by killing everybody in the human race… But I don’t even wanna die just yet, there has to be an invisible sun, that gives us hope when the whole day’s done.

Inshallah
As the wind blows, growing colder, against the sad boats, as we flee, anxious eyes, search in darkness, with the rising of the sea.

A Thousand Years
A million roads, a million fears, a million suns, ten million years of uncertainty.

Shadows In The Rain
I woke up in my clothes again this morning, I don’t know exactly where I am.

Every Breath You Take
Since you’ve gone I’ve been lost without a trace, I dream at night I can only see your face.

Message In A Bottle
Rescue me before I fall into despair… I’ll send an S.O.S. to the world.  

Act 2

Spirits In The Material World
There is no political solution, to our troubled evolution.

If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free
If you want to keep something precious, you’ve got to lock it up and throw away the key

Brand New Day
I’m thinking in a brand new way… I’m starting up a brand new day.

Love Is The Seventh Wave
There is a deeper wave than this rising in the world.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Don’t think me unkind, words are hard to find, they’re only cheques I’ve left unsigned, from the banks of chaos in my mind.

Walking On The Moon
Giant steps are what you take, walking on the moon… We could walk forever… we could live together…walking on the moon.

Be Still My Beating Heart
Be still my beating heart, or I’ll be taken for a fool.

Englishman In New York
Be yourself, no matter what they say.

Shape Of My Heart
I’m not a man of too many faces, the mask I wear is one.

The Bed’s Too Big Without You
I can’t sleep with your memory, dreaming dreams of what used to be, when she left I was cold inside.

Roxanne
You don’t have to put on the red light, those days are over, you don’t have to sell your body to the night.

So Lonely
And I can only play that part, and sit and nurse my broken heart.

Fields Of Gold
Will you stay with me, will you be my love among the fields of barley? We’ll forget the sun in this jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold.

The Empty Chair
If I should close my eyes, that my soul can see, and there’s a place at the table that you saved for me.

They Dance Alone
One day we’ll dance on their graves, one day we’ll sing our freedom, one day we’ll laugh in our joy, and we’ll dance.

All songs written by Sting

Co-writers: Cheb Mami (Desert Rose), Dominic Miller (Shape Of My Heart), Kipper (A Thousand Years), J. Ralph (The Empty Chair)

Steerpike (Overseas) Limited)/Magnetic Publishing Ltd administered by EMI Music Publishing Limited (Shape Of My Heart)

Steerpike (Overseas) Limited/M. Khelifati administered by EMI Music Publishing Limited/Delabel Editions (Desert Rose)

Steerpike (Overseas) Limited/Mark Eldridge administered by EMI Music Publishing Limited/Diverse Music (A Thousand Years)

Steerpike (Overseas) Limited/J. Ralph administered by EMI Music Publishing Limited/Tubby & The Spaniard Music Publishing, LLC

COMPANY (in alphabetical order)
Oliver Andrews, Lindon Barr, David Cottle, Deavion Brown, Harrison Dowzell, Nestor Garcia Gonzalez, Natasha Gooden, Lizzie Gough, Anna Holström, Megan Ingram, Ajani Johnson-Goffe, Daniella May, Dylan Mayoral, Lukas McFarlane, Robbie Ordona, Lara Renaud, Hannah Sandilands, Jessey Stol, Steven Thompson, Malachi Welch

CREATIVE TEAM

Director & Choreographer
Kate Prince

Music & Lyrics
Sting

Music Supervisor & New Arrangements
Alex Lacamoire

Music Producer & Arranger
Martin Terefe

Music Co-Producer & Mixer
Oskar Winberg

Set Designer
Ben Stones

Video Designer
Andrzej Goulding

Costume Designer
Anna Fleischle

Lighting Designer
Natasha Chivers

Sound Designer
David McEwan

Dramaturg
Lolita Chakrabarti

Associate Choreographer
Lukas McFarlane

Music Associate & Additional Arrangements
D.J. Walde

Assistant Choreographers
Tommy Franzen, Lizzie Gough

REMOUNT PRODUCTION TEAM

Resident Director/Choreographer 
Lizzie Gough

Dance Captains
Lindon Barr, Hannah Sandilands

Wardrobe Supervisor
Miwa Mitsuhashi, Sabia Smith

Hair Stylist
Tevae Humphreys, Bethan Owens

TECHNICAL TEAM

Company Stage Manager 
Marius Arnold-Clarke

Deputy Stage Manager 
Beth Rennie

Production Stage Manager 
Adam Smith

Touring Production Electrician/Relighter 
Joe Pilling

Head of Sound 
Simon Lambert

Head of Video 
Marc Lavalee

Head of Wardrobe 
Joanna Hunnisett

Deputy Head of Wardrobe
Heather Cohen

Deputy Head of Lighting
Joe Pulling

MUSICIANS (NEW ARRANGEMENTS)
Vocals Sting
Drums Kristoffer Sonne
Electric Guitars Staffan Astner
Bass, Guitars & Keys Martin Terefe
Piano, Keys & Guitar Alex Lacamoire
Guitar, Keys, Backing Vocals & Programming Oskar Winberg

Guest Vocalists
Lead Vocals (Fields Of Gold, Invisible Sun)
& If You Love Somebody Set Them Free) Beverley Knight
Lead Vocals (The Bed’s Too Big Without You) Lynval Golding Lead Vocals (Don’t Stand So Close To Me) Claudia Georgette Vocals (Inshallah & They Dance Alone) Shaneeka Simon Vocals (Inshallah & Invisible Sun) Christella Litras

Additional Musicians
Bass John Garrison
Piano & Keys Nikolaj Tor
Percussion Daniel Freedman
Programming D.J. Walde
Drum Programming Noah Terefe

Choir 
Glen Scott (choir leader), Christella Litras, Shaneeka Simon, Jermaine (Jaz)
Ellington, Chérie Johnson, Dylan Turner, Ellena Vincent, Cleveland Watkiss, Coretta Scott, Jack Vasiliou, Shean Williams, Denise Pearson, Laura Vasiliou

String Quartet
Violin Patrick Savage
Violin Shelley Britton
Viola Emma Owens
Cello Chris Fish

Horns
Saxophone Carlos Sosa
Trombone Raul Vallejo
Trumpet Fernando Castillo

ORIGINAL CREATION PRODUCTION TEAM

Music Assistant to Alex Lacamoire & Additional Arrangements
Isaac Hayward

New arrangements recorded at
Kensaltown Studios & Eastcote Studios, London

Sting’s vocals produced by
Martin Kierszenbaum, Martin Terefe

The use of musical compositions is by arrangement with Steerpike (Overseas) Ltd administered by EMI Music Publishing

All lead vocals sung by Sting, apart from Fields of Gold, Invisible Sun and If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, which are sung by Beverley Knight MBE, and Bed’s Too Big Without You which is sung by Lynval Golding.

All songs written by Sting. Co-writers: Cheb Mami (Desert Rose), Dominic Miller (Shape Of My Heart), Kipper (A Thousand Years) J.Ralph (The Empty Chair).

Sting's management

Cherrytree Music Company (Sting’s Management) Martin Kierszenbaum, Nicole VanGiesen, Meghan Johansson

Forge Ahead Media, Inc. (Sting PR) Tracy Bufferd
DawBell (Sting UK PR) Stu Bell, Dave Palmer

PRODUCERS

For Sadler’s Wells

Artistic Director & Chief Executive
Alistair Spalding CBE

Executive Producer
Suzanne Walker

Head of Producing & Touring
Bia Oliveira

Producer
Hannah Gibbs

Assistant Producer
Molly Jones

Head of Production
Adam Carrée

Marketing Manager
Jordan Archer

Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Steven Lou

Head of Media & Communications
Caroline Ansdell

Media Officer
Laura Neil

Trainee Assistant Producer
Alison Thomas

Producing & Touring Trainee
Izzy Billington

Universal Music UK

Executive Producer
Eliza Lumley

ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company

Founder & Artistic Director 
Kate Prince

Associate Artistic Director
Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe

Executive Directors
Flo Buckeridge & Chantal Spiteri

Executive Producer
Sandra Castell Garcia

Producer
Annie Taylor-Gooby

General Manager
Sophie Cammack

Company Coordinator
Jasmine Cox

Agency Manager
Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus

Marketing & Communications Manager
Frankie Stansfield

Tour Booking (UK & International)
Kayte Potter, Fiona Buffham & Rebecca Bose for Great
Leap Forward: kayte@greatleapforward.co.uk

Tour Booking (North America)
Stephen Lindsay for The Road Company: sl@trc.nyc

Head of Contemporary Performance
Ebony Bott

Producer
Eleanor Ryburn

Producer
Harry Prouse

Programming Coordinator
Claire Fahie

Marketing Manager
Adelaide Garner

Marketing Associate
Emily Edgar

Marketing Coordinator
Ashley Santos

Senior Communications Manager
Amity Harrold

Communications Manager
Emily Cook

Senior Creative
Rohan Cain

Senior Creative - Content
Julia Kenny

Event Account Manager
Daniel O'Connell

Production Manager
Aubs L. Tredget

SOHP Ticketing Specialist
Ryan Court

Head of Operations and Business Management, SOHP
Kate Di Mattina

Business Analyst, SOHP
Alison Levingston

Corporate Counsel
Alethea Giles