The name Opera Cocktail was created for a concert held on the 27th January 1990 to raise funds for Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, West Wales. The hospital staff had saved my father's life and as a token of my gratitude I offered to organise a concert to raise funds. The concert consisted of five performers, Carol Smith, Huw Rhys Evans, Richard Morris, Wyn Davies and I, in which we performed an expanse of music from Bizet to Bernstein. Further performances ensued including the birth of my first one-woman show Castradiva, which was also the beginning of co-produced work with Theatr Mwldan
Performance histories
Western Telegraph 3rd February 1990
An 'Opera Cocktail' beats the storms
Despite the gales and inclement weather, the Withybush Hospital League of Friends benefited by over £1000 from the Opera Cocktail organised with the help of Buddug Verona James, on of the three widely acclaimed singing sisters, and held at Sir Thomas Picton School, Haverfordwest, on January 27th.
An audience of several hundred thoroughly enjoyed a superb concert. The performers, sponsors, and all those who helped make the evening such UN unqualified success were warmly thanked by Mr Tom Lamb, secretary of the Friends, and by chairman, Rev. Tom Owen, who introduced the proceedings.
Buddug Verona James had gathered a remarkable array of talent, who chose firm favourites for their programme, which included solo, duet, trio and quartet performances. It was little wonder that the audience was held spellbound from first to last.
A night at the Opera performances
Theatr Mwldan
Fishguard High School (Charity fundraiser for the Urdd and the Peter Gould Music Trust)
Buxton Festival
Classical Music Society, Derry, Northern Ireland
St Mary's College Hall, Trinidad (2 performances)
Adelina Patti's Opera House in Craig y Nos
Rhosygilwen Mansion, West Wales
The following artists have also performed with Opera Cocktail
Miriam Bowen, Jonathan Dove, Stephen Ellis, Mark Luther, Julie Unwin and Andrew Wilson-Dickson
Les Miserables in Miniature (adaptation by BVJ)
With Andrew Wilson-Dickson
Guernsey (10 performances)
Pontardawe Arts Centre
Lampeter Music Society
A Celebration of Cultures
Folk songs arranged by Classical Composers
With accompanists Ben Bayl, Dearbhla Collins and Andrew Wilson-Dickson
Fairfield Hall, Croydon
Gower Festival
Ballytobin, Kilkenny
Rathfarnham Castle
Lampeter Music Society
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Opera Cocktail/Theatr Mwldan Productions
Castradiva by Mark Ryan (Premiere 2000)
(Click here for Castradiva page or Buddug's Diary)
A one-woman show based on the fictional life of a castrato featuring arias by Handel and Gluck accompanied by a baroque ensemble led from the harpsichord by Andrew Wilson-Dickson (Welsh Arts Council funded)
- Theatr Mwldan (Cardigan)
- Theatr Mwldan
- Theatr Mwldan
- Bute Theatre (Cardiff)
- The unFringed Festival (Limerick)
- The unFringed Festival
- The unFringed Festival
- Garterlane Theatre (Waterford)
- Town Hall (Galway)
- .Civic Theatre (Tallaght)
- An Grianan Theatre (Letterkenny),
- Sligo Early Music Festival,
- Pontardawe Arts Centre
- Buxton Festival (2001)
- Buxton Festival (2004)
- Buxton Festival (2004)
- Theatre Ardudwy (Harlech)
- Theatr Hafren (Newtown)
- Gower Festival
- Tudeley Festival
- Beaumaris Festival
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Presented by Guy Masterson)
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Carlow Music Society
- Purcell Room (London)
- Aberystwyth Arts Centre
- Lampeter Music Society
- Theatr Brycheiniog (Brecon)
- Cholmondley Castle (Cheshire)
- Town Hall Theatre (Hemel Hempstead)
- Theatr Clwyd,
- Ustinov Studio (Bath) (2)
- Ustinov Studio
- Darlington Arts Centre
- Taliesin Arts Centre (Swansea)
- Gaiety Theatre (Isle of Man)
- Swaledale Festival
- Opera Fringe Festival (Northern Ireland) (2)
- Opera Fringe Festival
- Paisley Arts Centre (Scotland)
- St Mark Festival, (Croatia)
- Cardiff Coffee Concerts (Cardiff)
- Clonmel Junction Festival (2)
- Clonmel Junction Festival
- Bewdley Festival
- Wycombe Swan Theatre, High Wycombe
- Handel House Museum, London
- Northcott Theatre, Exeter Festival
- Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan
- Royal Navy Masked Ball, Dartmouth
- Chelsea Arts Club
The Family by Mark Ryan (2001)
(co-production between Opera Cocktail/Theatr Mwldan and Pavilion Dun Laoghaire) - a musical romp into ancient Greece with Buddug and her siblings Eirian, Elin and Dilwyn accompanied by Andrew Wilson-Dickson (Interreg Funded)
Theatr Mwldan (2)
Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire
(The second performance in Theatr Mwldan was a Charity performance and raised £2400 for the theatre).
Side by Side by Sondheim (2005)
With Elin Davies, Richard Morris and Wyn Davies
(AOC Funded)
Theatr Mwldan
Galeri, Caernarfon
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
The Torch, Milford Haven
A Knife at the Opera by Chris Harris (2006)
(Click here for A Knife at the Opera page or Buddug's Diary)
With Andrew Wilson-Dickson at the keyboard
(AOC Funded)
1.Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan
2. Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
3.Excel Theatre, Tipperary, Ireland
4.Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Ireland
5.Theatre Royal, Waterford, Ireland
6.Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, Ireland
7.St Donat’s Arts Centre, Vale of Glamorgan,
8. Beaumaris Festival
9. Opera Fringe Festival, Northern Ireland
10. Small Nations Festival
11. Buxton Festival
12. Ustinov Studio, Bath
13. Ustinov Studio, Bath
14. Parc and Dare, Treorchy
15. Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre
16. Theatr y Werin, Aberystwyth
17. Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon
18. Newbury Spring Festival
19. Ammanford Miner’s Theatre
20. Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale
21. Court Theatre, Tring
22. Wilton’s Music Hall, London
23. Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmund
