{"id":62,"date":"2020-11-15T19:21:05","date_gmt":"2020-11-15T19:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oedipa.org\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2025-09-08T15:42:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T15:42:37","slug":"the-anatomy-of-melancholy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oedipa.org\/?page_id=62","title":{"rendered":"The Anatomy of Melancholy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Following the story of a young man and his family, The Anatomy of Melancholy<\/em> is a new opera exploring 21st<\/sup> century depression and the history of mental health. It is inspired by Robert Burton\u2019s book of the same name (published 1621), in which a detailed dissection of melancholy is attempted in the search for knowledge of its symptoms, causes and cures. From feelings of overwhelming loneliness to confrontations with cutting-edge genetics research, The Anatomy of Melancholy<\/em> sets humanity\u2019s most common mental health problem to music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Produced under the name bodycorps in October 2014 at a disused dairy in Wandsworth, the opera was our first major London production, and the result of collaboration with leading molecular psychiatrists and mental health professionals and service users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text + Direction: Finn Beames
Music: Benjamin Tassie
Musical direction: Tim Murray
Design: Finn Beames and Mayou Trikerioti
Cast: Mark Beesley, Dario Dugandzic, Anna Harvey, Janet Henfrey, John Lattimore, Donna Lennard and Maud Millar<\/p>\n\n\n\n