Peter Cant
Director/librettist
Peter is a director, producer and librettist. He began his career at the Young Vic in London and Odeon Theatre, Paris, as assistant director to Patrice Chereau and Luc Bondy. After training with Jerwood Opera Writing Foundation he collaborated with composers including Luke Styles, Marcin Stanczyk and Trish Clowes on new music-theatre performances for stage and radio. In 2015 he wrote and directed the opera, ‘Unborn in America’ at Vault Festival. Together with the artist Krzysztof Honowski he directed and performed in a series of experimental live-video performances including 'Alexandria' and 'Kustom Kar Kommandos Karaoke' which were presented at Tropez in Berlin, Atopos in Athens and at the Yard Theatre, London. Peter has written and staged many youth and community operas, including at Glyndebourne, Britten Pears Arts, Mahogany Opera and the Barbican. Between 2016 and 2019, he was a regular director of new work for English National Opera’s youth company. In 2016 Peter began devising performances in Kyiv with a group of Ukrainian acting graduates. In 2019 he co-founded Hooligan Art Community with the group. He has directed four shows for the company, including ‘Hooligan’ at Mystetskyi Arsenal and ‘Radiation’ at Dnipro Centre of Contemporary Culture and Kosmos Tabir, Kyiv. In 2022 Peter produced and directed 'Bunker Cabaret', Hooligan's first touring show, in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The company’s performances, films and installations have been met with acclaim in Ukraine, UK, Ireland and Germany.
For Mahogany Opera: Hooligan 2022, Various Stages Festival 2020, Snappy Operas, The Feast That Went Off With A Bang, Folie à Deux, Mozart vs Machine and Bow Down.
Photo credit: Kyrylo Pryadko.
