Toria Banks
Librettist
Toria co-founded Hera, an intersectional feminist opera company, with Linda Hirst & Simone Ibbett-Brown in 2018. For Hera, she has: written and directed digital opera ‘We Ask These Questions of Everybody’ with composer Amble Skuse (premiered Sound Festival online 2021, ‘Politically important and an artistic triumph’ The I); written and directed a 5 minute video opera for the Opera Harmony project with first-time composer Bryony Purdue (online since 2020); and co-created ‘Generation’, an operatic gig theatre show featuring old and new work by women composers (premiered York Concerts 2019, touring soon); produced readings and workshops, and programmed SWAP’ras Forgotten Voices festival (2020, **** The Guardian). As well as new Hera projects, Simone and Toria are working together as co-directors of new opera, 'The Bridge Between Breaths’ by Gareth Churchill and Hafsah Bashir, commissioned by formidAbility. She has directed at Grimeborn, Tête à Tête & HGO, and staff directed for ROH & ETO. Resident Director at Trinity Laban since 2009, she has taught acting at Arts Ed and Central School of Speech & Drama. She has worked as a dramaturg on new and classic plays, in particular in collaboration with renowned director John Wright. She has written 3 plays for professional touring in Scotland, including Deeds not Words (Rural Nations, 2018). She is disabled.
For Mahogany Opera: Various Stages Festival 2020, Out of Her Mouth
