The life of a Victorian novelist who lived in and wrote about two Tivyside towns is being explored through the medium of opera.

Allen Raine is the pseudonym of Anne Adalisa Beynon Puddicombe, who died on June 21 1908 whose works, including the revival based novel Queen of the Rushes, are set in and around a fictionalised Aberporth and Tresaith, where she also lived.

Allen Raine: the Opera? is a creative research and development project which has brought together readers, singers, storytellers and music makers to consider the life and work of the Victorian novelist the idea of using her fiction as inspiration for a collaborative site-specific opera.

The project has so far included an in an illustrated lecture at Blaennannerch Chapel vestry by Dr Rita Singer and the the Allen Raine ramble, led by musician and trainee herbalist Ceri Owen Jones who applied both his musical and plant knowledge to Raine’s novel the Queen of the Rushes in a short talk, recital and walk.

Creative work continued in April, May and June with three laboratory style workshops titled Aria, Overture and Chorus led by composer and musician Stacey Blythe, circus theatre practitioner and deviser Debbie Howlett and project lead, Rowan O’Neill.

Materials devised were then fashioned into a study towards a site-specific opera focused on the novel Queen of the Rushes.

On the anniversary of Allen Raine’s death, the opera study was presented at Yr Hen Gapel, Aberporth. The chapel is now home to the congregation of the former Brynzion chapel, the chapel at the heart of the Queen of the Rushes story.

Those present at the performance had the following to say: “The final sharing piece we worked on showed me that opera can take on many forms, as it didn’t conform to what one normally thinks of as ‘opera’.”

“It’s made me think how descriptive opera is, to express one’s feelings in song, amazing!”

“It was obvious at the final sharing event that the audience were enthralled by the work.”

The group is planning to show a film documenting the performance on the October 6 at Aberporth Village Hall which is the date of Allen Raine’s birthday. More details to follow in the autumn.

The project was funded by the Arts Council of Wales through their CREATE scheme with support from the Allen Raine Celebration Society and Aberporth Village Hall.