Focusing on design and music driven storytelling, the festival will use local talent, generating over 200 local freelance jobs, to produce a slate of small to mid-scale productions both in venues and found sites across the city and free pop-up short performances. “Opera” means “work” in Italian, referencing the art form as a cultivation of design, music, and drama to create absolute thrill-ride experiences, and this will be the goal for our audiences - to present a wide range of design + music driven storytelling experiences that cross genre, form, and expectations.
Alongside these commissioned works (and their subsequent tours) the festival will also host existing productions, puppetry performances, screen opera films, and offer engagement activities - creating a new landmark cultural event for Cardiff.
Cardiff & South Wales is home to an incredible community of world-class storytellers, designers, composers, directors, singers, makers, technicians, and producers - many of whom rarely make any work locally, having to travel further afield to both pay their bills and advance their careers. This is a vast untapped resource for the local creative economy, especially at this time when it’s becoming more difficult to sustain a career in the creative industries. Its a problem that has been being talked about in industry circles for literally years…
At the beginning of 2026, I decided to take some action rather than just keep waiting for someone else. Over the last year we’ve been laying the foundation for a new festival in Cardiff - GWAITH.
Looking toward the first festival in autumn 2028, planning is now beginning in ernest. There are conversations with a number of incredible venues and companies in progress, from small independent venues to national companies to individual artists.
BUT TO SUCEED THIS FESTIVAL MUST BECOME A MOVEMENT!
In addition to the now live formal call-out for trustees (particularly those with expertise in fundraising, strategic planning, and financial management), the door is also open for conversations and support from anyone who would like to become involved. Share your experiences and insights. Submit programming suggestions. Discuss co-production models. Lend your expertise. Translate materials. Connect us with your networks. Help build something that reshapes the landscape and rewrites the rules about how art is made.