One Art

About

One Art is a monodrama that blends narrative cabaret, a staged song cycle, and a one‑woman opera to explore the life and work of American poet Elizabeth Bishop. Created by soprano Laure Meloy (performer), composer Paula M. Kimper, and director/stager Brigitte Baden‑Rennie, the piece was developed by Meloy’s Femme Lunatique Productions and Baden‑Rennie’s The Mosaic Cat, with support from Arts Council funding. It premiered in Canterbury before being presented at the Tête à Tête festival. Bishop’s poetry and letters provide the framework for an intimate performance in which Kimper’s art songs are interwoven with spoken text from Bishop’s correspondence. The piece examines how profound art can be forged from heartbreak, contrasting Bishop’s self‑doubt and turbulent love life with the hard‑won clarity of her poems. The production contains references to suicide. At Tête à Tête, Laure Meloy’s performance was praised for freshness and nuance, conveying the impression of spontaneous, unscripted storytelling.