Streetwise Opera is a charity that harnesses the power of music and theatre to help those experiencing homelessness regain confidence and rebuild their identities. Jennifer Johnston FRSA, mezzo-soprano and patron for the charity, explains how the company provides life-changing opportunities for vulnerable individuals, enabling them to co-create award-winning productions and access cultural experiences.
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Streetwise Opera harnesses the transformative power of music and theatre to help those experiencing homelessness rebuild confidence, restore purpose and reclaim identity
While you might believe that opera (often unfairly accused of being an elitist art form) and social cohesion are not natural bedfellows, history would prove you wrong. Opera, thanks to its unique emotive strengths, is an art form that has frequently been used as a means of rallying people behind a cause. To ignore the social and political context in which any given opera was written is to ignore its power and capacity to effect societal change.
One very notable example is Fidelio, the only opera composed by Ludwig van Beethoven, which debuted in 1805. An idealist and a hero of the Enlightenment, Beethoven was influenced by Republicanism and the early ideals of the French Revolution, including a desire to bring an end to class-based justice and oppression – so Fidelio is as close to a political pamphlet as he ever wrote. Almost 100 years later, in October 1989, Fidelio was performed to mark the 40th anniversary of East Germany and just four weeks later, the Berlin Wall fell. Deemed too politically powerful, it was not allowed to be performed in China until 2008.
It is not simply from the stage, however, that opera has the power to exact social change. British opera company Streetwise Opera, founded in 2002, enables people who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness to participate in the creation of the art, finding inspiration and empowerment while they rebuild their lives and identities.
While partner organisations provide essentials such as shelter and advice, Streetwise’s focus, critically, is on rebuilding confidence and self-esteem, purpose and hope. It does this by offering life-changing creative opportunities for some of the most vulnerable people in society. This includes the opportunity to co-create award-winning productions with world-class artists, take part in weekly singing and creative sessions, pursue skills development and gain access to cultural organisations in London, Manchester and Nottingham.
Over the last 20 years, Streetwise has collected evidence, via a robust evaluation system, that participation in the arts plays an important role in recovery from homelessness. The ability to discover and embrace a new identity as an artist allows participants to define themselves by something other than their experience of homelessness.
In 2022–23, Streetwise engaged with 352 individuals and delivered more than 5,000 hours of creative workshops: 87% of participants reported increased self-confidence and 83% improvements in their overall wellbeing. One participant commented: “This is the one moment in my week when I feel like a human being again, and that keeps me alive.”
Streetwise’s work sends a very clear message: opera and classical music should not be elitist. Everyone deserves access to these art forms, and everyone should be able to claim their place as a creative person in a cohesive society.
Jennifer Johnston, FRSA, is a British mezzo-soprano and RSA Performing Arts Network Lead.
This article was first published in RSA Journal Issue 1 2025.
