A bold new folk opera, No More Sleeping, has brought together professional artists, pupils from across Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust and two robots, who made their stage debut, for a spectacular performance at 02 City Hall in Newcastle.

Created by pupils from the Trust’s 31 schools across Sunderland, East Durham and South Tyneside, the production is the result of a unique collaboration with writer Richard O’Neill MBE, musician and community leader Mike McGrother, illustrator Michelle Russell, and Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books.

It follows the story of Dot, a teenage girl navigating the loss of her grandmother. Her life changes when she receives Marra, a Multifunctioning Autonomous Robotic Resource Assistant, which becomes both a guide and a living archive of her family history and the region’s untold stories. Robots Alan and Pixel, from Durham University, also starred in the performance.

The lead role was played by 13-year-old Freya, a Year 9 pupil at St Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic Academy, Sunderland, who said: “I saw myself in Dot. When I got the role, I was over the moon. It’s been such a rewarding experience and I’ve gained so much confidence. Working with pupils from other schools and alongside professionals has been amazing. Everyone has been so supportive. I think the show will bring the whole community together.”

The production was eloquently narrated by author Richard O’Neill, who opened with the words: “This is a place of rivers and bridges carried by wind and water…built on sweat and stories.”

He said: “There are people who talk about change, and people who get on and make it happen. Brendan Tapping is one of the doers, the person who backed the original idea for a new North East story and gave Mike McGrother and me the freedom to create something bold, ambitious and unapologetically North East.
“At the O2 City Hall in Newcastle, hundreds of children stood on that stage and proved exactly why this region’s future is worth believing in. If we want our young people to know a fabulous future is waiting for them here, we have to help them build it, not just by talking, but by modelling what’s possible and creating real opportunities to do it.


“No More Sleeping is the result of that belief. A ground‑breaking folk opera shaped by pupils across the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust and powered by the creativity of a region that refuses to stand still. Supported by our tour manager, producer, super‑fixer and all‑round good egg, Elizabeth Boylan, BCCET’s chaplain, who has been central to making this production possible.


“Our cast and collaborators included the extraordinary Alfie Joey, comedy genius and mentor to our young performers; Jade and Leroy, bringing Grandma and the shopkeeper to life; Freya, our brilliant teenage lead, Dot; the Infant Hercules male voice choir; and every child and teacher who sang their hearts out.


“And thanks to our friends, Durham University’s Computer Science team, led by Dr Amir Atapour Abarghouei, we made a little bit of North East history with the first humanoid robot ever cast in a major regional production.”

Dr. Amir Atapour-Abarghouei, associate professor in computer vision and machine learning at Durham University, said: “What makes this project so exciting is that it places children’s imagination at the centre of the conversation about technology. AI and robotics should not be seen as replacing creativity, but as tools that can help young people ask new questions, tell new stories and imagine different futures. The pupils’ curiosity, energy and confidence were fantastic to see, and this is exactly the kind of collaboration that can inspire the next generation of innovators in the North East.”

Mike McGrother said: “My first ever gig was at City Hall; it’s such a great venue. This event has been the latest of a number of projects with the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust and it’s been a pleasure. Everything we have done together has been lovely and I have been so inspired by working with you all, I am returning to education to go and improve my own brain like yours!”

Former BBC Radio Newcastle presenter and actor Alfie Joey, who played a cameo role of a schoolteacher, added: “I’m a big fan of Richard O’Neill and I do a lot of work with Seven Stories as a writer and illustrator, and I love going into schools so this combines all three! This will be an experience these young people will remember forever.”

Alongside the production, pupils are also working on creating a companion picture book inspired by the story.

Brendan Tapping OBE, CEO of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, and the driving force behind the project, said: “At its heart, No More Sleeping is a story of resilience, transformation, and community. It reminds us that the North East is not just a region of proud history, but one of boundless creativity and innovation.”

No More Sleeping is the latest in a series of successful, collaborative creative projects, following Footsteps into Paradise at Durham Cathedral in 2022, and JOY in my Heart at Rainton Arena in 2023.

For more information about BCCET, visit www.bccet.org.uk