A HAMPSHIRE-based opera singer created a comedy space opera with a difference which was performed in Basingstoke.

Opera singer Lucy Mellors is, this month, setting off on a tour of theatres across Hampshire in her new production It is I, Seagull and she was at the Proteus Creation Space in Basingstoke. 

The show fused Lucy’s own operatic experience with the true stories of Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, and Valentina Ponomaryova.

It not only highlights their achievements but shines a light on the sacrifices they made along the way, and examines how often women have to risk their self-respect, safety and mental health in pursuit of a dream.

Lucy said: “I’m so excited to bring this show to audiences across the south, which has been inspired by women in Gosport, alongside my own experience and research within the opera industry.

READ MORE: Tales from Acorn Wood to come to The Haymarket, Basingstoke

"I’ve chosen to tell the story of the first woman in space partly because there’s a trend at the moment of telling stories of ‘iconic’ women, and it made me think ‘what about the rest of us?!’ I hope people will enjoy the mix of comedy and singing, the story of the cosmonauts and a look into mental health in today’s image-focused world.”

This was Lucy’s first solo show, having previously appeared on stage with opera companies including Longborough Festival Opera, Mid Wales Opera and Grimeborn Festival.

She was in Basingstoke on Thursday, September 21.