The Knife of Dawn will be streamed for free on the ROH YouTube channel from 7pm on 22 October until 24 October 2021 to celebrate the anniversary of its Royal Opera House premiere. This free stream is presented as part of the Royal Opera House's celebrations for Black History Month 2021.

Hannah Kendall’s impactful chamber opera retells the story of Guyanese political activist Martin Carter on hunger strike in 1953, having been incarcerated without charge. The Knife of Dawn’s libretto by Tessa McWatt is based on Carter’s own powerful poetry, as he sought independence for British Guyana. 

Directed by the award-winning Ola Ince, this was the first production directed by a Black woman at ROH when it was performed on the Main Stage in 2020.