Costume Designer

Scarcely any other work of world literature breathes music in the same manner as William Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. Elves dance through the night in the summery enchanted forest and sing the fairy queen Titania to sleep. Music accompanies the wedding celebration of the royal couple Hippolyta and Theseus, as well as the young lovers Hermia and Lysander, and Helena and Demetrius – when they have finally found each other in the midsummer's night after an erotic cycle of desire and disappointment, of confusion and disarray. And music rings out in the crassly humourous game in the play “Pyramus and Thisbe”, performed by six "highly skilled" craftsmen.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Violetta Valéry sells her time and body to clients both near and far. Her life as a Parisian courtesan provides her with every luxury. But when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness, her world is shattered in an instant…

La traviata

Schiller Theater

Pagliacci, an opera in two acts with a prologue, by Ruggero Leoncavallo, follows in the fortunate wake of Cavalleria rusticana, which had paved the way for the strand of verismo theatre. The libretto, prepared by the composer himself, is based on a crime story, a crime of passion that really happened in Montalto Uffugo, the village in Calabria where the composer lived as a young man. Performed at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan on 21 May 1892, under the baton of Toscanini, the opera achieved international fame in a very short time. The popular setting, where violent feelings are rendered by a convulsive vocalism, is the backdrop to the drama of jealousy of Canio, the head of an itinerant company. Thanks to the subtle narrative device of the theatre within the theatre, of real life consumed in the comedy performed on stage, Leoncavallo enhances the dramatic charge of the subject. The demon of jealousy that devours the protagonist, an unhappy man in reality and in fiction, cannot but lead him to the final catastrophe, with the heinous murder of his adulterous wife Nedda and her unfortunate lover.

Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

The «Japanese tragedy» by Giacomo Puccini shows how the American naval officer Pinkerton embraces Japanese culture, marrying Cio-Cio-San, a young geisha, for the duration of his stay. When he later returns with his «real» wife to take the child he had with Cio-Cio-San back to his homeland, the young woman is left with only one way out. With his ambitious composition, Puccini combined Eastern and Western motifs, producing one of his most successful operas at the start of the 20th century. Director Ted Huffman brings the opera to the stage in stunningly beautiful images and with great narrative tension.

Madama Butterfly

Zurich Opera House

Her father hopes that she will be cured by the famous physician Ibn-Hakia - only when she can see will Iolanta meet her fiancé Robert of Burgundy. But things turn out differently: Robert wants to break off the engagement because he loves another princess. His companion and friend Vaudemont, on the other hand, falls in love with Iolanta at first sight and she returns his love. Love becomes the key to treatment, the cure succeeds and Iolanta learns to see.

Iolanta

Vienna State Opera

At his local Prague bar, the landlord Brouček has a reputation for being a petty philistine. He himself is tired of dealing with insolvent renters and dreams of getting away from all the daily hassle. When one night he has had one beer too many, his wish comes true in a miraculous way with two fantastic excursions: first, Brouček lands on the moon inhabited by a strange, overly intellectual society of artists. Then he finds himself in medieval Prague, stuck between the fronts of a battle between the confessions, and is about to go to war on the side of the Hussites.

The Excursions of Mr. Brouček

Bebelplatz

Don Quixote stands as one of the great, undying classics in ballet history. It portrays the unmatched duo of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, crusading for pure love and true justice.

Don Quixote

The Royal Playhouse and The Old Stage

Verdi’s sharply relevant opera of love and war returns to the Royal Opera House.

Aida

Royal Opera House

Drame-lyrique in 5 acts by Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré
after the tragedy by William Shakespeare

EPSG:4326

Roméo et Juliette

Opernhaus Zürich

Tragedia giapponese in two acts by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
after Pierre Loti, John Luther Long and David Belasco

Unrivalled in the art of war, undefeated on the field of battle, Coriolanus is Rome’s greatest soldier.

When a legendary victory brings the opportunity of high office, he is persuaded to stand for election. But while populist politicians tell the people what they want to hear, Coriolanus refuses to play the game. As Rome’s most celebrated warrior becomes its most dangerous enemy, the future of the city and its hero hang in the balance.

David Oyelowo (Selma, Lawmen: Bass Reeves) makes his highly anticipated return to the London stage in the title role. Lyndsey Turner (Under Milk Wood, The Crucible) directs a thrilling new production of Shakespeare’s timeless political tragedy.

Coriolanus

National Theatre

The Handmaid's Tale

Romeo and Juliet are outsiders in a world of rigid social conventions. In Charles Gounod's French opera, they meet at a ball: Juliet introduces herself with a lively waltz aria, while Romeo has slipped in with friends. From this fleeting moment blossoms love at first sight – and the beginning of a story as passionate as it is fateful. American director Ted Huffman focuses on the essentials, setting the action on a simple dance floor. In doing so, he once again proves himself a "delicate observer of gestures, moods, and glances" (NZZ). The young Armenian soprano Juliana Grigoryan and the star tenor Juan Diego Flórez embody the lovers.

Romeo and Juliet

Famous orchestral scores by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Benjamin Britten, and Bohuslav Martinů form the musical heart of this three-part ballet evening. "See the music, hear the dance"—this was the motto of George Balanchine, the founder of the New York City Ballet and a grand master of neoclassical dance. For him, dance was visual music and should lead the audience to hear it in a new and different way. With pure beauty and perfectly choreographed formations of dancers, Balanchine's legendary piece "Serenade" is breathtaking. Cathy Marston's choreography "Against the Tide" was created for London's Royal Ballet. For this piece, she explored Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto and the background of its creation in 2025. Ballet Zurich will perform a piece by Justin Peck for the first time. In his "Paz de la Jolla," developed entirely in the spirit of Balanchine and set to music by Bohuslav Martinů, the resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet celebrates a Californian beach atmosphere.

See the music, hear the dance

The biblical story of Samson and Delilah, set in ancient Gaza, illustrates how closely emotions and politics have always been intertwined. To break the power of the Hebrews, the priestess Delilah seeks to uncover the secret of Samson's strength and feigns love for him. But Samson's revenge is terrible when he brings down the temple of Delilah's people, killing himself in the process. Among the most poignant moments in Camille Saint-Saëns' most successful opera is Delilah's seduction scene, "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" (My heart opens to your voice). Mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac make their stage debuts in the title roles under the direction of Gianandrea Noseda. Evgeny Titov, who skillfully combines sensuality with psychological depth in his work, directs.

Costume Designer

Annemarie Woods

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 12 - Mar 5, 2027

Romeo and Juliet · Opernhaus Zürich

May 22 - Jun 27, 2027

See the music, hear the dance · Opernhaus Zürich

Jun 13 - Jul 9, 2027

Samson and Delilah · Opernhaus Zürich

Past events

May 2 - Jun 6, 2026

A Midsummer Night’s Dream · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Apr 18 - May 17, 2026

La traviata · Komische Oper Berlin

About

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