Who am I? And how do I find out? Two soloists and a string quartet: sometimes that’s all it takes. Laura Kamsinky’s opera As One sensitively describes Hannah’s path to self-discovery. Based on the biography of Kimberly Reed – who co-wrote the libretto with Mark Campbell – it tells the story of a trans woman and her experiences with her family, with society and with herself. Since its world premiere in 2014, As One has become one of the most performed new operas in North America. The reviews have been glowing. According to the New York Classical Review: “As One is everything that we hope for in contemporary opera: topical, poignant, daring, and beautifully written.” And for Out Magazine, “(t)he success and beauty of As One is that it reveals epic emotions within an intimate frame.” Now visitors to Semper Zwei can also accompany Hannah on her journey from childhood to adulthood.

As One

Semper Zwei

Do machines also have human rights? In the year 2037, the programmer Jonah has withdrawn to his studio following the loss of his partner. There, with the help of his robot Juri, he builds the android Alma. His best friend Piet becomes increasingly worried by Jonah’s growing attachment to Alma. And why does he erase her memory every night? When an unknown child sneaks into the rooms and befriends Alma, the small world of the studio is shaken to its core. And what is the story behind the mysterious appearance of Jonah’s former girlfriend Vivienne?

humanoid

What would a child’s room say if it could talk? A boy goes on the rampage because he doesn’t want to do his homework; his mother, of course, blows her top. When the child vandalises his room and even torments his beloved cat, things take a surprising turn: suddenly, the mistreated furniture, cups, books and animals start to speak! And the child finds himself in a world in which he is forced to think about others.

Das Kind und der Zauberspuk / L’enfant et les sortilèges

Semperoper Dresden

Do people need redemption? Between heavenly choirs of angels with a radiant brass aureole and a hellish cauldron of witches with the gloomy pealing of bells, the world’s spheres take on a concrete, haunting shape in the sound space of the opera „Mefistofele“. For centuries, many different artworks have been inspired by the tale of Faust, which explores the complex relationship between God, the Devil, man and woman. Who seduces whom to do what, and how can we achieve redemption?

Mefistofele

For over two centuries, Gioachino Rossini has been one of the most celebrated opera composers, and it might even have been the case if he had written nothing but Il barbiere di Siviglia. Both its genesis and premiere were connected with all kinds of twists and turns, which accompany many a play and opera. The piece had to be completed hastily, rehearsed and staged even more hastily; it was a setting of a literary work that had been used several times; the premiere was poorly received and affected by scandal, etc. In hindsight and knowing the fates of other creations, such circumstances would seem to be the best prerequisite for future success. Four years after the opera’s world premiere, in 1816 at the Teatro Argentino in Rome, Il barbiere di Siviglia was first presented, in German translation, at the Estates Theatre in Prague, which in 1825 staged the piece in Czech, owing mainly to the composer and conductor František Škroup (known primarily for creating the melody of the Czech national anthem), who would later on also give Czech premieres of operas by Wagner and others. The Provisional Theatre included Il barbiere di Siviglia in its repertoire during its very first season. Later on the opera was also undertaken by the National Theatre, which to date has adapted it in more than ten productions.

Dominika Škrabalová

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 13 - Dec 31, 2026

Il barbiere di Siviglia · Národní divadlo

Past events

20 - 28 Jun, 2026

As One · Semperoper Dresden

13 - 25 Jun, 2025

humanoid · Semperoper Dresden

Future and recently performed repertoire

Hannah Older in As One by Kaminsky

Semperoper Dresden

Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini

Národní divadlo

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