EDEN 2.0 / AFTER MY BREATH, COSÌ FAN TUTTE?!, DIDO AND AENEAS & More Set For Grimeborn Opera Festival 2026

The Arcola Theatre has announced the full program for the 2026 Grimeborn Opera Festival, running July 15 through September 5, 2026. Now in its 19th year, the festival will feature 13 operas, including six new works and seven reimagined classics presented across multiple spaces within the venue.

The festival will highlight themes including environmental urgency, political conflict, and contemporary perspectives, alongside reinterpretations of established repertoire.

EDEN 2.0 / AFTER MY BREATH

July 15–18, 2026 | Studio 1

A double bill of new chamber operas exploring climate change and activism, with works by William Gardner and Lisa Logan.

COSÌ FAN TUTTE?!

July 21–25, 2026 | Studio 1

A reinterpretation of Mozart’s opera examining human behavior through a contemporary lens.

MURDER GAMES: A DOUBLE BILL

July 29–August 1, 2026 | Studio 1

Featuring Madeleine Dring’s Cupboard Love and Ned Rorem’s Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters.

ERWARTUNG / THE MURDEROUS DELUSIONS OF GAVRILO K

August 5–8, 2026 | Studio 1

A double bill combining Schoenberg’s Erwartung with Kevin Rodgers’ contemporary opera.

DIDO AND AENEAS

August 11–15, 2026 | Studio 2

An intimate staging of Purcell’s opera with audience participation elements.

LOWEST OF THE LOW

August 12–15, 2026 | Studio 1

A documentary opera based on Günter Wallraff’s work exploring migrant labor.

RINALDO

August 19–22, 2026 | Studio 1

A new staging of Handel’s opera examining themes of war and power.

BITTER VISIONS: BY ORDER OF HILDEGARD

August 19–22, 2026 | Studio 2

A new opera inspired by Hildegard von Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum.

THE MAGIC FLUTE

August 25–29, 2026 | Studio 1

Mozart’s opera is presented in a new staging blending physical theatre and classical performance.

GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO

September 2–5, 2026 | Studio 1

A chamber staging of Handel’s opera focusing on political intrigue and personal conflict.

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