Mary, Queen of Scots

In order to explore the possibility of producing climate-neutral opera performances, the Oper Leipzig will stage “Mary, Queen of Scots” as such a project in a publicly impactful manner for the first time.

The conflict between Elisabeth I of England and her half-sister Mary, which ends in the latter’s execution, inspired Friedrich Schiller’s famous play “Maria Stuart”. A new production of the drama of the Scottish queen will now be staged under the direction of Ilaria Lanzino. The opera by Thea Musgrave was chosen in keeping with the Oper Leipzig’s focus on presenting new productions of relatively unknown works from the past fifty years, thus potentially expanding the repertoire of the opera house.

The new general director Tobias Wolff aims to integrate sustainability as a cross-disciplinary theme in all departments in the future. Under the supervision of head set designer Dirk Becker, the project will assess the core area of stage production with all its artistic content and processes. The audience will occasionally be allowed to participate in the production process, e.g. in the form of a public call for material donations. The opera house will stage a major happening, transporting an entire opera set across town by hand to draw attention to the normally high cost of transportation by lorry. The spectacle will also serve to generate audience attention and spark interest in the fascinating world behind the scenes. The project will be documented over a two-year period, and recommendations for sustainable opera production will be published for use by future directing teams.