Organization

Mezzo-soprano (+5)

Kate Lindsey

OfFred

Soprano (+2)

Emma Bell

Aunt Lydia

Soprano (+1)

Rhian Lois

Janine

Ofwarren

Elin Pritchard

OfGlen

Mezzo-soprano (+4)

Susan Bickley

OfFred's Mother

Mezzo-soprano (+3)

Madeleine Shaw

Rita

Tenor (+3)

Frederick Ballentine

Nick, the chauffeur

Tenor (+1)

Alan Oke

The Doctor

Pumeza Matshikiza

Moira

Tenor (+4)

John Findon

Luke

Stage director

Stage director (+1)

Annilese Miskimmon

Conductor

Joana Carneiro

Lighting designer

Lighting designer (+2)

Paule Constable

Costume designer

Set designer (+1)

Annemarie Woods

Set designer

Video

Akhila Krishnan

Choreographer

Choreographer (+1)

Imogen Knight

Bass-baritone (+3)

Robert Hayward

Commander X

Contralto (+5)

Avery Amereau

Serena Joy

Samantha Crawford

OfGlen (cover)

English National Opera

London Coliseum

Based on Margaret Atwood’s seminal novel, Poul Ruders’s The Handmaid’s Tale plunges us into the Republic of Gilead, where women have been entirely stripped of their rights and freedoms.

The opera tells the story of a Handmaid given the name Offred, one of the fertile women forced to reproduce with Commanders of the Republic. This thought-provoking work magnifies the issues of state control and the fragility of freedom, as Offred wrestles with the daily terror of her reality.

With Danish composer Ruders’s score influenced by minimalism, medieval chanting and gospel music, the dissonant brutality of Gilead is viscerally depicted in the opera’s music itself.

This powerful new production is directed by ENO’s Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon and conducted by contemporary music specialist Joana Carneiro. An exceptional cast includes mezzo-sopranos Kate Lindsey as Offred, with Susan Bickley as her mother, soprano Emma Bell as Aunt Lydia, and Harewood Artist John Findon as Luke.

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