Organization

Mezzosopraan (+5)

Kate Lindsey

OfFred

Sopraan (+2)

Emma Bell

Aunt Lydia

Sopraan (+1)

Rhian Lois

Janine

Ofwarren

Elin Pritchard

OfGlen

Mezzosopraan (+4)

Susan Bickley

OfFred's Mother

Mezzosopraan (+3)

Madeleine Shaw

Rita

Tenor (+3)

Frederick Ballentine

Nick

Tenor (+1)

Alan Oke

Doctor

Pumeza Matshikiza

Moira

Tenor (+4)

John Findon

Luke

Regisseur

Regisseur (+1)

Annilese Miskimmon

Dirigent

Joana Carneiro

Licht ontwerper

Licht ontwerper (+2)

Paule Constable

Kostuum ontwerper

Set designer (+1)

Annemarie Woods

Set designer

Video

Akhila Krishnan

Choreograaf

Choreograaf (+1)

Imogen Knight

Bas-bariton (+3)

Robert Hayward

The Commander

Alto-mezzo (+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.

Engels