English National Opera has announced its 2021/22 season, signalling a cautious but ambitious return to live performance at the London Coliseum after the prolonged disruption of Covid.
The season blends new productions with established favourites, positioning itself as both a homecoming for loyal audiences and an invitation to newcomers. Across four new productions and three revivals, ENO aims to balance accessibility with artistic ambition.
Among the headline projects is HMS Pinafore, staged for the first time in the company’s history, directed by Cal McCrystal, whose background in physical comedy promises a buoyant take on Gilbert and Sullivan’s satire of British class and authority. At the other end of the operatic spectrum is Wagner’s The Valkyrie, directed by Richard Jones, which opens a new Ring Cycle to be developed over the next five years in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera.
Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen returns to the Coliseum for the first time since 2001 in a new production by Jamie Manton, while The Handmaid’s Tale, Poul Ruders’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel, is directed by ENO Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon in her company debut.
The revival strand includes Phelim McDermott’s Satyagraha, Jonathan Miller’s long-running La bohème, and McDermott’s circus-inflected Così fan tutte, all works that have become fixtures of ENO’s recent repertoire.
A notable emphasis this season is on British and British-trained performers, who make up around 90% of the cast, alongside a number of significant international debuts. ENO continues to invest in emerging artists through its Harewood Artists programme, fellowships and director observership schemes.
Accessibility remains central to the company’s strategy. ENO has extended its free ticket scheme to under-21s, introduced further relaxed performances, and continues ENO Breathe, its social prescribing programme for people experiencing long-Covid. Ticket prices will start at £10, reinforcing the company’s founding principle of opera for all.
After a period in which the Coliseum stood empty while the company experimented with drive-in performances, broadcasts and digital work, the new season marks a return to the live, communal experience on which opera depends. For ENO, it is less a reset than a reaffirmation of purpose.
The 2021/22 season at a glance
Così fan tutte (Mozart) – revival
Directed by Phelim McDermott
HMS Pinafore (Gilbert & Sullivan) – new production
Directed by Cal McCrystal
The Valkyrie (Wagner) – new production
Directed by Richard Jones; first instalment of a new Ring Cycle
The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček) – new production
Directed by Jamie Manton
The Handmaid’s Tale (Poul Ruders) – new production
Directed by Annilese Miskimmon
Satyagraha (Philip Glass) – revival
Directed by Phelim McDermott
La bohème (Puccini) – revival
Jonathan Miller production
More info: English National Opera at the London Coliseum
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