Fergus Sheil

A freedom fighter in Austrian-occupied Switzerland. An oppressive Habsburg governor. The most famous Swiss apple. And a love story that crosses national divides. Rossini’s thrilling epic, his final masterpiece with the world’s most famous overture, is his most ambitious, forward-looking and vocally challenging opera. Having become the rallying cry of the 1830 revolution in France, Rossini’s final opera is nothing short of revolutionary itself. Retelling the legend of the Swiss folk hero based on Schiller’s play, William Tell is a grandiose ode to freedom. Staged for the first time in Ireland since 1875, this production is conducted by Fergus Sheil and directed by Julien Chavaz who takes a mythological approach. For him, ‘the story is not just about a remote Swiss community facing Austrian invaders. It is the story of a society that suddenly has to face a threat to its model of civilisation.’

Two Queens. One Catholic and Scottish, one Protestant and English. One in prison at the other’s behest. A man between them balancing loyalty and love. A cry of ‘Vile bastard’ is the impassioned insult that leads one to the scaffold. The insult was so potent that the first performance of Donizetti’s lyrical tragedy was cancelled at the last minute in Naples through royal intervention. A toned-down revision went awry at la Scala the following year when the great Maria Malibran chose to sing the original words. More than a century would pass before Maria Stuarda would finally make its way into the operatic mainstream. For the central female roles, Irish National Opera has called on two Irish singers with glittering international careers: mezzo-soprano, Tara Erraught and soprano, Anna Devin. Tom Creed’s new production promises timely insights into what happens when larger imperial states encroach on their smaller neighbours and when geopolitics is clouded by emotions.

A meditation on the love of a father for his estranged daughter. A last meeting, a reparation, a benign waiting to tell her goodbye.

A solitary man and woman become increasingly aware that their separate worlds consist of uniquely enclosed environments. Are they listening to their surroundings? Can they survive without listening? They discover that the sounds of five words are their only means of communication and perhaps their only means of escape.

Drawing on the tragic, true story of a wartime shipwreck of a boat carrying Nazi German soldiers and a group of captive French sex workers, La Corbière highlights the dehumanising power of fear—in particular fear of the Other.

When Marty breaks Jackie's heart, her sister takes matters into her own hands, and calls him out as explosively as she can. A comic short which shows what happens when Belfast girls lose their temper in a very, very public way!

Fail me not, doc. You’re all I’ve got, doc. Join the dots, doc. A three act tragicomedy where a woman finds the strength to embrace her doctor’s failure.

A response to a terrifying walk through a Covid hot zone in a Birmingham hospital in April as seen through the lens of a medieval English poem.

A woman sits awake in a screen-lit room, awaiting news about her mother’s imminent passing. Tuning into the tides of electrical hum around her, she wonders about the parallels between this power and the force that gives life to the body.

A traditional ballad is reimagined as modern-day fairytale in three dreamlike scenes. A noblewoman murders her lover, is taunted by a magical talking bird (who has witnessed the crime) and, ultimately, is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake.

A Garda is coached on how to answer awkward questions. It's awkward. Awkward question for you: what's the difference between answering truthfully and telling the truth? Another one: what's the difference between self-defence and pre-emptive offence? Last one, promise: do you trust Gardaí always know the difference?

Mark Boyle, having given up technology for a life in rural Galway, meditates upon his daily rituals; of writing by hand and the ease to which sleep finds him.

A kind-hearted young woman is forced to be a maid in her own home. Her luck seems to turn when a royal bachelor comes looking for a wife, but her stepsisters are determined to keep her in her place. Give your New Year a fairytale start with Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Directed by Orpha Phelan, this new production from Irish National Opera unfolds from the pages of a book in celebration of literature, fantasy and the triumph of good over evil. Tara Erraught stars as Angelina alongside Andrew Owens as her Prince Charming. La Cenerentola is presented in partnership with the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Irish National Opera is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.