Glimmerglass Opera

Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) opens its new season October 1 with the company’s first production of “Cavalleria Rusticana,” composer Pietro Mascagni’s one-act verismo tale of love, betrayal and death in a small Sicilian village. 

Hubbard Hall Opera Theater presents Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro with orchestra August 13 through 24. “We are so excited to be able to offer this kind of cultural opportunity to the people who live in this area,” says artistic director, Alix Jones. “The talent is really something you would come across in a metropolitan city, and you get it here, at a most unassuming location, at a fraction of the price!”

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University will present the world premiere of the musical Witness Uganda, created by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, and directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus. The production will begin performances at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge in February of 2014.

A contemporary production of George Frideric Handel’s comic opera “Agrippina,” which premiered in Venice in 1709 and concerns the shenanigans of a young Nero and his ambitious mother, the lady of the title, is going to be a hit. And it is. Of course it helps that the music is by Handel, one of the greatest artists of any age to set words to music.

Opera Boston continues its 2010-11 season with the New England premiere of Paul Hindemith’s 1926 opera Cardillac, in a new production starring baritone Sanford Sylvan, at the Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont St., Boston). Performances take place Feb. 25 and March 1, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. Sung in German with English titles.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) announced today that Artistic Director Diane Paulus, Pulitzer prize-winning writer Suzan-Lori Parks, and two-time Obie winner Diedre Murray have been chosen by the Gershwin Trusts and the Heyward Trust to re-imagine the Gershwins’ seminal American opera Porgy and Bess.

The American Repertory Theatre will present Best of Both Worlds. written by Randy Weiner, music by Diedre Murray, and directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus. Bursting with the sounds of R&B and gospel, Best of Both Worlds is a soulful re-envisioning of The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare's timeless story of heartbreak and redemption. Clap your hands, jump out of your seat, and feel the power of love with this holiday treat for all ages. It runs from November 21 through January 3.

Since its founding in 1980, the A.R.T., considered to be one of America's great regional theatres, has been known for its wonderfully edgy, provocative and often spell-binding takes on theatrical productions. After a long pause, a highly regarded new Artistic Director has just been appointed, Diane Paulus.