Northern Ireland Opera has announced the first cast and creative team for its new production of Carmen, opening at Belfast’s Grand Opera House this September.
Directed by Artistic Director Cameron Menzies, the production marks the company’s first-ever staging of Bizet’s iconic opera, reimagined through a contemporary lens.
Harlem-born tenor Noah Stewart returns to Belfast to take on the role of Don José, having previously appeared with the company in La Bohème and La Traviata.
He stars opposite Ruby Dibble, who makes her role debut as Carmen following a string of international successes.
The production also showcases local talent, with Mary McCabe as Micaëla, Jenny Bourke as Mercédès and Petra Wells as Frasquita.
Cameron Menzies said: “Great opera should move, challenge, and delight audiences in equal measure, and few works achieve that balance more successfully than Carmen. I have wanted to direct Carmen for many years, but I have always felt that it is a piece that demands the right moment. For Northern Ireland Opera, that moment is now. It is a work packed with extraordinary music, complex characters, and some of the most thrilling chorus writing in the repertoire. Over the last five years, we have been quietly building our exceptional chorus towards this challenge. However, this production is also an urgent opportunity to look at this tragic story through a modern lens, using our stage to confront the historic trope of the tragic heroine and address the vital, real-world conversations surrounding gender-based safety today.”
Music Director Greg Arrowsmith returns following his acclaimed work on Follies, leading the Orchestra of Northern Ireland Opera and introducing new arrangements for an on-stage instrumental quintet.
The creative team also includes set designer Niall McKeever, choreographer Jennifer Rooney, lighting designer Jake Wiltshire and wig and make-up designer Nuala Campbell.
Alongside the production, Northern Ireland Opera will host Behind the Curtain, a panel discussion addressing themes of gender-based violence and operatic representation.
Carmen runs at the Grand Opera House, Belfast on 12, 15, 17 and 19 September 2026, with press night on 12 September.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
