David Pountney directs Lulu, his first production as Artistic Director of Welsh National Opera

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Welsh National Opera’s new production of Berg’s Lulu, directed by David Pountney with Genesis Assistant Director Polly Graham as his apprentice, opens in Cardiff on 8 February before touring the UK.

Polly has been working closely with David on this highly-anticipated new production – David’s first as Chief Executive and Artistic Director of WNO – since taking up the role of Genesis Assistant Director in January 2013. Soprano Marie Arnet plays the seductive protagonist in what is one of the 20th century’s greatest operas.

Welsh National Opera has a longstanding association with Berg’s work. The company gave the first British performances of Lulu in the 1970s and won acclaim and awards for its 2005 production of Wozzeck.

The Genesis Assistant Director role gives emerging artists the chance to work with one of the UK’s leading opera companies with the opportunity to develop talents and skill while being mentored by David Pountney. Following Lulu, Polly will work on new productions of Lohengrin and Roberto Devereux and projects within Welsh National Opera’s community and education programme, WNO MAX.

Click on the image below to watch a video of David Pountney talking about this new production.

Read The Daily Telegraph’s recent interview with David Pountney here.

Lulu opens at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (8 and 23 February), and following this tours to the Birmingham Hippodrome (5 March), Venue Cymru, Llandudno (12 March), The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (19 March), Milton Keynes Theatre (26 March), and Theatre Royal, Plymouth (2 April).

Read more about the Genesis Foundation’s partnership with Welsh National Opera here.